Gordon at We Fly Spitfires thinks that Seasonal Events in MMOs are getting to be old stale hat.
Anyway, as I was saying, do we really need all of these seasonal holidays in game? World of Warcraft seems to continually run one and I think I lost interest in them months ago.
I can guarantee that if we could see the retention numbers change over time in our favorite MMOs, we would see significant jumps in engagement and session times during these holiday events. This is yet another reason why Blizzard is on top of the world. WoW has finely tuned this schedule and created a robust calendar of events all year. I log in for nearly every single holiday event, even when I haven’t played for over a month. Gordon might be sick of it, but the average player sure isn’t.
Same with Everquest 2. They’ve started to put in regular monthly special world events. Events are a huge success for online multiplayer games. They serve several purposes:
- They give players a regular reason to log in.
- They direct players into a finely tuned experience, give them something to do.
- They will elongate session times because users have a motivator to stay playing.
- They create regular annual expectations.
- They help your community feel alive and full of enrichment
So while some might be bored with the repetitive events, remember – the MMO population is a constantly changing one. The players who are enjoying World of Warcraft now are not the same players from last year, or the year before. Live events are a huge part of extending the longevity of the game and keeping a community interacting with your product.
Tami Baribeau is the Associate Producer for Metaplace, Inc, currently working on Island Life. She is also the Lead Editor of feminist gaming blog The Border House, and the National Facebook Games Examiner for Examiner.com. She can be reached on Twitter or by email.
{ 7 comments… read them below or add one }
It sounds like you might be able to get away with the same seasonal events each year (with slight variation). Is it worth it to dedicate a team to creating some different seasonal content all year round?
I have to say that the seasonal events for the MMO I work on (kids) are a HUGE boon. Elder players tell the new players about them when they’re coming up, and everyone gets VERY excited. We try to add or change something about them every year, even if it’s just new clothing or items for their estates.
I think the secret formula is the one EQ2 and WoW have. They run the same events each year, but add one or two minor features each year to keep the content somewhat fresh. People look forward to the themeing and the event, but are eager to see what the little change is going to be each year.
Yep! Kids especially love the holiday events
*I* especially love the holiday events.
Events don’t have to mirror real-life seasons. Mabinogi always has some kind of special event going on, and 95% of them have nothing to do with a ‘holiday’ per se. They’re more like WoW’s Booty Bay Fishing Competition, only they change more frequently. I’d prefer more ‘mini game’ type things like that tucked away here and there and set to the in-game calendar, rather than seeing yet ANOTHER fantasy game simply rename ‘Christmas’ and ‘Halloween’ and hand out presents and candy. THAT kind of seasonal event is not creative at all.
I think that’s why WoW does a good job of mixing real events with unique events. Things like the Orphan Week, Brewfest, Midsummer Fest, Elders event. I like the mixing up of real and fake.