A Designers Genuine Commitment.

Everytime a new Massive Multiplayer Online game (MMO) is about to be released, every developer claims to bring something new to the table. What is the degree of new though? Is it just a triple jump feature added to a double jump feature? Or is it really a brand new mechanic? Will users experience an enhancement to a sequel or will the user encounter an advancement that defines a new genre? Developers need to stop saying that they are revolutionizing games when the fact of the matter is that most of the time a new game is more of the same. More of the same is not bad, but claiming otherwise is very inconsiderate.

The advancement of games is built on evolution. A lot of similar games will come out before a new genre, design, or mechanic is born. However, claiming a revolutionary new game design when it is not true is harmful to fans, a company's reputation, and even a designers reputation. Designers that create MMO's always claim to implement the best features from all other existing MMO's, and then they call it a revolutionary new game design. Altering an existing structure is not a new mechanic. Replacing parts to an exsiting engine of a car does not create something new. Creating a brand new engine creates something new.  Adding a new word to the vocabulary creates something new.

          A breakthrough is something new, not an advancement. This is not marketings fault. It is marketings job to build puffery and generate sales. However, it is the game designers job to focus on their job and not the sales portion of the game design. A game designer that contributes a revolutionary design better mean it. It is ok for designers to be open, but contributing to false advertising is harmful to fans and designers.