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Jazuela · 04-15-2008, 08:14 AM

I offer this possibility:

The game(s) you're playing put such an emphasis on equipment gain, that when you lose it through death, it ends up being more of a loss than the fact that your character just got killed. Who gives a flying fart about the character, you have no attachment to it. You DO, however have an attachment to the equipment. Which is really strange, if you think about it.

If reaching social status among your fellow players is measured by how many exp points or skill ranks in specific skills you gain, and if death results in the loss of exp points or skills, then of -course- you will be frustrated at having to "re-do" all that spam hunting or power crafting to gain them all back. But in my mind, it's just a bad match for you. You shouldn't be playing games where experience points, skills, and equipment are the focus of the game. Maybe try a game where the character development is the focus. And that way, when you lose a character to death, it won't be frustrating. It'll be sad, it'll be shocking, it'll be head-banging-against-the-wall annoyed. But there will be no frustration in having to "do over" because you won't be allowed to do the SAME character over anyway. You'll have the chance to make a new one, with different skills, different equipment, different goals, different stats, different personality, different friends, in a different starting location, having different adventures and getting involved in different plotlines.

In summary, if your experience with MUDs shows you that they exist to make you go "through the grind" to "advance," and you don't like having to go through the grind to advance, then you should stop playing games that make you go through the grind to advance. There are lots of games that don't revolve around min-maxing.

04-15-2008, 08:14 AM	#15
Jazuela Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: New England Posts: 849	Re: Death I offer this possibility: The game(s) you're playing put such an emphasis on equipment gain, that when you lose it through death, it ends up being more of a loss than the fact that your character just got killed. Who gives a flying fart about the character, you have no attachment to it. You DO, however have an attachment to the equipment. Which is really strange, if you think about it. If reaching social status among your fellow players is measured by how many exp points or skill ranks in specific skills you gain, and if death results in the loss of exp points or skills, then of -course- you will be frustrated at having to "re-do" all that spam hunting or power crafting to gain them all back. But in my mind, it's just a bad match for you. You shouldn't be playing games where experience points, skills, and equipment are the focus of the game. Maybe try a game where the character development is the focus. And that way, when you lose a character to death, it won't be frustrating. It'll be sad, it'll be shocking, it'll be head-banging-against-the-wall annoyed. But there will be no frustration in having to "do over" because you won't be allowed to do the SAME character over anyway. You'll have the chance to make a new one, with different skills, different equipment, different goals, different stats, different personality, different friends, in a different starting location, having different adventures and getting involved in different plotlines. In summary, if your experience with MUDs shows you that they exist to make you go "through the grind" to "advance," and you don't like having to go through the grind to advance, then you should stop playing games that make you go through the grind to advance. There are lots of games that don't revolve around min-maxing.