Gaming

I'm a gamer at heart. But not it the current sense of the word. I am not the "Joystick Jocky" or the "Keyboard Commando" that dominates todays game market. I do own a PS2 and an Xbox. I also have 2 computers. I do have the potential to be one of today's "modern gamers". One problem is time. I don't have the time to devote 10 hours a week to a game. I'm lucky if I can play for 2-3 hours. Another problem is finding a game I actually want to play. I am quite choosey when it comes to the games I play. I can't play first person shooters (I get motion sickness or some other BS from them). As far as MMORPGS, most require a monthly fee to play. I can understand that it takes money for server upkeep, and hosting (I do have some computer knowledge). I feel that if you are going to charge a monthly fee for your game, don't charge me for the game. Or if you charge for the game, don't charge a monthly fee. Guild Wars does not have a monthly fee. I know severaly people that play it and they all love it. It is the one MMORPG that I actually own. It just comes back to the time problem. I don't have the time to devote to the game. At least with Guild Wars, I don't feel guilty about not playing, since I'm not paying for it each month. It is rare for me to find a game I can really get in to. Here's the list of video games I enjoyed:
-The Black Cauldron
-The Bard's Tale II
-Diablo
-Diablo II
-Dungeon Siege
-Neverwinter Nights
-Fable
This is a very short list when you think of how many thousands of games are out there. I'm sure there are a few more that I would enjoy. But I eliminate the FP shooters, and sports games. The Sims, kinda boring. I mainly like the RPG's.
I'm trying to play Final Fantasy X right now. It seems more like I'm in a movie than a game where I get to make actual choices. I have yet to find a game that meets my expectations or gives me what I actually want.
Here's what I would like to see:
-I would like a MMORPG set in the Dragonlance world, post War of the Lance.
-Complete interaction with the world around me (if I want to chop down a tree and burn it, I should be able to. If there is a cliff, let me jump off it. I want to be able to pick a rock off the ground and use it to smash an NPC in the head if I don't like what they told me.)
-I want more control. Of any and everything.
-I'd like to take over and GM for a while (like you could with Neverwinter Nights)
-Little to no monthly fee (I'm not sure what the average fee is for an online game, but look at this: Game is released for $50. 100 people buy it to play and will play for a year. You give them the first month free. So they will need to pay for 11 months of service. Lets charge $5 a month. I feel this is reasonable. So at the start, you've got $5000. Add the service and you get $10500 a year. Now imagine if the game was really good. If you had 500 customers, you could get $52000 the first year. And thats just for "Server upkeep and hosting".)

Well, I don't see any of that happening soon.

But, to visit the point I originally wanted to make, I am a gamer at heart. After reading the above statements, you may call me a lier. I am NOT a video gamer though. My real gaming experience hearkens back to the days of Pen and Paper RPG's. Gaming face to face, as opposed to monitor to monitor. Gaming that is completely open ended. In my day, I played DND, Star Wars, Mechwarrior, Rifts, and many others. I also liked the tabletop wargaming such as Warhammer and Necromunda. Call me a geek, dork, whatever, I don't give a shit. Why is Video Gaming cool, and Pen and Paper not? If I tell someone that I play DND, they look at me like I have a third nipple growing out of my head. If I told them that I play Halo, then I'd be the coolest thing next to cheese in a can.
My plea to gamers out there: "Look at your roots."
Check out the old games, and the old Gamers.