Garriott, Long: MMOs have good social impact
The Austin Chronicle recently sat down with the people behind NCSoft‘s MMORPG title Tabula Rasa. Creator Richard Garriott and producer Starr Long took the time to extol the virtues of Tabula Rasa and other online games.
“My passion for online games comes from history,” said Long. “The first games ever were dice games. They were social experiences. They were mechanics that gave us structure for social interaction. It was an aberration when they became about solo play. Cooperative play goes back to what makes games strong.”
Garriott also echoed Long’s statements, pointing out that the wave of online multiplayer games can be seen as a good thing for society in general.
“Solo-player games throughout the rest of history tend to provoke an anti-social behavior that drives people to hide in their rooms in the dark,” Garriott said. “That can be seen as a negative social impact; MMOs are bringing people with like interests together. So all good MMOs are having a good social impact.”
The full interview can be viewed via the Read link below. Tabula Rasa touches down in October. For more on the game’s story and gameplay features, check out this previous QJ post.
The Austin Chronicle recently sat down with the people behind NCSoft‘s MMORPG title Tabula Rasa. Creator Richard Garriott and producer Starr Long took the time to extol the virtues of Tabula Rasa and other online games.
“My passion for online games comes from history,” said Long. “The first games ever were dice games. They were social experiences. They were mechanics that gave us structure for social interaction. It was an aberration when they became about solo play. Cooperative play goes back to what makes games strong.”
Garriott also echoed Long’s statements, pointing out that the wave of online multiplayer games can be seen as a good thing for society in general.
“Solo-player games throughout the rest of history tend to provoke an anti-social behavior that drives people to hide in their rooms in the dark,” Garriott said. “That can be seen as a negative social impact; MMOs are bringing people with like interests together. So all good MMOs are having a good social impact.”
The full interview can be viewed via the Read link below. Tabula Rasa touches down in October. For more on the game’s story and gameplay features, check out this previous QJ post.
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