Creating the Emotional Connection

The latest ArenaNet blog post is here! In it, Jeff Grubb and Ree Soesbee discuss what key principals help to make players ‘bond’ with a game and involve them on an emotional level. If you’ve got time, check it out!

Identification with your avatar is a key to emotional investment. To create that bond, a player has to evolve from “this is my character” to “this is me.” Some of that is done graphically, with customized appearance and equipment. But a big part of it is to create options that allow the player to engage and identify with his creation. While we work from the basic assumption of “I am a hero,” we provide enough variance to allow a variety of playing styles. In addition, those choices will have effects, ranging from how the story progresses to unique items within your home instance and even to conversations and scenes that reinforce your choices.

Source: Jeff Grubb and Ree Soesbee on Creating the Emotional Connection in MMOs