To the author: what is the piece's purpose? (Score 2, Insightful)

Sure, if you just want to let off steam, get feel-good feedback, put a few ideas out there, then perfect. You've done your job.

But if you want to make a change, if you want big game companies to start listening and innovating and implementing your ideas, you've got to frame it all differently by talking to them. Not the fanboys and the serious gamers. Sure you might be saying what fans want, but you have to present it for the companies.

I don't work for any game companies, but these feature suggestions lack the justifications that they would look for. These guys want to deliver quality product on time and on budget. A big part of that involves balancing the pros and cons of implementing features.

Look at customization for example. I would love to trick out my avatar too, but the cons are huge. Large gatherings would generate massive lag (because that kind of data compounds fast), lots of users can't benefit much (using older computers with poor graphics), and not to mention the Myspace factor (give non-designers design power, get migraines). Suggesting possible caveats in the article (and possible solutions) goes a long way toward answering objections before they're even raised.

For big time MMOG devs it all comes down to this: Any feature is worth it, so long as the return it makes from users signups and/or retention is greater than the cost of development/maintenance. Show directly how each feature accomplishes these goals and you just might end up as a creative consultant. :)