Question: Not to open a can of worms, this has to be one of the most hotly debated topics on any gaming forum and we're dancing around the topic now, but when are we going to have games that are equally fair to both casual and power gamers?

Elonka: This is really dependent upon the games. As an example, Yohoho! Puzzle Pirates is a wonderful game for the casual player. It is entirely possible to log into this game and play for 15 minutes then log off. You'll get plenty of enjoyment out of a game such as this without ever needing to be anything other than a casual player.

Nathan: Roughly all these problems with exponential power curves is because our current set of MMORPGs are based off the old text-based MUDs (multi-user dungeons). There are certainly alternative options that can be explored as demonstrated by side-kicking in COH which favors the casual players.

Kirsten: Let me point out, people get what they want out of games. Casual gamers are people who have only a few hours a day to play at the most because they have concerns with family, friends and maintaining a source of reliable income. They have a reliable income. This means that casual gamers have a better ability to pay for games and so a better ability to vote with their wallet. But they don't. If games are stuck in a rut that doesn't favor casual gamers, this is largely due to a lack of voice on the part of casual gamers.

Jorgen: There are a number of features such as instancing missions or quests. We may one day see games which allow Soul Caliber type fighting in MMORPGs as well as instancing missions and side-kicking. Since AO was one of the first games with instancing, I would like to know from you if instancing is something that you'd like to see stay in game design?