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My take on Holidays in-game.
ArchivedUser
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{EDITED FOR CLARITY AND TO GIVE CREDIT WHERE IT'S DUE:
This post is not a slam on Intrepid Studios, or anyone on the team; nor was it made on the assumption that Ashes of Creation is/was going to implement real-world holidays. I wrote this post as a response to the subject of "How should it be handled", which was discussed on the Ashes of Community Livecast:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G1TpdATx7d8 }
Here's the thing.
This post is not a slam on Intrepid Studios, or anyone on the team; nor was it made on the assumption that Ashes of Creation is/was going to implement real-world holidays. I wrote this post as a response to the subject of "How should it be handled", which was discussed on the Ashes of Community Livecast:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G1TpdATx7d8 }Here's the thing.
I don't celebrate Halloween to help the spirits find their way home.
I don't celebrate Easter for Zombie Jesus.
I celebrate for the sake of celebrating; to get together with my friends, to loosen up, and have fun. That's it; that is where it begins and ends for me. I remember going Trick-or-Treating with my friends as a kid, but we had a friend who was a Jehovah's Witness and obviously wasn't allowed to join us. I hated that.
I did not hate their religion, I hated the fact that my friend couldn't share the experience with my other friends and I. We weren't dancing around a bonefire, or worshiping Pagan Gods... we were just a bunch of kids running around the neighborhood in costumes and hanging out; the candy was a bonus.
The fact that grown-ups associated this practice with a belief system played absolutely no part in our fun. And now, we're seeing that same mentality with Ashes of Creation.
This is a game world. I'm not playing "Me" in this game, I'm playing a character that lives in, and belongs to, a completely made up place. If I'm Christian, that doesn't make my character "Christian" as well. So it bugs me that some real-world ideology might keep me from being able to play with my on-line friends. (Regardless of whether or not they are also real-world friends.)
I believe we need holidays in-game; while it is "just" a fantasy world, a sense of "Community" is universal. And since holidays are meant to bring the community together, it makes sense to have them in our fictional Verra.
And that's where the trouble begins. Should they be tied to real-world holidays? Yes and no.
When we have a holiday in the real-world, regardless of whether or not that holiday has some personal meaning to us as individuals, we get caught up in the societal feeling of it--the excitement in the air, if you will.
So yea, I think holidays in-game could coincide with the timing of real-world events just to carry over that excitement from the real-world into the game world. But I do not, however, want to see Santa Claus flying around Verra.
So yea, I think holidays in-game could coincide with the timing of real-world events just to carry over that excitement from the real-world into the game world. But I do not, however, want to see Santa Claus flying around Verra.
Every event, holidays specifically, needs to look and feel like part of the game-world. There should be in-game Lore to back it up, and each NPC should be playing their appropriate part. Maybe the 4th of July, which means absolutely nothing to folks in Africa, for example, could still be celebrated in-game as The Day The Gate Opened And We Returned To Verra. Sure, the date still has relevance to some players, but neither those players, nor those in the United States, would be celebrating the same actual holiday in-game that some are celebrating outside the game.
I think this allows the team at Intrepid, housed in the United States, the freedom to still have fun during their holidays without forcing a real-world "Belief" or "Ideology" onto the masses as a whole.
And I think that's extremely important. Folks argue that if someone doesn't celebrate "Christmas", for example, then they can just stay out of the game during that holiday, as no-one is forcing them to play or take part. But I do not want to relive that part of my childhood. I do not want to miss out on playing with folks in-game just because our real-world beliefs, or upbringing, were different.
With all the shit the real-world is full of, we play games to escape it... not repeat it.
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Comments
There is one consideration though and that is Vera has seasons that will change the world, summer, autumn, winter and spring, these seasons are somewhat shorter than our seasons around 1 month will be a year on Vera. Thus if events are held on our calendar year they may not correspond to the correct season in game, a summer Christmas type event, normal for me but not so normal for many others
I am still not seeing the reason behind having holidays tied to real world holidays, the actual RL day or event. For me it seems counter-intuitive, players might be at parties, with friends and family doing RL stuff on those days. So they would likely not be able to attend those events.
As for religion specific holidays, including some but not others is insensitive. There are likely too many RL holidays to include them all so there will have to be some chosen and some ignored. If this was going to be released only in America then standard American holidays, although still not all inclusive, would make since. But this is an MMO, so wouldn't you want to represent the entire community?
I am all for fictional holidays. I am even for some players not being happy when the religion their's opposes is having a festivity. But if IS can't make up some original holidays then why have them?
Also, there could be week long events, non holiday oriented, during holiday seasons to bring the community together and capture some of that excitement without being associated with any actual holiday.
But, this is what MMOs do. If you don't add shiny distractions for people to grind away at, then they spend their time burning through your content, then burp, pass it, and belly up to the bar screaming for more. If your staff can't keep up the pace of content to feed the gluttons, people unsub, and your game starts the slow whirl around the drain. Easily recognizable holiday content drops can be cranked out by someone on the team without too much backstory or lore tweaking to make it fit, throwing red meat to the zombie masses.
I agree though that the holidays in game should not be identical to out own holidays (so no santa) but I like how WoW and ESO do things which is the same event as real life but it's all encouraged by lore within the games world
I do really like holidays in game, but would prefer they be something special. @UnknownSystemError touched on one of my bugbears with the holiday system in WoW, in that there were just too bloody many.
I would prefer four or five major holiday events that would last for a week, and the same number of minor event days.
I am solidly in the camp of having these holidays NOT coincide with any real world holiday periods. The only reason for this is to keep the game world completely separate and totally inclusive of all players no matter nationality, religion, political affinity, etc.
I think the guys at Ashes should be talented and creative enough to come up with this many lore related events. I really, really wish Ashes to be a solid, consistent world that does not reference the real world in any way - no pop culture references and no holiday references.
I already posted in some thread that I wish Ashes to have it's own holidays connected to it's own lore, and not just copy Earth related holidays over. And I can't stress this enough.
It's a separate fantasy world, with own lore, and should have it's own holidays and celebrations, that can connect ALL players together, and not just part of them.