Thief *points angrily at Kilsin*
Was going to throw out an easy Crafters Roundtable today asking if crafting should play a role in Pantheon Holidays, RL or Lore holidays.
For the actualy answer:
Corollary
There are a handful of inspirations for holidays that show up in nearly every culture.
1) Spring/planting/end of winter
2) Harvest/Beer
3) Rememberance of the Dead
4) Longest Day, Longest Night, Calendar year marker
5) Family Bonding
6) Local events of significance
7) Religious events of significance.
The first 5 will likely have some matching in each of the races. 6 and 7 though will be localized and unlikely to overlap.
In one word:
ABSURD
In a few words:
There isn´t anything as lame as Halloween events in MMORPGs, or Easter, or Christmas o whatever the idiotic thingie that ruins game experience by mixing it with RL. No thanks. Please. Hopefully you will be smart enough to celebrate LORE of the game, matching it (without saying) with, I don´t know, winter solstice?
- Elia
unabashed
Hear me out. What I mean is playing engrossing MMO's during the holidays or Zeitgeist forbid! ON the holy day- erm I mean holiday. In the U.S its acceptible to watch football after the thanksgiving meal, or the re-run of The Wizard of Oz, because it means paying attention to something else with the immediate family in the same area also paying attention to the same thing.
With an MMO, there is a chance you are separating yourself from your immediate family to pay attention to something - or virtual someones- else in a game environment. In some cases the pressure of having to bear with immediate family is dreaded, or tolerated yet some small shame is felt in wanting to remove yourself, as if this is one day where you at least have to make an effort as a bare minimum of decency.
This can create some cognitive dissonance: you want to do the right thing and spend time with your family although you really dont want to, and you want to play 12 hours on an MMO! but you know you really shouldn't because its a holiday and are worried how it would look to those others also lonely and decrepid who are logged on for lack of happy holiday pastiche.
PLOS remember that? acronym code to chat to friends (Parents Looking Over Shoulder)
After you've done the holiday stuff, what is the unwrittten schedule where the main event is over, you have time to internalize what happened, you react with the immediate family and once completed, can then silently declare the event is over from which you can then withdraw with no shame to pursue your personal desires? in some cases, it is not a whole day.
Breakfast, presents, thank yous and now it's 9am. there's only so much T.V. that can be watched or walks that can be taken, or convenient showers to reasonably excuse yourself for a bit.
Game-centric holiday themed stuff provided its tastefull and edgy and not - what everyone doesn't want- I think could provide a nice unabashed segway to passing eyes or PLOS, where they are drawn by the general theme and can watch you play and you are not ashamed to "live stream" for whomever might be looking over your shoulder.
Who knows, you may get a sub and they'll eventually leave because of all the fun you are having. Bonus if friends turn and mug for the 4th wall with emotes, and send greetings from their location.
Fun
That being said you can avoid ruining immersion by keeping the celebrations in tight compartments. Give a slight experience bonus or a unique questline that gives some pointless toy. No need to decorate all of the cities.
Or, to keep big celebrations AND immersion, you could make actual holidays for the world you are in. You can bet it makes sense that the king, and his people, might choose to celebrate some holiday-perhaps with the exception of Skar- where they won a big battle in history or some such.
Abominable.
Celebrating Terminus holidays at the same time we have ours is fine but for the love of all the Gods leave out Santa Claus and any other names and details that are obviously based on our holidays.
Iksar's comment is far too mild - sadly I couldn't come up with a really appropriate word either.
Uninspired.
I already don't dig much of the IRL holidays, but I appreciate the surrounding of family and relatives tied to it.
In games I do feel it's even quite out of pace as most people are friends but not family, it's uninspired in design and ends up beeing more a succession of random and dull events that constantly push into the world and add unnecessary features around every city.
I would like in game logical events untied to modern ones (that usually are breaking immersion due to them beeing based on charity / chain of task that no one would ever do in a realistic and harsh setting), that are only celebrated in specific areas and cultures, and not world wide (albeit perhaps the defeat of the Ravaging Lord, celebrated differently in every major city of the sacred six).
Yes!.
Ideally, the best possibility would be a local, lore related celebration that carries many of the same themes as the RL holiday it coincides with. Just not the name. But regardless of how 'Pantheon-ized' you make it, I'm fine with some recognition of major, international holidays being available in game. Ones local to just US or elsewhere less so.
However it is done, it should NOT be pervasive. Those who wish to join in should have little trouble finding it, those who don't should have little trouble avoiding it. It should be short, no long period of announcements and preparations. 1-3 days at most.
If there is any sort of holiday loot, it should NOT bestow gameplay advantages in any sphere. If it is an appearance/cosmetic item, it should only be (publicly) visible during the actual holiday period. (and subsequent ones over the years)
Profligate
For those of you who are unfamiliar or too busy to look up the word:
"extravagant or wasteful in the use of resources"
Don't get me wrong; I want as much content as VR can make. But given their already whippet lean staff, I can think of figuratively thousands of other things I'd rather they focus on.
Personally, if I want to celebrate real life festivities, I'll just log into real life. But if you still feel the need to add holiday or seasonal events, please make them relevant to the game world, not the real one.
~Hiwin
vthorm said:"extravagant or wasteful in the use of resources"
Don't get me wrong; I want as much content as VR can make. But given their already whippet lean staff, I can think of figuratively thousands of other things I'd rather they focus on.
Personally, if I want to celebrate real life festivities, I'll just log into real life. But if you still feel the need to add holiday or seasonal events, please make them relevant to the game world, not the real one.
~Hiwin
I can´t agree more.
- Elia