Dear players,

I want to start out with something you probably haven’t given much thought to…I’m a gamer, too. That means that, at some point, I’ve been affected by bad MMORPG launches, game-breaking bugs and nerfs the size of buffalo to my favorite class.

You seem to be under the impression that I’m just some tech guy, totally detached from how my job affects you, and just in it for a paycheck.

I won’t lie to you…there are some developers that are just that. But guess what? They’re not the norm for our line of work, any more than every MMO player is a 133t-speaking asshole. “Dev” doesn’t fill the same space in a sentence as “storm trooper”… interchangeable, uniform and filled with evil intent (or at the least, a blind incompetence).

Developer is my job title, not who I am, dammit.

Yes, I know you’re upset at times with the game I helped make. I understand that you want to have more fun in my game. I realize that the class balancing nerf you’re griping so loudly about is important to you. But guess what? It’s important to me, too.

I take as much pride in building this game as you do in the character you’ve built while playing it.

Do you really think we have a secret “MMORPG developer” branch of the Illuminati, with secret handshakes, code words and a far-reaching plan to make you miserable? If you do, then you’re an idiot. My ability to feed my family depends on being able to do my job well. If I don’t, I could wind up on the “Geek Squad” helping fifty-year-old women fix the “retractable cup holder” on their computer tower. Do I always succeed? No, but then again, no one should be expected to be perfect by their boss or their customers.

Which brings me to another point…so, you pay my salary, eh? Well, in a round-about way, you do. A tiny portion of it. But guess what? If McDonald’s stopped serving hamburgers because a few vegetarians complained loudly enough, they’d be out of business. Therefore, even though they do get those complaints from time to time, and those people make good on their threats and take their business elsewhere, McDonald’s still does things the way that best benefits the majority of their customers, and therefore their business. There’s a lesson in that, and it’s this:

It is impossible for the phrase “the customer is always right” to be accurate in the gaming industry.

For everything that drives you crazy about our game, there’s another paying subscriber that loves it. One wants it to change, or they’ll unsubscribe; the other wants it to stay exactly like it is, or they’ll unsubscribe. Okay, brainiac…which customer is right? Who’s idea of “fun” should I go with? Decide quickly; if you take too long to respond to the poorly-worded forum post, you’re obviously “ignoring the paying customers”. What’s that, you say?

• “But everyone thinks like I do.”
• “Everyone else would love the changes I want.”

Or (my personal favorite):

• “Everyone thinks this sucks! U got 2 l1st3n 2 ur 5ubscr1b3r5…w3 pay ur salary!!11!!!”

All of those are incorrect, and you’re a self-centered jerk if you think otherwise.

• If everyone thought just like you do, we’d still be trying to decide if rocks were edible.
• If I make the changes you want, you’ll be happy and I’ll make someone else unhappy.
• That’s not remotely cool, neat or legible; if you want someone to take you seriously, learn 2 spe11, n00b.

Why is it that you look at console games, arcade games, even single-player computer games, and if you don’t think they’re fun, you just don’t play them? Why isn’t there a Mario forum with Luigi fans screaming that they can’t enjoy the game unless he’s faster? MMORPGs are the only genre’ of game where the attitude exists that the game should be changed to fit what you expect of it.

Of course, it’s also the only genre’ that requires a monthly fee (in some cases), but that’s really no excuse. The same attitude is present in players of free-to-play MMORPGs, too.

But fine…you want everyone to be equal? No problem! We’ll just allow you to only roll one class…say, a tank…that’ll even the “fun factor” right out! Everyone will have to be a tank! That means that everyone will be equal, and there will be no advantage for anyone!

And no one will play the damn thing, because it’ll be boring as hell.

Name something…one thing in the world of entertainment…that would be better if it were exactly the same experience for everyone? Get back to me when you come up with an example. And yes, I realize you don’t really want everyone to be equal. But guess what? Your class is your tool, and some tools are naturally better suited to some jobs than others. Here’s a hammer and a screwdriver…make them equally useful in all situations.

That’s what you’re asking, and to be honest, we do the best we can to enable you to turn screws with your hammer and drive nails with your screwdriver, but each will always be superior for the task they’re designed for. There’s only so much “balancing” I can do.

Finally, to you players that “get it”…thank you. You’ve given me a more rewarding life than I ever expected, and I’ll do my best for you…I want you to have fun with my game.
To the rest of you…the “doom and gloom” crowd, the “Negative Nancies”, the players who are never satisfied and seem to derive their fun from bitching continuously…do me a favor. Write down your complaints, fold the paper until it’s all sharp corners…and shove it.

Sincerely,

Your MMORPG Developer

(Note: I’m not a game dev, I didn’t ask any game dev’s opinion about this piece, and there’s not a working game dev on the planet that would agree with anything I said above….in public. It just needed to be said.)

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Tags: complaints, games, gaming, mmo, mmorpg, playerbase