Behind the Curtain: Playing in the sandbox

by Craig Withers Apr 18th 2009 at 12:00PM

Filed under: World of Warcraft, Fantasy, Sci-fi, Entropia Universe, Culture, Game mechanics, Opinion, Second Life, Behind the Curtain, Virtual worlds

I was feeling lost for a little while there. My mojo wasn't working, the Force was not strong with me, etc. I'm back in the swing of things now, however. I tried to break my habit, and move on to pastures new with Lord of the Rings Online, but it seems that I'm a one-game kind of guy, and I ended up back at World of Warcraft.

Before I settled back in to routine however, I did do some exploring and thinking. Listening to my colleague's advice, I spent some time with MMOs that I otherwise wouldn't have bothered with. I even dipped my toes into the waters of Second Life.

I've tooled around in Second Life more than once, trying to get a good handle on it. Try as I might though, it never seems to gel with me, never seems to click. That's probably more down to me than any identifiable fault with the game. That said, any game which, if I recall correctly, used to offer a furry as an option at character creation automatically scores low in my book.

That was a joke, hold off on the flames please.

I did get to thinking though, about Second Life, Entropia Universe, and any other sandbox kind of MMO out there, and about their appeal, versus the appeal of more traditional MMOs. I thought I'd do a bit of research into the different types of personalities found in MMOs. To do that, I looked to Dr. Richard Bartle, and the test he created for this purpose.

The Bartle Test identifies four main personality types in MMOs: the Achiever, the Explorer, the Socializer and the Killer. The terms are self-explanatory. The Achiever is goal-oriented and focused on acquisition. Levels, achievements or loot are all possible goals for the Achiever, and all others are secondary to them. The Explorer's rewards come from finding things no-one else knows. Finding hidden shrines, profitable spawn points, even exploitable bugs are their bread and butter. Socializers are there for the banter. The multiplayer aspect of an MMO is what keeps them going. Meeting people, forming connections and building relationships is where they thrive. Killers like to dominate others. Their fun come from imposing their fun over others players'. Despite the name, Killers aren't always Pkers – old-fashioned griefing, insults and ridicule are equally as tasty.

There's a bit of crossover between the four Bartle types – Killers may have to socialise with other Killers to trade information; Achievers may spend some time as an Explorer to get access to new gear and rewards; Socializers may take on some of the Killer's aspects if a friend asks for some help.

It wouldn't surprise me if a little bit of dedicated research into the people playing World of Warcraft (for example versus the people playing (or using) Second Life would show all four Bartle types in abundance in both arenas. It stands to reason though, that Explorers and Socialisers are going to be much more common in in Second Life than World of Warcraft, purely because of the type of world that's presented. There's still be space for Killers there, too. Just ask Anshe Chung.

I'm guessing that a major difference between the two is that with Second Life, you're required to bring your own structure with you. Essentially, Linden Lab give you the tools, the opportunity to use them, and then leave you to get on with it. Terrifying for some, enlightening for others. Most of us thrive on structure, whether we realise it or not. Stepping into an environment where there's little to no structure, no 'game' to speak of, puts a lot of us off. There's no real reason that it should, other than habit. Jumping into Second Life and flying off in a random direction to see what you can see might be your idea of bliss.

I guess that's the idea and appeal to Second Life – that you create the kind of game or world that you want to see, the kind that only you can think of. If other people decide they want to join in, and find your work enjoyable, then so much the better. If not, they've got the same tools as you to go make their own.

Maybe that's the reason I've never stuck with Second Life – I'm going into it blind, so to speak, waiting to see what there is to be found, instead of going in with a target in mind. That said, if anyone knows about a Zombie apocalypse themed island in Second Life, drop me a line.

Still, I know that I'm not alone in preferring my MMOs to have more game in them than they do sandbox. The abundance of the former versus the latter speaks volumes to the kind of fun that most gamers seek out.

That's the crux of a whole other argument though. Are the people who play Second Life and other sandbox-style MMOs really 'gamers'? I'm not going to get into that one now. Partly because it's an argument that doesn't really interest me, and partly because getting into said argument is just asking for a trolling. However, let me say this – splitting hairs over the difference between an MMO and and MMOG may not be the dictionary definition of pedantry, but it'll come pretty damn close.

Tags: behind-the-curtain, entropia, entropia-universe, featured, sandbox, sandbox-gaming, second-life, virtual-worlds, world-of-warcraft, wow

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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Poxus said on 1:28PM 4-18-2009

this is how I ended up playing Warhammer..

just plain burnt out on the whole WoW thing, and decided to try Warhammer even though I despise PvP...and became pleasantly surprised when i really really liked Warhammer.

The PvP doesn't feel like a grind or fruitless like other PvP scenarios have...it's actually fun!

Madeleen said on 2:06PM 4-18-2009

I play SL, WoW and EO. They all require different mind sets. WoW is the easiest to submerge into since there is the quest structure. EO also offers the quest structure for newbies to get into the world.

But SL is a game and an extension of RL. It is like moving to another city. And it takes a while to set up house there. But once you do, it is an amazing experience. SL is more into role play games. I don't know of any zombie games but there is the Golgothica RP for undead fans and for sci-fi addicts there is Insilico.

Truthfully I've found that all the mmo's share the same factor. We go to those worlds to be surrounded by other people sharing the same experience. It is the same even for gamers who are shy.

Zack Brandenburg said on 2:29PM 4-18-2009

I think there's a fifth personality type in games that doesn't necessarily manifest in most MMOs, because they don't support it. This is the Creator, players who like to build and improve things. It's prevalent in RTS and Simcity type games, but most MMOs don't have a dynamic world and so can't really be altered and improved. SWG is an example of a "true" MMO with building elements.

Nadine Neddings said on 8:19PM 4-20-2009

Excellent observation, Zack. I was thinking of my various friends in SL, and how they might fit into the various Bartle personality types. Builders might fall into the "Achievers" category, but in truth many of them build for building sake.

Just as many writers feel compelled to write because something in their brain urges them to create, so are the perpetual Builders in SL motivated to simply CREATE. Be it to build a better mousetrap or maybe the LEGO-like satisfaction of seeing a project through to completion, many of us just find satisfaction in the nuanced "game" of pulling prims and scripts together into something usable and appreciated by our fellow residents.

mszv said on 4:10PM 4-18-2009

Let's not assume that Bartle's gamer types are all inclusive! Also - let's not assume that's the only way people can play, in an online world. I think that more MMOs, even MMORPGs will provide opportunities for players to make their own content. Right now we have Ryzom and City of Heroes. I think that content creating opportunities will grow, even for traditional MMORPGs.

MMORPGs aren't, by their nature, as open ended a virtual world as sandbox worlds such as Second Life. I know that - but here's another way to look at a game where you make things - you don't have to do it all alone. Like minded people get together in Second Life to make their own worlds. Some do more than others, and some have more of a visitor role. It gets better when you find areas you like, and like minded people.

I'm a very casual visitor to SL, but some people from a game we all used to be in (game was cancelled, twice) made a home in Second Life. When I go to Second Life I know I'll find areas to visit that I like, and I know they will change over time. Sometimes there will be people there I can talk to. The world There has a similar experience for me - people made a home in There.

I tend to be a very casual MMORPG player - primarily Guild Wars - but I enjoy getting into Second Life and There. I think of it as more of a continuum, the kinds of things we do in online worlds, rather than a strict dichotomy. As an example - think about housing in an MMORPG - and making your home the way you want. It's not completely different.

Vooper said on 5:16PM 4-18-2009

Second Life may suck as a game ... but as a platform for DEVELOPING games on it has a lot of advantages

Eebahgum said on 7:04PM 4-18-2009

SL is the only MMO I've kept my subscription with for the last five years. I dip in and out of the others as and when.

It's the user created content and everchanging landscape which fascinates me.

Cray said on 2:01AM 4-19-2009

I think the Bartle is on to something but I think there are various of sub-personalities for each of the four main personality traits. I identify myself as an Explorer in Guild Wars, City of Heroes, but for Second Life I'm equally a Socializer as well as an Explorer. The latter trait is fundamental to Second Life.

Speaking of which, I really would like to get further into Second Life but I find that it performs rather choppy regardless of my PC specs. I've tried it (2 months ago) on my friend's high end machine and it still takes forever to load the worlds and it gets choppy when I move. It just feels like there's a lot bugs that need to be worked out. I certainly hope the poor performance isn't due to me not being a monthly subscriber.

Becky said on 2:07PM 4-19-2009

You have to remember on SL nothing is stored on your own computer, everything is streamed down to you.. You can see where your lag is coming from by going to the help menu, and selecting the lag meter. SL does not throttle bandwidth depending on if your a paying or non paying costumer.

Tateru Nino said on 3:38AM 4-20-2009

We've got a comprehensive guide to identifying and correcting SL lag, you know :)

http://www.massively.com/2008/09/29/massivelys-guide-to-reducing-your-second-life-lag/

Evi said on 10:27AM 4-19-2009

I tried really hard to get into SL. It just wasn't for me. I love the -idea- of SL, but the implementation didn't tickle my fancy. I am kind of bored with WoW right now, but nothing on the market appeals to me more. I'm holding out hope for World of Darkness, which is probably a looong while off.

Nadine Neddings said on 8:25PM 4-20-2009

Evi, given the broad expanse of SL and what it encompasses, I would encourage you to give it another look.

I always advise friends and colleagues I introduce to SL to look at it more as a medium--sort of like the world wide web. SL is evolving and becoming richer each month in terms of the sheer quantity of things to do.

So you might just need to figure out what it is you find enjoyable, and seek it out in SL. It probably exists somewhere in-world and you just have to find it!

Matt Adcock said on 11:34AM 4-19-2009

Just a small correction, despite bearing his name the "Bartle Test" was not written by Richard Bartle. It was actually created by Erwin Andreasen and Brandon Downey.