Persistent universes, are they a good thing, really?

[Unentokku]

But I want games where the game world reacts to my presence, and where I can make a difference. Where I can accomplish something. You can't have that in a persistent universe.

All of those things could happen in a persistent universe and without one they'd be a lot less meaningful. Persistent world is necessary for whatever you accomplished to continue to affect things even after you've stopped playing, just because most games fail to live up to that potential doesn't mean that I'd rather not have one considering it's a requirement for a game to be something that really matters. Mostly I think that thanks to having played Haven & Hearth.

[BrotherDust]

It can be great if it creates lore and backstory, if doesnt make sense then it seems irrelevent kinda like the Assassians Creed. Their are some great games in that series but the whole "meta" your in a machine going back in time to do it always struck me as goofy ... Could have all been stand alone stories.

[aileron]

I put neither but what I really meant was it depends. Am I playing that game to enter a virtual world as a virtual me? Then yes because persistence makes it more realistic. Am I just playing a game as a contest or challenge of skill, like chess, then no I'm just there for the"game" of it.

[Borghir]

In the MMO Rift the game constantly creates Rifts. These are World events that you can participate in.

[Imnotanybody]

I tend to care for the story itself being good, along with gameplay. Gameplay>story>>>>>>>>>Graphics. If the story is still good I don't care much for how it's done. (for example the story of middle-earth shadow of war, been playing it a lot recently. I know how it will end, the story is already written, yet they can still write a good story from a different character and the gameplay makes the game.

[MadMummy76]

I can understand it existing in MMOs though. I think it's a necessity to keep the player-base interested in the game.

Let's unpack this. How does it keep them interested? What is it exactly that you mean? Because the universe being on even when I'm offline doesn't make me interested in the game at all.

[Borghir]

It's not a selling point to me for single-player. Why should the virtual world continue to exist when I exit the game?
I can understand it existing in MMOs though. I think it's a necessity to keep the player-base interested in the game.