Need or Greed?
In the dim and distant past when the world was young and the MMORPG genre still focused on the social element of multiplayer online gaming, there was a curious social etiquette associated with the acquisition of loot, enforced by the “need or greed” rule. This rule works as follows. When an item of loot drops after an enemy mob is killed, all members of the group that killed it have the option to claim the item. Upon doing so, they are presented with a choice of “need or greed”. If one or more persons in a group selects "need", they roll a virtual dice and the person with the highest roll gets the loot. If you choose "greed" when the majority of other players have chosen “need” you are effectively forfeiting any claim upon the loot item. If everyone selects "greed" then again, then there is a virtual dice roll and the player with the highest score receives the item. This system is intended to encourage players not to roll on items that they didn’t need (IE a ranged weapon for a melee character) and to foster an atmosphere of fair play and equanimity.
However, over the years, the social aspect of MMOs has diminished and the validity of the “need or greed” rule is now in question. Gaming has become a lot more transactional and simply put, many players will expect something shiny as a reward after completing group content. Quid pro quo and all that. Hence it is nowadays common practice to roll “need” by default in all looting situations. If an item is not specifically relevant to you but can be sold to a vendor for in-game currency then that is a big incentive. Logically, any opportunity that increases your in-game wealth is desirable, especially in light of how hard it can be to obtain “gold” in some MMORPGs. Furthermore, with the proliferation of auto grouping in games, there is little or no personal connection to the other players. This results in a reduced sense of social obligation as you are not potentially denying a fellow guild mate but just competing against a random stranger.
Therefore, all things considered, isn’t it time that this particular game mechanic was sidelined and replaced with something more functional and socially appropriate? Perhaps the simplest solution (at least with regard to low level loot drops) is to allow them to be claimed by all parties. In the same way that some game developers have now made “ore nodes” and other environmental resources “shared” and non-competitive. Perhaps it may even be time to reconsider the entire game mechanic of “trash loot” within the MMO genre. In the meantime, continuously having to roll on loot in group content is simply a tedious reality that has to be endured. Especially in games that don’t support addons that can discreetly automate the process. However, we live in hope that sooner or later, the MMORPG will finally join the rest of gaming in the 21st century and that “need or greed” will be consigned to the history books.
