The Problem with Housing in MMORPGs
Housing in the MMORPG genre continuously fails to reach its potential. Despite the scope it offers both in functionality and gameplay, it has seldom progressed beyond offering storage and some arbitrary customisation. Hence this is a perennial subject of debate for many MMO communities. Given the popularity of this subject, it would appear to indicate that there’s a potential market for expanded housing functionality. And yet many MMO developers still display a blindspot for this issue. You’d think that the scope for monetisation would prove a big enough incentive but housing just doesn’t seem to be especially high on their priority list. It is odd considering that the MMORPG genre is a fundamentally social one. Housing in theory offers so much scope to capitalise and explore this aspect of gaming. Yet it remains a cul-de-sac and an afterthought.
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