Why do people play MMO's solo? [MMOPINION]

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Just because the 'MMO' bit means massively multiplayer online, you don't always want to play with other people, you sometimes want to adventure SOLO.

But why do people want to do this, the entire point of an MMO is to play together, to team up, to become part of a community, right?

Let's examine the reasons people play solo, and then we'll look at and see how solo play has always been supported, even back in everquest.

[JoshStrifeHayes]

Thank you Guild Wars 2 for sponsoring this video! Use my link to get an XP boost pack and mini pet for your new character.

[AsheramK]

I personally quite enjoy the "Being alone among others" aspect of it, as someone in the chat so beautifully said. It's nice, walking around a "living" world without having to interact with it.

[fedupwiththetimes]

I play solo because everyone always wants to blast through everything at warp speed and I want to look around, explore and enjoy the beautiful environments. I also like seeing other players and then seeing me but partying up makes it almost like a job, not relaxation.

[ChosenPlaysYT]

There was a quote I heard once something like “I don’t want to be alone, I want to be left alone.” There is something to be said about being around others but yet having privacy for yourself. Many people view this as the ideal environment.

[bitnerd]

Dude, you nailed it. I've never actually tried an MMO seriously because of the social aspects of it. I just want a game where I can get lost in a world inhabited by people, but not forced to interact with them. Exactly as you said, it's relaxing.

[Marcos-tksf]

I'm one of those solo players who like to explore the content that the game offers, being part of the game, but not committing to anyone, so I have fun and avoid stress. I admit that when my friends played it was more fun, but now, at 35, I just want to be able to enjoy the little time I have to play.

[Armstrong]

I don't even play MMO's I just really like this guy's videos.

[Mettallum]

One of the reasons I play MMOs by myself is the sense of long term progression. I like that all of the time I am putting into this character are going towards a long term goal, whereas in other games I don't get that same sense. I love that sense of being a part of a world with other players but doing my own thing with that sense of long term progression.

[ffffffffffffffffffffffffffff]

For me, it's because of social anxiety and fearing I would absolutely suck in a party. I am usually a healer in MMOs, half because it makes soloing more doable to me and half because I can just heal randos that are struggling without them, probably, realizing who healed them.

[zedre]

The part of "having people around without the need to be social" hits so deep. Humans are social by nature and it feels good to know there's other people close by going about their business but interacting with them requires effort and sensibility. Sometimes you don't want to go through that effort.

[justcus]

this video speaks to my soul

there's something cozy about being in an online world on your own adventure, but seeing other people run around at the same time

[maallosmi]

In ff14, one of the things I liked to do while waiting between queues was to pick a spot and start people watching in Limsa. I'd be watching people emote, reading the casual conversation happening in the area, and such. It was nice to be an observer to all that chaos.

[kesher]

it's worth to mention interacting with people online became extremely toxic and often very unpleasant. Sometimes it's just better to play solo, in order to avoid the toxicity.

[bubbletea]

In child development there is a concept called "parallel play", and I realize that although this is something we think of as children doing, I personally love the concept of playing alone, together. I don't mind just vibing with other people, and this is especially nice when you're just getting to know people. I like to get to know the people I'm playing with first. I personally struggle with issues involving overstimulation. Groups of people can be loud, chaotic, flood chat. There are so many noises, and sounds, and voices that the entire experience can overwhelm me. That plus, the desire to savor things, read in game books...work was stressful enough, I just want to make what left of it better.

[starofaetherius]

I didn't understand why I kept going back to MMOs and MMOlites until I decided to go for a walk downtown one day. The city I lived in at the time had an "arts district" that was this street with a brick road, colorful murals, casual dining, cozy shops, and beautiful plant life in an otherwise grey city.

I was alone but surrounded by people who I didn't need to interact with. We were all content to enjoy the experience seperately, together. It made me think of walking through the hub or market in one of these games. It's one of my favorite feelings now.

[Daniel-qymb]

In a weird way - the better my social life was - the less I relied on online “friends” though I still always socialized. As I got older with fewer friends I have relied on more social “support” from MMO’s. Two primary reasons to socialize for me were character progression and acts of kindness. That covered at least 95% of my messages to others.

[Carnage]

I have never really enjoyed playing games with other people, we all play how we want to, as you stated. The fact that I can solo an MMO at my place and do what I enjoy has always been my pleasure, no worries about a clan or having to play with other players, just me and the world.

[richardfernandespereira]

IMO one of the key parts of a MMO is the "passive interaction". I've seen you have it a few times in the "worst mmo ever" series, it's that time when a random player suddenly team up with you for a single world shared quest or the like, that moment when you two instinctively know what you must do and start supporting one another even though there is no real pressure, you start paying attention to each other's moves and cooperate. Even if you two just end up wordlessly tipping your hats to one another and continuing your ways afterwards. Some of my most memorable MMO experiences were simple things like this, like that time in a certain MMO when I accidentally agro'ed all monsters in an entire higher-level area as a new player and was just running for my life, then suddenly an higher level player came to my rescue. A long time later the same happened again, but I was the saviour to a newer player instead. Also that time when I spotted a guy with a funny name entering a dungeon and just randomly asked him " 'seductive pudding '? Why did you choose this name?" "because it's seductive" he said, to what I could only reply "understandable". That's a lot more than just passing by a stranger in the street, and something only MMOs can really achieve

[haxking]

hopefully we get a 20 min video talking about why each of us are lonely in full depth

[Mwuff]

Being alone alongside other players feels more immersive, everyone has a goal, and we're all working together (or against each other) separately. In the moments where we come together for some greater goal, it's made all the more special knowing the fact that it's temporary and my temporary allies will go their own way when the task is complete.