As we explored this idea, I realized I knew of a few games – none were MMOs, but hear me out – that discarded the leveling mechanic.  Were these games fun?  Did a game based solely upon gearing up and skilling up (without leveling up) hold up under the skeptical eye of an old RPG/MMOer?

Judge for yourself:

•    Champions (the tabletop game, not the hot new MMO) had a system of points allocation.  There was no gear, per se, and no levels whatsoever.  In fact, enemies never dropped anything you could keep and use.  You earned a few points after each scenario, which you spent on upgrading your abilities.  The bottom line was that veteran characters were more powerful than new ones, but the playing field was still surprisingly level.  We played a ton of Champions, and new players joined us frequently.  The noobs never felt useless – even after we leveled characters in a campaign that lasted over a year - and we never felt underpowered.  I experienced a LOT of this game, and this level-free RPG was buckets of fun. 

•    Traveller was the first big sci-fi tabletop RPG, and the designers of the early versions of this game dispensed with leveling entirely.  They also dispensed with skill improvement (almost) entirely.  The primary way most players improved your character was through gearing up.  Was this a fun RPG?  Evidently, yes.  I knew some players of Traveller (though I just didn't have time to play this one myself) and they really were into it.  Admittedly, it was different.  I'm sure this one will cause some argument, but apparently, once you get used to this quirky mechanic, the game is just as much fun as any other RPG.

•    Contemporary FPS games:  yeah, yeah, I know they're not MMOs.  However, many contemporary FPS games incorporate RPG elements, and come closer to MMOs than ever before.  It's even been argued that, if a game like Call of Duty 4 were to add a persistent world and a little traditional character building, it would be an MMO.  Basically, as you gain XP, you unlock new skills, new gear sets, and new guns.  Your avatar gets/has more options and thus is better than a new player, but the playing field rarely gets completely unbalanced.  New players (with entry level equipment) often hunt the same maps as hardened veterans.  The vets are still tougher, but the noobs contribute something and still stand a chance in combat.  These games have no real levels (at least in the MMO sense), but they still work and are a lot of fun. 

•    Other MMOs have, in the past, introduced various systems that functionally gift veteran players with new, high-level characters.  Despite the fact that these systems functionally introduce high-level characters into the game alongside characters leveled up the old fashioned way, this has never, to my knowledge, had any negative impact on the games involved.

The bottom line is that, in a nutshell, it does appear that the leveling mechanic is dispensable.  MMOish games based entirely on the duality of acquired gear and player skill have proven to be fun.  I also have to be frank: I'd prefer nearly any system, similar to any of the above examples, to the level grind I'm experiencing now.  This little mental exercise, the discussions that surrounded it, and the fact that leveling might just be an unnecessary waste of time, didn't exactly improve my attitude toward leveling my alt. 

Of course, opinions vary.  You may not agree that leveling is superfluous (but give it some thought, k?).  And admittedly, leveling up is so ingrained into the MMORPG culture that it is unlikely to be dispensed with soon.  But I can dream, can't I?   

Having rambled onward, mused wildly, speculated throughout, and challenged one of the fundamental pillars upon which MMOs are built, it's time to sign off.  If you liked this bit of online tomfoolery, feel free to join us over at WanderingGoblin.com, where we engage in this kind of nonsense each and every day.  For now, ciao!

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