For the second Waukster Online Guest Blogger, I’ve invited the former Community Manager of Philippine Ragnarok Online and now my fellow Marketing Manager, Mon “GM Tristan” Macutay. It’s funny that we’re colleagues now seeing as we were always clashing in the Ragnaboards during my active days as a player. Anyway, here’s his take on “Why Filipinos Love Cute MMORPGs”.
Why Filipinos Love Cute MMORPGs
By GM Tristan
www.gmtristan.com
Based on my 4 years in the local MMORPG industry, I’ve seen online games come and go. But the numbers have told me that Filipinos have a penchant for cute MMORPGs. Ragnarok, the first and still the biggest MMO, is testament to this fact.
Thanks to Wauks for inviting me to guest-post, this short piece will attempt to understand the reasons why we are in love with this type of game.
First, how do we define “cute”? There really is no accepted “industry standard”. For me, as long as it’s chibi or SD (Super Deformed, in the Japanese-anime style), that’s cute. Ragnarok, Rose, FlyFF fall into this category. Meanwhile, the full anatomically-correct games such as Perfect World or RF would fall into the other end of the spectrum.
Why Filipinos Love Cute MMORPGs
1. PC Spec – one of the main drivers for the extensive growth of metrics such as registration and log-ins is the fact that almost all cute games don’t really squeeze much juice from your PC. You can play them on most computers 2 years old or older. This simply means that there are more homes and Internet cafes that can run these types of games, hence their popularity. The same argument can be told for bandwidth.
2. Cute is Cute – hey! What can I say??? I’m no exception. I love it and admire the characters, the milieu and even (the sometimes lame) storylines. It’s easy on the eyes and the game is “light”.
3. The girls are there – Admit it, guys. It’s easier to find a girl playing a cute MMORPG than a hard-core game or FPS, right? And sometimes you can become friends with a lot of them or even invite them to your guilds. I should say that it’s time well spent hehehe. It can even lead to romance.
4. Gameplay – Cute MMO gameplay is not complicated. This means that it will be easier for anyone to teach even a non-gamer to play the game. The fact that the viral aspect of cute MMOs has really helped the industry is a plus, but it really is the community that keeps it strong and alive. Heck, you can teach even your “ate” or mom to play the game. Compare said games to technical MMOs and you know where I’m getting at, yes?
5. Pop Culture – Cute MMOs have transcended more than the game. Look at Ragnarok, you have a lot of user-generated content like videos, cosplay costumes, fan art even some flash games which were designed using the game as the base. Plus look at all the merchandise (both official and unofficial) that were made for the game(s). There is still a huge demand for the cutesy items (iRL) that’s why, sadly, even inferior and fake stuff are getting into biting the piece of the market pie.
Although a lot of gamers are graduating to the more “hard-core” games. I still think there is a HUGE demand and market for cute MMOs. If analyzing the trends will be the basis, I’d predict that we need another cool, new cute MMO, one with innovative features with regards to gameplay and community functions. A game that would drive all the current and new users into one big community where user-generated content will be crucial to keep it all alive and “sticky”.
Note that the Waukster and I aim to fulfill that vision. We’re still searching… but we believe that that day will come soon.
So, keep playing your cute MMO and may you always have fun and find new and lasting friendships!
Peace!
GM Tristan
March 2008
Time out! Don’t click anything yet ha! Want to have a shot at winning 200 Immortal Stones for Perfect World? Then join GM Tristan’s PW Billboard Blog Contest. Hurry! Contest ends March 19, 2008.
-END ARTICLE-
Thanks to Mon for writing this very interesting and insightful article for Waukster Online! To make things more interesting, I’ve also invited several players from the Ragnarok and Perfect World community to become guest bloggers as well. Hopefully I can start publishing their posts here sometime end of this week.
Click here to read my Weight loss System which let me get rid of 50 lbs. in 5 months!
awts on March 17, 2008
OT papa wauks…
Yung Octo Hat dba yung skill nya mawawa after ng october.
Tpos mawawala na yung skill nya magiging ordinary hat na lng.
Eh bakit ngyon meron pa rin yung skill? Hanggang kailan mawawala yung skill?
O permanent na yung skill na un?
Update lng kita papa wauks kasi kung hndi mawawala yung skill balak ko sana bumili!
Thnx sa reply papa wauks!!!
Sodium Cyanide on March 17, 2008
Is that RO2 on the picture on top? :3
Bellerogrim on March 17, 2008
Hmmm gm tristan interesting topic but a little too old, long(wordy) and technical for our viewer’s taste.
wauks could have gotten the message in a paragraph or two or better yet a more suitable image or video would have conveyed the message better.
Kure on March 17, 2008
cant wait for RO2.
rei on March 17, 2008
RO2… cute! ^_^
GM Tristan on March 17, 2008
Thanks for this. More power
Sodium Cyanide on March 17, 2008
So that is RO2, can’t wait for it to be P2P. >:3
Rocky on March 17, 2008
RO2 ain’t anywhere near cute.
You want cute MMORPG? This is the mother of them all:
http://www.hellokittyonline.com/us/
xchan on March 17, 2008
ro2 f2p pls..
T-Enterprise on March 18, 2008
RO2 – Excellent!
HeWhoisPerfectionPersonified on March 18, 2008
@ Bellerogrim – Too long? too technical? I DUB THEE FANBOY! (tip, just read the comments if your attention span can’t handle the length of articles.)
@Topic, i honestly think that one of the reasons pinoys love cutsie mmos is the fact that we all grew up watching anime and playing japanese rpg. these are all mostly on the sickeningly cute side.
then again, it might be simply because cutsie games are cheaper.
peps on March 18, 2008
It’s just very unfortunate that R.O.S.E. Online had to close here in the Philippines. I think if triggersoft continued to developed R.O.S.E., it will be successful (probably reached the 7th planet) and fun to play. I’ve tried the kRO2 open beta, UI wise, it’s much better than R.O.S.E. but keyboard and mouse controls are hell a lot to be familiar with.
To LUG, please don’t screw up pRO2. Because I am one of the many former pROSE players that is on hibernation in terms of gaming since pROSE closed. I will probably wait for pRO2 and play it.
Wauks on March 18, 2008
Guys, I’ll be posting a Community Concerns for Perfect World and Ragnarok at around 6:00PM. It will be like an open forum for all of your issues for both games. I’d appreciate it if you give your feedback when the post goes up at that time.
Koruel on March 18, 2008
I find Trickster Online quite cute too.
Bellerogrim on March 18, 2008
@hewhoisperfectionpersonified
yeah youre right thats because i have no patience for old employees of levelup. In fact i despise their blogs compare to this.
let me just point out that we are not simply consumers for your gaming products. Thats all. And im probably sure that waukeen never did see us like that as he was part of us during the troublesome era. before he came it was hopeless.
Wauks on March 18, 2008
Oy, wag kayo mag-away :heh:
Let there be peace on earth~.
johnzkee92 on November 10, 2009
si rocky pala ung may kasalanan kung bakit tayu may Hello Kitty Online. Wahahah nakakatawa ung Reaction ng mga Amerikano dun sa Hello Kitty Online
“Wow my kids will like this game”
may nag reply
“No don’t make her play this game, your kids’ll be playing with 30 year old Wapanese pedophiles and will pro’ly invite your daughter to an EB then proceed to rape her.”
this is true, alot of Anime nerds in US are over 30 Years old.
concerned on November 23, 2009
to wauks and tristan…
im not sure if you gave this person permission but… check this blog… http://www.mmorpg.com/blogs/princessdoll/092009/4806_Why-girls-love-cute-mmorpg