Paul Barnett Speaks, Part Two: Why Games Aren’t Art, and Hardcore MMO Players Are Yesterday’s News

By Steven Crews | May 24, 2009 | | Filed under: Features, Interviews | Tags: Paul Barnett, warhammer online

The MMO Gamer: I wish we had gotten into this subject much earlier… I would have rather been talking about this than Bright Wizards.

Paul Barnett: I can’t do anything about that, you were leading the interview! [laughing]

The MMO Gamer: Well, if I don’t talk about the game, PR doesn’t like that. “You were supposed to be advertising the game! Why did we give you this time with our guy if you weren’t going to advertise the game for us?”

Paul Barnett: What should MMO Gamer do to ensure that it survives, is relevant, and can find its market in the future?

The MMO Gamer: What do you think?

Paul Barnett: What do I think? Realize that branding what you do is powerful, and limiting at the same time.

Is it relevant for you to be MMO Gamer, or is it more relevant for you to be relevant?

The MMO Gamer: That is a very philosophical question.

Paul Barnett: Well, in this day and age of recession, with people fearful for their jobs, people not knowing where we’re going to go, MMOs still represent the best value for your money, entertainment wise that you can get for computer games, by a mile.

24/7, every day of the month, for a fixed subscription fee. You can’t beat that, I don’t care who you are.

They’re still really exciting, the ones that are out and are stable are continuing to do new content that is challenging and fun, and your job is as much to talk up the wonder and joy, and the excitement of what we do, as well as coming to terms that there are new people becoming aware of the market, where it’s going, what it means to be, and they are dazed and confused.

My mum might be interested in playing one of these games, and there’s not a game for her, yet. There’s going to be.

My daughter wants to play MMOs. She doesn’t know how to get into them, or what they mean to be, and all of our crazy words, like “MMO” are going to be worthless for her.

What’s needed, is a way of embracing people, so that they can all become part of this new concept, that we can all take part in it, and take it to its next evolutionary step.

The MMO Gamer: Those are some very valid points that I would very much like to get into further, but we’re running out of time and I need to get back to the convention center. I think we have time for one more…

Paul Barnett: We can talk and walk!

The MMO Gamer: Are you going back to Moscone?

Paul Barnett: Is that where the show is?

The MMO Gamer: Yes.

Paul Barnett: Then yes.

The MMO Gamer: Alright, let’s talk and walk, then.

[There is a break of several minutes while I gather up my gear and we take the elevator down to the lobby.]

The MMO Gamer: Ah, the sweet smell of urine on the streets of San Francisco. Where were we?

Paul Barnett: How do you get a rhythm, and a voice in modern MMO coverage that allows you to be adaptive, and accommodate the new awesome theories, and the broader mindset of people who are becoming aware of this wonderful market?

You look at the way coverage of MMOs goes, from the internet, to new game journalism, to what you’re doing, and what rhythm are you going to hit?

How are you going to broadcast the media? Every generation, every iteration of delivering these games has required a voice, it required a way of packaging up the information. Whereas, early on it was rabid fans talking about it in a gibbering way, it then moved on to oh-so-clever conversations from people going “It’s worth BILLIONS!”

And now we’re through that barrier, we’re into a new one: Where are we going to go? What’s it going to be? Who’s going to be taking part in it?

Are micro-transactions the way forward, or is it mega-transactions? Is it going to be front-loading, or free to play, or ads?

Do you remember the time when everyone was talking about how we were going to have adverts in every game?

Continued on next page…