Difference between revisions of "Parviz Torabi-Marashi"

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(Past Time: Re-Encountering Everquest)
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== Past Time: Re-Encountering Everquest[[http://www.playthepast.org/?p=818]]==
== Past Time: Re-Encountering Everquest ==[[http://www.playthepast.org/?p=818]]
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==EverQuest Development==
 
==EverQuest Development==

Revision as of 13:32, 5 June 2013

Past Time: Re-Encountering Everquest[[1]]

EverQuest Development

EverQuest(EQ) is one of the most popular MMORPG (massively multiplayer online role-playing game) mainly due to its 3D interface. It was first developed as a concept by John Smedley in 1996. Although later in 1999 was developed by Sony's subsidiaries (989 Studios and Verant Intractive), but originally it was designed by Brad McQuaid, Steve Clover, and Bill Trost. Like many other games that derived for text based games, EQ also is derived from Multi-User Dungeon (MUD) games.

Players have 16 race options to choose their character from, options like humans, elves, and trolls. Players also choose their character occupation known as "class" in the game, it could be a wizard, ranger, or cleric. By using their character, players could explore Norrath (a fantasy world), and by fighting enemies, they can earn treasures and experience points.

Author's Main Argument

Author of Past-Time: Re-Encontering EverQuest has a very unique point of view. She has identified a common complaint among players about craving good-old-days in MMO games when the games where not giving you as many options as today. She also has brought up an example of Sony's initiative to give an option to players in order to be able to play in the past and old versions, in other words, recreating the past. But in her opinion, Sony fails to recreate the past because it is impossible.

In order to prove her claim, author brings two reasons. First, she argues that because we have played the game before, it would never be the same feelings, sense of wonder, or primary encounter anymore. Second, by playing and experiencing more up-to-date versions of variety of games in an environment of ever changing technology, we have been evolving ourselves and our experience is different now, so when we encounter with the game again, it is kind of new game, because we are not the same person with the same level of experience as we were several years ago.

Social and Cultural Importance

Complaint about good-old-days is common in many aspects of life all the time. Always one can find some who would rather live in the past and would not deal with the today's complicated world and its challenges. As technology progress very fast, this gap becomes wider and wider, and some continue to complain more and more. This is part of the evolution and it is almost impossible to try to slow it down or reverse the process, one should adopt as much and as quick as possible in order to survive in this world. But one could ignore the change, because as Dr. Deming so nicely said "It is not necessary to change. Survival is not mandatory."

Although Sony with all its capabilities wanted to address this issue in the virtual world and in its game which it has been developing for last 12 years, based on the author's argument, failed to succeed mainly due to the fact that we are evolving so fast and our expectations are changing rapidly and almost unconsciously.

Comments

Emily's post did not generate any debate but kind of sympathy and author's argument verification. The first commentor, Allison Hill, has found the post very interesting, and she admits that the author has opened a new door for her to look at that from different angel that she hadn't thought before. She verifies author's argument about new experience in an old game due to the change in ourselves.

The other commentor, Briannem, found this an stereotype, like when you re-read your favorite book from childhood and understand meanings that you wouldn't know otherwise and if you would have not read it again.

And the last commentor, Tom, a bit different than other two, argues that any change in the game, would make someone kind of disappointed, like the elimination of the corpse run by Sony in the latest old version.

Controversies

There are some controversies around EQ. In-game objects have been trading for real money on some websites such as ebay. In some occasions, this practice have gone to the extreme, by one exchanging his/her house for these kind of objects.

There are serious addiction problems that some people called the game "NeverRest" or "EverCrack".

Works Cited

Bembeneck, Emily. "Past-Time: Re-Encountering Everquest." Play The Past RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 June 2013. <http://www.playthepast.org/?p=818>.