Is early access creating gated MMO communities?

Taken from Massively, join us on weekdays as we discuss the daily topic. Remember, the thoughts of the OP are not always my own.

I’m not generally interested in early access programs these days. For one thing, there are so many fully fleshed-out MMOs on the market that I don’t need to be adding a half-baked one on my plate. For another thing, I feel like getting in that early will ruin my appreciation of the final product.

As I’ve been avoiding them, I’ve become worried that whenever the game launches, it will be too late to join the community. After all, if the really interested party of players have been in a game for years at that point, I’ll be some upstart who’s part of a second, lesser caste of the community.

My question today is, do you think that early access is creating gated communities? Are people paying a ton of money just to get in on the “real” community now while keeping the unwashed rabble out? Does early access create territorialism and elitism among the community that will hurt it later on?

TH

Maybe, I don't know, I don't care. Communities are communities, they will always have their stars and always their star Guilds. It morphs and changes as time carries on. Yes you miss things, but you also witness new times.

You are not gated because you didn't live in the 90s, I believe the same principle applies to this.

TH