Today the League of Legends Worlds 2022 anthem was released, every year that happens there is a growth of Hype in the LOL community for the start of the Worlds but mostly because of what the anthem means for that community.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HYsz1hP0BFo
Seeing the comments on the different social networks about the new LOL world cup anthem almost everyone thinks the song is good, they would listen to it IRL but it doesn't feel like a signature LOL world cup anthem, it lacks that hype, BOOM, energy that characterizes both that world cup anthem and what the community always expects in LOL world cup times.
On the other hand, these are the normal comments from the LOL community when they feel the hype and energy of a LOL world cup song.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r6zIGXun57U
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fB8TyLTD7EE
The community is excited, encouraged and inspired by the arrival of this song, this causes an anticipated excitement for the arrival of the World Cup and this in turn produces more desire to continue playing a game that generates these feelings.
How could these feelings help the future of AoC?
Emotional connections between the player and the video game are not created by unique graphics, or incredible gameplay but by the feelings that the development studio/company creates for the player and where the player develops and grows with those feelings.
One player emotionally connected to a character or lore is much more valuable than 5 players who only get to play because of good graphics or amazing gameplay, in the end that one emotionally connected player will continue to play and probably the other 5 players will only be there for a moment.
Let's look at recent examples in AoC: In my case (I think many of the community), I came to AoC because of the interviews that Steven did in 2020 ( followed AoC since 2017/18 ) and the hype of the LazyPeon train , those things were not just looking for a new MMORPG but what Steven transmitted in those interviews is what the players were looking for and they realized that Intrepid was working to get the players to have something good then people started coming to the AoC community following the development month after month because Intrepid Studio connected them emotionally with something that many MMORPGS players lost,
HOPE FOR A GOOD MMORPG.
Another example but outside of AoC: Players who have been playing LOL for years and love their main characters.
I'm main Wukong, I get annoyed when wukong has an unnecessary nerf and I'm happy when Riot give him a buff, that makes me want to play more, in the same way when Riot releases one or another skin that I like or when Riot develops a good world anthem.
So if AoC could afford to create characters , lore , events , things that make players connect emocinally that would be a great step for the future as there is no better community than a loyal and positively connected community.
For example :
-The opening music that identifies so much to LOTR
https://youtu.be/meP7FkPgoQE?t=11
-Characters that had so much charisma and players could identify with them.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rIuni14noOk
-Events that make the player feel connected with Intrepid/AoC
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2hpwHnP-a1I
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EhaW1ia_1Zs
-Characters, players, streamers, youtubers that are identified with the MMORPG brand and promote MMORGP.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hNQC5GyumQ4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ypIpTu3ung&t=0s
-Books, audio books or mini-stories that give the player AoC lore.
https://youtu.be/Pv-9G5qikzsDifferent things that could connect the player emotionally with the MMORPG.
The potential is enormous, it is only necessary to look for it, work on it and improve it.
Of course, this is thinking ahead when I find concrete things. For now, we only have the emotional connections that Intrepid generates month to month in the monthly development updates or when Steven does interviews.
