Digital Hype: How A Great MMORPG Dies A-Borning

In many ways, an MMORPG is like a work of art – a book, a poem, a painting, a musical composition, a play or even a film (which they most closely resemble). And if you are an artist, you understand that your magnum opus is like your own child. Nobody will ever love it quite the way you do.

So, it stands to reason that a game’s biggest fans are the people who create it. Like a composer who writes a great symphony, the game developers have poured their very life-force into their creation. Unfortunately, this causes problems when the creators’ visions – and subsequent promotion – creates unrealistic expectations in the gaming community. When much is promised, much is expected. Ultimately, when an MMORPG fails to deliver on these over expectations, it will be judged by far harsher standards than a game that is “under-hyped.”

Dark and Light is one example. This game was rated as the “most hyped game” in at least one system, and people who have kept up on our MMORPG blog have probably seen some real big promises being made. Granted, this game is not exactly the “Game of Games,” but it seems to have gotten far harsher criticism than it perhaps deserved. Their over-promotion was one part of the problem; the developers cut their own throats by releasing the game prematurely. On the other hand, with a limited marketing and advertising budget, they had to get the game community buzzing, or no-one might have signed up at all.

Here’s a fine example from my own profession, which is music. Recently, the classical music world was all a-buzz with news of a 14-year-old wunderkind. Apparently, with little compositional training, the young boy wrote out complete works directly from his head. Sony‘s Music division even signed him to a contract – the “youngest composer ever.”

So, many of us in my area were naturally curious, and not a little bit excited over this.  A new composer who could breathe new life into classical (i.e., orchestral, non-commercial music)…just think of it! We went to the concert, awaiting the conductor to raise his baton with baited breath…

The music was pleasant enough. The boy certainly had a grasp on theory and orchestrational techniques. But…it was bland. In fact, it sounded very much like the music of Johannes Brahms. Nothing new, nothing innovative. Yes, the boy had talent, but because of his youth, he had been hyped out of all proportion to what he could deliver. With years of study under the proper teachers, he might have developed a unique musical voice. Instead disappointed critics were patronizing and lukewarm in their reactions. Will the boy go on to do great things? Possibly…but with media that rarely covers anything in depth and a public that is easily bored, I wouldn’t put money on it.

The moral: Underpromise and overdeliver. By all means, if you’re a game developer, talk it up – create a buzz, get people excited – but don’t let your promotion write a check your game can’t cash. Keep those expectations positive, but realistic. If it gets out of hand – if rumors among gamers begin to inflate expectations – it’s imperative to get out there and bring them back to earth.

Otherwise, the backlash from disillusioned gamers will kill your baby before anyone gets a chance to know it.

In many ways, an MMORPG is like a work of art – a book, a poem, a painting, a musical composition, a play or even a film (which they most closely resemble). And if you are an artist, you understand that your magnum opus is like your own child. Nobody will ever love it quite the way you do.

So, it stands to reason that a game’s biggest fans are the people who create it. Like a composer who writes a great symphony, the game developers have poured their very life-force into their creation. Unfortunately, this causes problems when the creators’ visions – and subsequent promotion – creates unrealistic expectations in the gaming community. When much is promised, much is expected. Ultimately, when an MMORPG fails to deliver on these over expectations, it will be judged by far harsher standards than a game that is “under-hyped.”

Dark and Light is one example. This game was rated as the “most hyped game” in at least one system, and people who have kept up on our MMORPG blog have probably seen some real big promises being made. Granted, this game is not exactly the “Game of Games,” but it seems to have gotten far harsher criticism than it perhaps deserved. Their over-promotion was one part of the problem; the developers cut their own throats by releasing the game prematurely. On the other hand, with a limited marketing and advertising budget, they had to get the game community buzzing, or no-one might have signed up at all.

Here’s a fine example from my own profession, which is music. Recently, the classical music world was all a-buzz with news of a 14-year-old wunderkind. Apparently, with little compositional training, the young boy wrote out complete works directly from his head. Sony‘s Music division even signed him to a contract – the “youngest composer ever.”

So, many of us in my area were naturally curious, and not a little bit excited over this.  A new composer who could breathe new life into classical (i.e., orchestral, non-commercial music)…just think of it! We went to the concert, awaiting the conductor to raise his baton with baited breath…

The music was pleasant enough. The boy certainly had a grasp on theory and orchestrational techniques. But…it was bland. In fact, it sounded very much like the music of Johannes Brahms. Nothing new, nothing innovative. Yes, the boy had talent, but because of his youth, he had been hyped out of all proportion to what he could deliver. With years of study under the proper teachers, he might have developed a unique musical voice. Instead disappointed critics were patronizing and lukewarm in their reactions. Will the boy go on to do great things? Possibly…but with media that rarely covers anything in depth and a public that is easily bored, I wouldn’t put money on it.

The moral: Underpromise and overdeliver. By all means, if you’re a game developer, talk it up – create a buzz, get people excited – but don’t let your promotion write a check your game can’t cash. Keep those expectations positive, but realistic. If it gets out of hand – if rumors among gamers begin to inflate expectations – it’s imperative to get out there and bring them back to earth.

Otherwise, the backlash from disillusioned gamers will kill your baby before anyone gets a chance to know it.