Came across this - I think it is a very good and enlightening talk to watch, especially for those who insist that you shouldn't play MMOs if you want to play solo. The Loner: Why Some People Play MMOs Alone (talk in 2019 GDC) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b2l2ZxNhCSg Speaker: Damion Schubert, BioWare Austin, Lead system designer for Star Wars: The Old Republic, 15 yrs of MMO design experience Wrap-up starting at timestamp 38:40. Presentation ends at 43:25, after which is a Q&A Summary (which mostly but not entirely follows the order in which the presentation went, items in square brackets and italics are my personal interpretations or comments): Considering MMOs as group-only is an old and wrong mindset There is a clearly observable playpattern in MMO's, people play as loners - in fact it is an increasing / rising trend. MMOs used to be games where you had to group up, but they have increasingly moved to support solo game play - tenet nowadays is "you should be able to play most of the game by yourself - not all of the game, but a whole bunch of it" The speaker considers this new tenet to be a "full revolution of game design canon" - something that the game designers have "collectively said, 'oh wow, we were wrong about this'" Loner playstyle is not an aberration, MMOs need to embrace it (but not try to be single player games) Solo players in MMO space are not aberrations, the reasons why people play solo are various. There is a difference being alone, and being lonely. Some loners are lonely - that is a broken state. Some choose to be alone, and that can be a very healthy state to be and should be embraced / supported. To quote the presenter: "Alone is the default state of MMO player, whether it be for minutes and months, and the game should embrace that." A loner is a heroic archetype, and it is inherently a social playstyle. You can't be a loner in a solo-game, because there isn't a social setting in which you can designate yourself as a loner (i.e. pointedly do things on your own, not in a group) [Personal note: Note that this is different from "playing solo" - you can play solo in a singleplayer game because that's what it is, but your playstyle can be a "loner" only in a social (MMO) game] Habbo Hotel (a purely social space at the time of the study!): 19% of their market wanted to play alone This doesn't mean the MMOs should or will become massively singleplay games, they are still inherently social games that shine when people come together. MMO designers need to create a platform that provides possibilities and hooks for social engagement, without requiring that for those who don't want to [at that point, they may want to do that later!]. I.e build tools for getting socially engaged, but don't force that on people. Don't categorize players to polarized groups (casual - hardcore) - understand that it is an evolutionary path of increasing investment to the game, and help the player along Multiplayer, especially 'massively' multiplayer is more hardcore that game designers realize - even basic group play is ultimately about coordination, social exposure, familiarity, comfort and trust Don't classify people to casuals and hardcore. That's a wrong mindset. Think of it as a continuum of increasing commitment. You have to guide and try to convert your casuals, and for that you need to build the path for increasing level of investment: casual --> interested --> committed --> devoted --> hardcore The path will require tools to covercome shyness, cliquishness, distrust, fear of commitment - MMO designers should read sociology, not game design And even then, some people may want to [or have to, with external restrictions preventing group commitment] stay at casual level. That is OK, that is not a problem. The money loners bring in is still good. [Implication: game designers don't understand average players because they are hardcore players themselves, and have lost their touch on non-hardcore player mindset - which is why MMOs fail to convert casuals into committed players. And while some people never convert, if your game has the path to increased level of investment well laid out, there is plenty of loner content to do, and keep the player still committed to the game itself] 10 different kinds of loners and what a game designer is to do The New kid in town - no connections, no friends, no clue; or friends have quit --> try to get into social circles. But don't pressure them. Some people want to first learn things on their own (get their sealegs) before they are ready to be social The Daria - "Other people in general are tragedy - but entertaining". They view other people as content [pirates? :-D]. As a reference point of how large this group may be - 90% of the message boards never post (i.e. are "lurkers" who just consume what others create). They get value from observing others, without being engaged --> game designers need to make the game such that draws people in, to create game so that it funnels people to some places, so these people can feel that the place is "alive" The Sociopath - newcomers who don't understand the standards, nuances and conventions of the existing social space - what is correct and what is not. Most people want to learn these rules, some do not. In MMO this lack of emphaty often results in griefing and on-line anonymity tends to amplify this behaviour--> "this leads to an interesting conclusion for [MMO] design - penalties won't solve the playkiller problem. Helping them to gain empathy will" [this was a quote the speaker had in his presentation from Ralph Koster. In the Q&A, however, the speaker seemed to lean on the punishing side, or at least having a significant consequence of your actions] Mr Lunch at his desk - Players under real-life constraints that prevents them from committing longer play times, or may not be able to e.g. speak on discord, etc. [Personal note: these are often also whales, from what I've read] --> Not a broken state, provide solo content The Introvert - A huge percentage (25%-50%) of the population are introverts, and according to CDC, this ratio is likely to be higher in the video game player demography. --> If you don't want to get stuck in a niche, you need to cater to this group, big time. And while these people can view MMO as a secure kind of social circle, don't push them to act social. Create tools, that can help to pull them in to interaction, don't require them to be the initator. The Adrift - ex-group players whose (in-game) social circle has disintegrated. They don't want to play solo game, but are sort of forced to --> Decidedly broken sate, set up ways to re-engage these people in new social circles as quickly and smoothly [as they can feel emotionally raw, uncertain and thus wary of re-engagement] as possible. Support to build redundant (weak-tie) social groups (just as in real life) is one thing that MMOs tend to lack. Such networks are safety nets that helps when a central social group unravels. The Unworthy - People who'd like to be part of something bigger, but aren't sure if they are good enough and (when newbs) often aren't. Fear of letting other people down, or being the weak link, prevents them being social --> design "cannon fodder roles", where low-skill players can come in and contribute immediately, while learning to become better. Vacationer - people looking for solitary time, time for themselves, time when they can escape the obligations, including in-game obligations. Players may still want to play in a social game, but not confront troubling or frustrating social situations, such as intensive group play. [Personal interpretation, as this group is where I personally relate the most: These players may want to still have low-engagement social interactions and thus feel a belonging to a social circle - hence playing social games - but do not want to have the burdens of engaging social interaction] --> A healthy state, provide people the ability to play solo The Commitment-phobic - players who are wary of huge timesinks, potential drama, or committing to a group that turns out to be bunch of idiots. These people may have bad experiences (guild drama, really bad PuG, etc.) --> provide lower-investment ways to experience the content they want (which may be traditionally group play content, such as raiding!), perhaps with lower rewards [Personal note: WoW's 'scenarios' was possibly an attempt to this end]. Help people to find groups that are compatible with them The Garbo - Some people just want to be left alone. A study of WoW armory showed that a 'huge percentage' [the speaker didn't specify] of people who had reached the maximum level (of the time) had no gear that required group play --> A healthy state, if that's the way they want to play, OK. Allow them to play that way! EDIT: Some typos, clarifications, edits to make sentences more clear, and adding [ ]'s to indicate my own interpretations/comments where they were missing