One of the things I appreciate most in an MMO is the ability to wander off and do my own thing. It might seem contrarian (and it is), but putting aside my awkward, antisocial nature, there’s real value in a busily populated world where you can opt out of the ratkilling race. Some argue that being able to play solo in an MMO defeats the point of the whole format. But then, arguing this relies on the assumption that if you play an MMO, you’re going to try to complete the game – that you’ll do whatever’s necessary to have the biggest numbers.
However, it’s exactly because of the fact that this assumption is true, for crowds of people, that stepping off the path to pick your favourite flowers is so appealing. Personally, I play MMOs because I want to live in a world a bit. I usually don’t want to become the all-powerful hero. I just want to wander about. See the bits someone else has made, maybe poke some of those bits to see what they do. I’ll probably specialise in something everyone else scoffs at. Gloria Victis is an MMO that seems to enable people like me. I’ve only played a bit, so it’s far too early for me to judge it fully, but you can usually tell right away if an MMO is going to fight you. Given that within mere moments of creating a character, GV let me run into its outskirts, where I began shooting pickpockets in the face and staring confusedly at diggers, I think it might be my sort of thing.