I work with a man who plays Destiny, and he doesn’t care about loot. When I asked him why he even bothers playing, he said he’s only in it to play with friends and work together to complete story missions. For anyone who’s been playing Destiny for a long time, you know that story missions aren’t exactly the game’s strong suit. The story missions are something that you might enjoy your first time through the game, something you’ll tolerate as you level your second guardian / class, and then something you’ll skip altogether with your third guardian by using a Spark of Light. While I’m sure most of you enjoy playing with friends, I feel like I probably speak for most of us when I say that it’s only worth it if I can score some sweet loot in the end.
Loot is the engine that drives my desire to keep coming back to grindy RPGs. Leveling up is nice, and I do love seeing stats and attributes go up, but what good is my added strength if it’s not getting me one step closer to wielding an enchanted maul? What good is +6 dexterity if it doesn’t put me in the market for a new recurve bow with some sweet skills? There’s just something about an upgrade that really solidifies the fact that your character is better than he or she used to be; it’s something that numbers alone can’t reproduce. It’s the same itch we scratch in real life by buying stuff. Sure, getting a promotion is gratifying, but it’s not fun until you have a new game, a new dress, or a paid-off mortgage.
I’m using the word “loot” as a catchall, but I should be clear that I’m also talking about gear generally. “Loot” may come across as something that you only find as random drops from enemies or bosses, but I’m also thinking about weapons, armor, tools, and upgrades that you purchase form in-game vendors. It’s any item that can be equipped that requires that you meet certain criteria first; it’s a carrot on a stick, and we just can’t get enough of it.
That’s why the recent update for The Division is basically all about loot. This is a hugely expensive game that Ubisoft needs to succeed. The game has been taking some heat recently because of various bugs and design choices that were driving players away from the Dark Zone, and straight to the crafting station (or otherwise to another game). What does Ubisoft do to remedy the situation? Introduce a few gear sets, and be more generous with loot. Now you don’t have to glitch your way through incursions like a scoundrel just to score some loot. This is what will bring the players back and get them excited again.
Come to think of it, I wouldn’t have gone back to Destiny at all if it wasn’t for the April update focusing more on the loot-driven gamer. Bungie very wisely made sure to add plenty of new loot while at the same time reviving some older, year-one exotics. Not only that, but Bungie made a point to tell us repeatedly before the update went live that we’d be able to earn some high-light gear by doing whatever it is we love to do, be it blasting Guardians in The Crucible, running strikes, or getting a big group together for King’s Fall. I participated in two Sparrow League races, and didn’t care at all about Crimson Days. The April update, though, got me excited enough to boot the game up for the first time in months. Diablo III? Same story. I was immediately turned off by the real-money auction house because it destroyed the gear economy among players. The patch that did away with that damned auction house is the patch that got me back into Diablo.
What’s the first game that got you hooked on the grind-and-loot loop? For me it was Dragon Warrior . I’m not sure why, but I still never tire of fighting off waves of slimes, wyverns, wizards, and dragons – ever growing in power and potency as I score fancier weapons and don sturdier armor. Maybe some of you got hooked by something other than an RPG? Maybe some kind of sim or racing game, perhaps? Let me know in the comments below.