Why can't people play more than one MMO at a time?

[chazus]

I really like how Wildstar is looking, and its the first MMO in a long time that I've really considered. But the big issue is, again, time. Not just 'time' but.. well.

Lets say I get 10 "Happiness" per hour from WoW. And I can allocate 4 hours a day to playing games. So I currently get 40 points a day of self fulfillment.

Lets say I get 9 from Wildstar. I still love the game, and enjoy playing it, but I know that I could have been slightly better off playing WoW. Would I still be stoked? Yeah. But I'd feel like I was losing out by not playing WoW.

Same thing with me and EVE. The time committment for both is hard. It's not the money (though that is a factor).

Not just that, but the time with my friends. If they're all playing WoW, I'll probably want to play that, no matter how much I might enjoy another game. Or, I might enjoy another game that they play, but that means that me, and 2 or 3 other people all have to coordinate our time together, which can be a hassle on logistics. Especially if you're in different time zones.

So time is the issue, but for different reasons.

[Jeina]

The people who say "I'm leaving X game for Y game" are the people who spend all their time playing just one game and trying to take part in every aspect of it: raiding, dungeoning, PvP, min/maxing, etc...

It sounds like you use multiple games for different purposes. Some people use one game for all the purposes you use multiple games for. It's a matter of preference.

[Spraxle]

Not wanting to try to keep multiple characters in multiple games viable at the same time is a large part of it. Even in WoW if you're decked out something will still need to be upgraded or whatever. So that takes time out. Then in other games if you just got into them you're leveling which can take time in a new game since you don't know the tricks or have help (in the form of gear or friends or whatever).

Now if you add in something like a sub cost... I would never pay a sub for two games at once. And a lot of free to play games today you pay more then you would for a sub. MMOs are a just a big time sink. Everything about them screams 'give me your time.'

[Katchii]

Progressing your character to any meaningful level takes a fair amount of time, which makes it difficult to have meaningful progression on multiple characters across multiple games when most people don't have that kind of time to invest in one game...let alone 2.

[RoninaThorstone]

The people who say "I'm leaving X game for Y game" are the people who spend all their time playing just one game and trying to take part in every aspect of it: raiding, dungeoning, PvP, min/maxing, etc...

It sounds like you use multiple games for different purposes. Some people use one game for all the purposes you use multiple games for. It's a matter of preference.

If you want the best experience, you are going to have to mix and match MMOs to find it.

IE: Want good quest? Swtor. Want good raids? Rift. Want good hack and slash? Vindictus. Want good mounted combat? Blade and soul. Want good housing? Wildstar. ect ect ect.

If you build a portfolio of games with the best at X. the best at Y. the best at Z, you will have more fun than settling for good X, okay Y, and non existent Z in a single game.

[-aiko-]

The most obvious is the lack of time. A full time job sucks you dry. The main reason though is my interest in other games as well. I love MMOs, but I also love JRPGs and RTS games and FPS games and puzzle games and...well you get the point. I simply cannot devote all of my free time to multiple MMOs.

[Astalnar]

Lack of time, it really is that simple.

[Afrospinach]

Let me make it really, really simple: lack of spare time.

Yeah, and this point goes way beyond mmos imo. Ultimately the reason why my steam has 50%+ unplayed is because I just don't have the time. MMOs suck more of it than anything else so they take the concept to the limit.

[Fencers]

I see this all the time when new games release -- attacks, slander, and "I'm leaving <fill in the blank> for <fill in the blank>." Why? Why can't you play more than one? Why can't you enjoy multiple games?

Two things here;

1. People can play many games and game genres at the "same time". They may not have time to do so, but there is nothing which directly prevents one from playing a range of games other than capability and desire. The latter two often lead to...

2. Confirmation bias.

[Nosdrone]

And with that you already game much much more than the average 'consumer'.

I read an academic survey about a year ago in which the average playtime for people who proclaimed that they 'gamed' was just slightly below 2 hours / week, like 1 hour and 48 minutes, something like that. WoW was one of the most played games in the survey and a big part of people who were around the average of 2 hours / week playtime were subscribed to WoW for a long time. In other words WoW is filled to the brim with people who play averagely only 1 hour and 48 minutes per week, or 7 hours per month. Probably one of the reasons why Blizzard isn't very rushed with new content releases, probably why playing more than one MMO, or heck, one game at a time seems absurd for most people.

And I can only confirm this with my own anecdotal evidence, I've got plenty of super-casual RL friends who get annoyed when anyone even tries to get them to play a new game, "because they're perfectly fine with the game they're currently playing and they don't have f*cking time to learn a new game." (quoting a friend).

Well, I mean, I wouldn't be on MMO Champion if I was just an average consumer, would I? :P But I hear where you're coming from.

A couple of my friends also fall into the super-casual category: why should I spend $60 on another game when I'm happy with what I'm currently playing?

[NotValidAnymore]

Time, money, and the fact that it feels like you're losing something by going from one MMO to another.

Most people here have invested a lot into WoW, and having to start all over again in a new MMO is a big undertaking.

[Katchii]

Most people here have invested a lot into WoW, and having to start all over again in a new MMO is a big undertaking.

This is true to a point. I don't mind taking time away from my "main" MMO to try out a new one to see if it's any good or if I'll enjoy it. The problem comes when the new game hits a point where it's not quite what I wanted...a sllight "bump" in the road, if you will....when that happens the "main" MMO inevitably comes into my head and I think about going back, simply because I'm already invested in it.

However, if the new MMO grabs my attention and I'm enjoying it, I have no issues jumping ship because I'm still enjoying myself. Having a good community/ group of friends or guild helps immensely in my enjoyment because even if I'm not exactly excited to play the game, I still want to play with my friends, and therefore gives me a reason to sign on.

[Black Rider]

I can only game for a few hours a day, if that. Tues + Wed are raiding nights, Friday nights are PS2 with the buddies night, Sunday is usually RP in LotRO night.

Do you have a job?

[Rivellana]

I'm playing more than one game right now, so I don't see why people would say they "can't". "Won't" or "don't have the time" is another story.

F2P/B2P games makes it much easier to play more than one at a time also.
When I took a break from WoW, it opened me up to having time to spend on other games.

I'm now playing GW2, Hearthstone, Aion, Rift, Tera, and Archeage. I also just got into HotS alpha so I might try that as well. I just log on and enjoy whichever one I feel like playing at a given time.

[Nosdrone]

Do you have a job?

I already answered this -- yes, I work 50+ hours a week as an IT administrator.

Let's say I work from 6:30 AM until 5 PM. Workout for an hour, take my dog on a walk (30 mins), do an hour of yard/house work, and eat dinner with the wifey (30-45 mins). Add in other random stuff for an hour (laundry, prep for the following day, etc). After all of that, it's still only 8-9 PM. I don't go to sleep until 11PM or midnight usually, so that gives me 2-3 hours of playtime a couple nights a week.

Like I said previously, I guess I'm just really good at managing my game time.