How Watching Someone Else Play A Space Game Convinced Me To Give MMOs A Try When Nothing Else Would

Despite the fact that I’ve been playing MMORPGs for a while now, I’m not exactly what might have been considered a prime candidate for the genre. My first introduction to them was a friend in college who was a devoted EverQuest player. I remember that as a member of our animation club, she took great advantage of Campus Life giving us free access to the printers and printing out reams worth of guides players had uploaded.

As a devotee, she often tried to get us into the game. I balked at the whole idea, my logic being that if I wanted to play games with other people, I would go play board games. And I wasn’t about to do that.

So, it was years before I ended up playing an MMO – specifically, Eve Online. I know, it’s a weird choice for someone who most often chooses to play story-focused games. But it had its own appeal. For one thing, it’s a sci-fi game, a genre I prefer a bit more than fantasy. I’d been watching my roommate at the time play, and I also just simply liked the look. But, probably the biggest appeal was that it seemed as though I didn’t really need to bother with the other players, minus the whole potential of them blowing up your ship thing.

So, I downloaded the game, created my character, and soloed my way through New Eden. That is, until someone messaged me asking if I’d like to join their corporation, and I figured, “why not?”. After all, if it didn’t work out, I could always leave.

I stayed until I eventually fell out of the game for reasons I can no longer remember, and began hopping from one MMO to another, trying out their worlds. Some I stuck with for a while. Aion got me into PvP, and when the group I was playing with slowly moved on, so did I. The same was true of Rift.

Secret World held me for a good long while, for a few reasons. One, I loved the setting. Two, I really didn’t have to worry about playing with people all that much, which meant I could enjoy the game on my terms without all the downsides of socializing. (I did socialize a bit.)

These days, I spend my MMO time in Final Fantasy XIV, a game that most would probably think of as highly social – and it is. Still, the less social among us manage to get on. Sure, we take part in group activities. We might even go hang out at a venue here or there. But the rest of the time, we’re pretty good at doing the whole lone wolf thing. (Of course, Square’s made it easier over the last few years.)

Beyond that, most of my game choices consist of games that are primarily single-player but offer the option for a little co-op. Genshin Impact, Wuthering Waves, all of those games that are only moderately social.

It’s a little weird to think that I probably wouldn’t be playing any of these games if Eve Online hadn’t pulled me in. Sometimes, I think about going back and playing around in New Eden again. But, it’s not like I don’t have enough games to play as it is already.