Nevareth, like any other persistent world, is a medium designed and published to compete in the industry of securing a better captivity for the invited minds, in multitude, and to generate huge revenue.
The Abode
Persistent world like Nevareth is a place where end-users could see the effects, if not the confined repository, of their own resolve, aspirations, ideals, illusions, source of excitements, as well as, some familiar attributes and weaknesses of their respective real world.
The pivotal stimulus of this virtual game could be the desire to control, to display power, to rebel, to break free, to craft a destiny, or to nurture a choice. It is not surprising that the notion of predetermination is found in the storyline of Nevareth, as in any fairytale, though it has no direct implications in the dynamics of the game. Making choices that best appeal to each end-user is then the given framework of this medium - choosing and shifting their role playing, their preferred attitude in-game, of setting goals, of what to spend their money for, of prioritizing interventions, and of fashioning socialization.
If the game appears devilish, at first encounter, it is just that evil is a familiar sight in every map and dungeon to those whose minds are preconditioned in believing what evil world or corrupted world looks like. Yet, a gamer will soon realize that good and evil, the game portrays, are both working in harmony in defining what "having fun" meant to be for each gamer.
Such persistent world purports that the game is "yours in many ways". It certainly negates the state of mind of being alone, limited, idle, and of casual boredom. After all, it is indeed a social network that could accommodate various motivations as end-users linger in-game, finding their own tribe, those they share common values with, discovering peculiar challenges, and engaging competitive adversaries. Consequently, these dynamics generate a personal meaning, in a most practical way with confidence and pride, to the not so illusive expressions , like: "i love this game"; "i play cabalonline"; "i live in Nevareth" and so on.
The Prison
Enticing invitation with ready button like - "Free to Play", "Play Now", "Slay for Free", "Play Free Now", "Download Now", and various sponsored game reviews are everyday sight when you're online. MMORPGs are presented so crafty to lure end-users. The industry has grown clever in making prospective consumer a believer that what is behind the "I Accept" button is all friendly and customary based on generally accepted principles and social norms.
Naive end-user, and those with experience, will again at certain point realize that taking part in a persistent world requires some parameter changes, such as: to make time for the game; to set aside money for it; to find a convenient gaming place; to accept new friends; to enter into new association; to adopt new goals with it; and other forms of changes in ones life. Gamers may not notice the implications of these changes to their respective personal life. Those parameter changes will pose constant challenges to gamers' self-discipline and desired personality. Others hardly notice that they are no longer living in the real-world as they use to or expected to function. Their minds are already deep into captivity, into a prison.
This prison isn't entered by compulsion and not managed by force. It is a prison sustained by new experience, in-game events in consonance with real world season celebrations, new challenges, new items, new freebies, gamers growing association, progression attributes, performance rewards, not to mention the intervention of new operating third party programs. These developments are made possible by subsequent client patches to insure game dynamics, enhance gamers experiences and redefine excitement and challenges. Yummy as it may look and feel, these bits and pieces of benevolent in-game evolution and events are always ancillary to that burning desire of maximizing revenue, even at the expense of game quality, gamers' convenience, end-user account security, and costumer service efficiency. At the end of the day, they are just suppose to work as viable marketing and promotion implements to keep this prison up and running. Surprisingly, this methodology has less concern about maintaining or increasing the number of captives. The given assumption is that - as prisoner come and go, there is always an in-flow of new invited inmates.
What made captive minds linger in-game posing like an ultra-smart prisoners, even if they are away from the game interface, is due to the emotional attachment they have given their in-game character, the acquired progression ego, the time and energy the have expend, and the money they have spend, including the association they have nurtured in-game with fellow avid gamers. The most revered captives among them, whether pure legitimate gamers or turn habitual cheaters, are those who went into long virtual intermittent exile for they found compulsive sanity in the persistent world . They often forgot the essentials of living in the real world and those who love and have high hopes for them.
End-User Stockholm Syndrome
"Cabal is somewhat like a drug to me, every after school I feel so stressed out and get pissed so easily; and that will surely push me to log-in just to upkeep my mind", posted by one of my fellow community forum members. Perhaps, that is a funny way of saying what "unwinding" means or an honest confession of how a person becomes dependent to the existence of a persistent world, rather than seek the comfort of a prayer or a form of disciple that may provide serenity and stability. Either way, it shows how end-user's mind is at the constant temptation of being addicted to, if not already a captive of, a virtual world where sanity feels closer than when one is in the real world.
If it is like that of a relief drug, say a tincture of opium, then it must be like a "laudanum", a common prescription of happiness that is easy to get popular for wide consumers and for long use. As such, it is never far from the risks of addiction and when without it, the pain of depression . For many end-users, double or triple dose of this kind of "laudanum", wouldn't hurt a fly compared to the excitement and fun it provides. Consequently, end-users are often unconscious of the self-abuse they are in when taking into account the time and resources they have spend in-game.
These captive minds, whether admitted or not, are unconditionally grateful for every bit of favor the F2P game service provider is handing in - let alone the persistent world being plug-in or the hype of a newly available game patch. On the other hand, a short intermittent server down or an extended service maintenance always invites impatience, insolent outcries, anger and disappointments which will later on swiftly subside when servers are up. Everyday abuses like the unabated cheating operating in every map; frequent disconnection; rampant lags and freezes; ignored communicated concerns; game account hacking; and other inconveniences that affect the game being playable or its quality were not that big deal compared to the game being plug-out or terminated. Prisoners think that these are common occurrences in a virtual life. In anyway, they can always start over again as long as the persistent world they are imprisoned is online.
End-user mind in captivity is a slave to its benefactor/captor - which is the game service provider. Unconsciously, it has developed the attributes of being a slave and an obedient subject as it moves on from quest number one, as it engage in farming and hunting, and as it follow every given instruction and mission provided by the game story line. Whatever disappointment that persists is easily overcome by the thought that the game is still online; by new events, items and freebies; and by the progression attributes and rewards gained in-game.
The belief that its benefactor/captor is benevolent and compassionate overpowers the prevailing abuses. The best of the captive minds, whether of a pure legit or of a turn habitual cheater, are those who have identified themselves with the service provider. It is not surprising how ready they are to defend the unfair policies, the malfeasance and misfeasance, and the shortcomings of their benefactor/captor. They even display their devotion and loyalty whenever given the opportunity to show or write about it.
Accordingly, if cheating, bot-ing, game hacking, and game account hacking are just subjects to be brushed off and are impossible to be deterred or resolved by the benefactor/captor then to the minds of the captives that must be permissible, though undeclared, and need not be resolved. Likewise, if it is difficult or unwise for the benefactor/captor to execute character rollback in cases of progression facilitated by cheating and items acquired or lost due to game account hacking then to the minds of the captives that must be a wise policy, something they have to cherish and is open to be exploited with impunity.
This pathetic state of mind is what I call the "End-User Stockholm Syndrome". The more end-user's captive mind suffers from abuses, the more it be loyal and passionate. It is a prevailing fact in MMORGPI that probably adds more light to these words: "Whipping and abuse are like laudanum; you have to double the dose as the sensibilities decline."
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In progress... three more sub-titles to work on -
End-User Stockholm Syndrome
The Industry
The Freeway
Update May 29, 2012: subtitle "End-User Stockholm Syndrome" included.
Image source: divinity.duke.edu
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