How Does Playtime Affect Player Retention In MMOs?

After I was caught in a dockside explosion, I was bound to a Survival Program. It gave me twenty-five years and four designated targets. If even one target’s Love Score or bond score reached 100%, I could wake up in my real world. But I failed all four. Because every target I tried to reach eventually turned toward Sophia Lane, the heroine of this world. They called my pain a performance. They called my tears manipulation. They said I was only pretending to break down so they would choose me over Sophia. But if they never loved me, why did they lose control when my mission failed and I chose to leave this world for good?

My love for gaming landed me in the World's Top Gaming Company as a new intern. On my first day I was paired up with another intern who seemed to be keeping some secrets. I was quite curious. So I started to keep an eye on him. Only to be shocked by seeing his dragon form. Hear me as I narrate you my love story.

To pay off my student loans, I started doing spicy streams online. I never thought I'd actually blow up. Every night, my audience floods the chat, fawning over my face and my body. I love the attention, and I work hard to give them what they want. Until I was dropped into a horror game. The first thing I saw when I opened my eyes was a rotting corpse. And for some reason, my livestream was still running. When the game’s Boss told us all to pick a weapon to die by. The other players all chose to die of old age, or peacefully in their sleep like a baby. I turned my phone to face the boss. "My fans think you're hot," I stammered. "They want me to be killed by... well, by the weapon between your legs. They said 'deeply.' Is that... an option?" The other players whispered among themselves. “This woman must have a death wish.” “Just watch. The Boss is about to tear her to shreds.” But no one expected the Boss to blush.

The world got swallowed by a massive game, and half the population walked right in. Only the first person to reach the top of the spender leaderboard could bring someone back to reality. Fail a level three times, and monsters tear you apart into code. Nolan dropped a billion dollars and took the #1 spot. Between me and his childhood friend Bianca, he didn't even hesitate. He picked her. When Nolan saw me, his voice went ice-cold. "I already dumped everything I have into this. Wait till I recharge again. I'll bring you back." I smiled. Didn't buy it for a second. He'd never cared about me. Still didn't realize I was the one who built this game. They had no clue staying on top meant constant recharges. Slip once, and you get dragged back in. And every dollar he spent? Straight into my account. When Nolan got pulled back again, he sneered at me. "Damn it. Still stuck with you. Bianca's coming to save me. You're pathetic. Without me, just stand here and wait to die." I wondered if that childhood friend of his would ditch her rich sugar daddy and burn everything just to save him.

Even when one travels the path of slaughter, they cannot help but reminisce of the days when they were still young and naive. They long for the days when they can put the killing behind them and just rest in a town far away, where no one knows them and where they no longer have to deal in bloodshed. These thoughts always come as a form of longing for all whose hands are stained with untold amounts of blood.Wang Xu was just your average security guard working for a security firm. He was assigned to the group currently tasked with guarding a gaming company. Feeling curious about the allure of these games, he one day buys the gear for the newest game on the market, Immortal Era, in order to try it out. Sadly, this curiosity of his would go unsolved as he died that same evening rescuing some women from robbers. A few days later he awakens, but it wasn't Wang Xu that woke up. Instead, it was a mysterious individual from another world know as Kirou. Realizing that he didn't know where he was plus being assaulted by memories he knows aren't his, Kirou eventually comes to terms that he has now taken over the body of this youth and will now have to live as him.Feeling that this is the start of a new life for him, Kirou resolved to live this life as peacefully as possible as Wang Xu. He also decided to solve Wang Xu's curiosity by trying out the new game he bought in his stead.Follow Kirou in his journey to live a relaxing life and see how many people keep trying to get in the way of that.

It was my third day working as an NPC cashier in a horror game when the supermarket got completely wrecked by players. They stormed in, smashing shelves, looting everything, setting fires, feeling real proud of themselves. "Told you the shopkeeper here was useless. Absolutely trash in all combat stats," one said. "Grab whatever you want. Once we're done, we'll just kill the owner," another chimed in. My mouth was gagged. I shook my head in terror. One of the players sneered. "Begging? That won't save you." No! That was not what I was trying to say! I was trying to tell them that today was the NPC internal shopping day. Three minutes from now, every single dungeon boss in the entire game would be rushing here to shop.