Are MMORPGs Too Complex?

Thanks to Skotos for their column discussing whether MMORPGs are sometimes too complex for the average gamers. The writer suggests: "Often, I just want to sit down and do something simple and fun. Yet, the structure of most MMOGs doesn't accommodate this", and goes on to illustrate this, arguing "It seems like many MMOGs lately are tending more toward 'have fun doing your tax forms online while paying for it.'" The piece also discusses boredom: "How many MMOGs have the ability to mine/farm/fish/collect wood? How many are there in which this is NOT just a repetitive clicking of the mouse based on the computer response?", and putatively suggests a solution of "play[ing] Tetris to mine faster", coincidentally implemented by the recently launched Yohoho! Puzzle Pirates.

Comments

Not complex enough:

[eliza_effect]

Actually, the problem that I run into more often than not if that the skill systems aren't complex ENOUGH. When I raise a level in a skill, I want it to be because I actually learned and got better at something. As it stands, most MMOGs use the model of "try, try again," where, for example, in smithing, you WILL break the item, or create something entirely useless on your first, oh, 20 tries. While 20 may not seem like much, when the process takes maybe 5 minutes each time, and costs you (fake) money every time, it gets very annoying quickly. On the other hand, if I had figured out what was going wrong on the 3rd try, and changed my process, I could be making the desired item more effectively and quickly. Of course, that's entirely moot if the key is something simple that everyone could figure out relatively quickly (or look up somewhere online, in guide-form), but the time-sink isn't a very good alternative.