We raise an eyebrow as commentary on Free Realms continues. Not because Free Realms is a poor idea, or even because there’s no room for this commentary. We raise an eyebrow, rather, because of who the commentary is coming from.
Free Realms is WoW for millenials: Free, social, and everyone wins and gets a pet. Laaaaaaammmmme.
As we raise our eyebrow, we feel the need to rattle the commentators, and as we shake them blind, we shout, “Silly bloggers, Free Realms is for kids!” And maybe Tobold will wonder back at our confusion, because he so clearly addresses the interest that adults will have in the game’s mechanics.
I especially like the idea that you make only one character, but that character has access to all 14 classes in the game, leveling them up separately.
What is so alluring about a system that is neither classless nor strictly class interpretive? If anything, this is a system poorer than both, as it’s a silly (and unnecessary) hybrid. Games dating back to Dungeon Siege have shown that individual skill-based leveling, sans classes, works adequately. MMOGs like EVE, and now Darkfall, further illustrate the success of classless systems.
Overall, Free Realms sounds like little more than a graphical chat-room ala Second Life, with tacked-on mini-games to give the illusion of grind and progression. It’s MMOG lite, specifically because it’s aimed at an age group that, in general, would not be prone to playing a rules-heavy game. Those that do prefer games with more rules and more concrete player progression, who fit the target age bracket, won’t be playing Free Realms anyway: they already have a WoW account.
And lest we forget, the micro-transactions in Free Realms are ludicrous at best, at least as far as teaching kids about money goes. Like in the real world, micro-transactions in Free Realms will buy clothing, items, et al. But this serves no greater purpose than in the real world, either. That is to say, kids with rich parents will have more “cool” items in Free Realms than kids with poorer parents. With no universal “allowance,” only poor kids will feel the desire to save money, but their rich friends will have them blowing it all on virtual slushees and baseball cards instead of on the more expensive in-game toys the rich kids will have either way. The lesson here shouldn’t mirror the lessons in the real world.
Either way, we think it’s funny to see gaming bloggers giving Free Realms a serious look. Is WoW that bad these days?
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