The Psychotic Monkey has posted of his love for games, specifically Everquest 2.
I played Everquest for quite a while, getting several characters to (around) level 20, and one character up to the lofty heights of level 28. For those that don't know, the higher the level, the more experience your character has. With higher levels, comes more powerful skills and abilities, and the potential to use more powerful (and ideally cooler) equipment.
My higher level character in Everquest was a short, stocky Dwarven fellow called Belvin. Belvin was an agreeable sort for his first few levels of existence, and even managed to be reasonably personable up until level 20, at which point he could buy himself a new, shiny suit of armor. Soon after, Belvin got bitter.
Belvin, you see, was a healer. He was gifted with the ability to soothe the ills of his companions, restoring lost hit points, and making sure everyone spent more time on their feet than off them. Being a healer meant that Belvin got virtually no new cool abilities, no cooler weapons to use, and very little cool armor once he climbed into his tin-can at level 20. "Exciting" new abilities comprised mainly of improved heals, that meant that a greater amount of health was restored with each use.
As a player's level increases, so too does the challenge they face. This means the healer spends more time healing, and less time doing anything else. The "new and cool" healing abilities rapidly become lacking in usefulness, and the healers companions take more and more damage. As a result, Belvin's life became very, very dull. What began as a happy, jovial sort of adventurer soon turned into a grouchy, unpleasant little creature with poor personal hygiene and no desire for further adventure.
I've cancelled my Everquest account now. Releasing an expansion pack that catered solely for a player level that I felt I could never (reasonably) reach given the amount of time I can play, and that I had no desire to achieve, meant that a distinct lack of "new and cool" drove me away. For me, computer RPG's (since the old days of gold box D&D adventures, and The Bard's Tale) have always been about acquiring exciting new abilities or equipment, and Everquest really didn't satisfy that expectation.
These days, I've got active subscriptions for World of Warcraft (which, for now, has a larger helping of "new and cool") , and City of Heroes (which has sucked me back in just in time for City of Villains). Upcoming titles that I'm keeping an eye on are Auto Assault, Huxley, and, of course, D&D Online. I'm sure I'll post about past, future, and present MMORPG experiences another day.
