Actually, in the Primes, you could skip every cutscene after watching it the first time, probably 'cuz Retro understood that if you just got killed after a particular scene, you probably didn't wanna watch it again. The game only loaded content on elevators and I think between rooms (which is why some of the doors take forever to open after shooting them).
Every scene in RE4 was skippable save for those where you had to actually do something. Makes me think that the game loaded the next room while you were still busy in the current one (and in most cases, you always had plenty to do between rooms). Loading times were almost non-existant in that game.
So sometimes it takes CNN to tell parents that GTA is not a kid's game.
I think the game being called Grand Theft Auto speaks volumes more than even the rating could. I mean, we're talking about a game named after a felony here. Can you possibly comprehend how somebody could miss such a correlation? It's grounds for Child Services to take custody of the kids, because someone that clueless is probably past due to accidentally shoot their kid with a nailgun.
And then the parents will sue Black&Decker. Oh, the horror!
So with an MMORPG, you're basically trying to sell an extremely non-mainstream concept (RPG) to a mainstream (MMO) audience. Unless the definition of an RPG is changed somewhat for the mainstream audience, it isn't going to happen.
The problem that keeps tabletop games out of mainstream focus is the fact that most people don't know what roleplaying is, even though we all see it and do it every day of our lives. It's just acting, it's not a difficult concept. However, it becomes nearly impossible to convince people of that, because when they think acting, they're not thinking "I hate Joe but I smile and wave anyways 'cuz I don't want him to think I'm a jerk," but rather "Tom Cruise is awesome!" Which is strange when you think about it, because in both cases, one person is pretending to be another, only one of them makes millions of dollars when they do it.
Anyways, I think you've nailed the target demographic of every major MMO pretty accurately. Sadly, they make up the majority for these games, and as development costs for these kinds of games increase, they will continue to be a target, and roleplayers will have to make due with MUDs and P&P games.
What's really needed right now is a game that the FPS crowd will initially flock to, play for a bit, then leave just as quickly because it puts them at a disadvantage by design, i.e. powergaming does nothing but consume hours that could have been spent dungeon-crawling with friends, or exploring the world, or engaging in a tradeskill. Griefing and being a jackass gets you in bad standing with other adventurers, and eventually kingdoms so that you're KOS for guards or adventurers alike. Things like that, which are being skipped over because nobody wants to piss off the mainstream audience.
Personally, I'd like to play a newer game where I can spend my time online as a blacksmith, making weapons and armor and chatting with customers who desire such things. And not after 40/60/100 levels either, but at character creation. Start off as an apprentice to a master smith and then work my way up towards getting my own shop. A welcome change from repeatedly killing monsters if you ask me.
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Actually, in the Primes, you could skip every cutscene after watching it the first time, probably 'cuz Retro understood that if you just got killed after a particular scene, you probably didn't wanna watch it again. The game only loaded content on elevators and I think between rooms (which is why some of the doors take forever to open after shooting them).
Every scene in RE4 was skippable save for those where you had to actually do something. Makes me think that the game loaded the next room while you were still busy in the current one (and in most cases, you always had plenty to do between rooms). Loading times were almost non-existant in that game.
Man, I HATED Puppet Ganon! He was such a pain in the ass! Ganondorf was a joke though.
They should've just made you fight 15 Mighty Darknuts and 10 Stalfos all at once for the last battle. That would have been tons of fun.
So sometimes it takes CNN to tell parents that GTA is not a kid's game.
I think the game being called Grand Theft Auto speaks volumes more than even the rating could. I mean, we're talking about a game named after a felony here. Can you possibly comprehend how somebody could miss such a correlation? It's grounds for Child Services to take custody of the kids, because someone that clueless is probably past due to accidentally shoot their kid with a nailgun. And then the parents will sue Black&Decker. Oh, the horror!
So with an MMORPG, you're basically trying to sell an extremely non-mainstream concept (RPG) to a mainstream (MMO) audience. Unless the definition of an RPG is changed somewhat for the mainstream audience, it isn't going to happen.
The problem that keeps tabletop games out of mainstream focus is the fact that most people don't know what roleplaying is, even though we all see it and do it every day of our lives. It's just acting, it's not a difficult concept. However, it becomes nearly impossible to convince people of that, because when they think acting, they're not thinking "I hate Joe but I smile and wave anyways 'cuz I don't want him to think I'm a jerk," but rather "Tom Cruise is awesome!" Which is strange when you think about it, because in both cases, one person is pretending to be another, only one of them makes millions of dollars when they do it.
Anyways, I think you've nailed the target demographic of every major MMO pretty accurately. Sadly, they make up the majority for these games, and as development costs for these kinds of games increase, they will continue to be a target, and roleplayers will have to make due with MUDs and P&P games.
What's really needed right now is a game that the FPS crowd will initially flock to, play for a bit, then leave just as quickly because it puts them at a disadvantage by design, i.e. powergaming does nothing but consume hours that could have been spent dungeon-crawling with friends, or exploring the world, or engaging in a tradeskill. Griefing and being a jackass gets you in bad standing with other adventurers, and eventually kingdoms so that you're KOS for guards or adventurers alike. Things like that, which are being skipped over because nobody wants to piss off the mainstream audience.
Personally, I'd like to play a newer game where I can spend my time online as a blacksmith, making weapons and armor and chatting with customers who desire such things. And not after 40/60/100 levels either, but at character creation. Start off as an apprentice to a master smith and then work my way up towards getting my own shop. A welcome change from repeatedly killing monsters if you ask me.
I'm living in a dream world though, I guess.