Do your MMO choices actually reflect your playstyle?

The following thoughts do not necessarily reflect my point of view.

Massively OP reader Leiloni tipped us off to a great blog post by MMO blogger Ethan “Isarii” Macfie, in which the author questions his understanding of his own playstle. “I’ve recently come to realize that my self-identification as a PvP focused player might not be entirely accurate,” Isarii writes. “I certainly enjoy PvP a lot – the more of it, the better, really, but when I think about my favorite MMO of all time, Star Wars Galaxies, it’s hard to reconcile how little PvP I did in the game with identifying primarily as a PvP player.” He ultimately concludes that the dichotomy might be faulty — that above all else, he’s a community player, and that FFA PvP games tend to offer the most opportunity for community — akin to the one experienced by so many MMORPG gamers in Star Wars Galaxies.

Personally, what I loved about SWG was the freedom players had to embrace critter-hunting, PvP combat, economic PvP, and socializing as their whims dictated from moment to moment. It was a special game specifically because it attracted people from traditionally oppositional playstyles. It doesn’t surprise me at all that a hardcore FFA players, hardcore crafters, hardcore dancers, and hardcore rangers would all think the game was all that and a bag of bofa treats.

And on the other end of that, I tend to think of myself as a hardcore economy MMO gamer, but some of my favorite MMORPGs — like City of Heroes and classic Guild Wars — had comparatively stilted economy play.

Think about the games you play — do they actually reflect your playstyle?

TH