Boiling the Lobster (or Worm) Alive
I want to share my experience with Dune Awakening. Not just to vent, but to highlight how it signals a greater issue in the gaming space. I was genuinely excited for this game and LOVED it for the immersion and world-building aspects. It was everything a Dune fan could have hoped for, which is why it’s been frustrating to watch it slowly hollow out over time.
So what is Dune Awakening? It’s a game based on the Dune franchise that was marketed as an MMO, but turned out to be a single player RPG/CRAFTING/SURVIVAL game with multiplayer elements layered on top. So what happened? The MMO promise set expectations that the actual gameplay didn’t meet, especially once players hit the so-called “endgame.”
The Cycle of Decline
What followed was a slow, predictable cycle I’ve seen play out with other games too.
- Honeymoon Hype
- Shallow Endgame
- Community Rationalization
- Decline/Death
Game release → Players are in honeymoon phase
At launch, the game was enchanting. The world felt immersive enough that few noticed the cracks. Crafting was fun and players were still familiarizing themselves with the systems. Even if the quests and enemy encounters are mediocre, the game has a great feel and immersion.
Players start reaching end-game → THIS IS WHERE I NOTICED FLAWS
Once players reached end-game, the cracks widened. There was no incentive loop, no meaningful advantage to getting grinding for gear or skills. Just rewards that let you grind more or faster. PvP was almost non-existent, without enough systems in place to create more incentive to engage in PVP. No arena, no death-match. The end-game area known as the “Deep-Dessert” was basically a huge empty “PVP enabled” space where players could mine 3 very important resources unique to that area: the spice melange, titanium, and stravidium.
I start voicing my opinions on reddit, albeit with more bite than I should have (I said people were acting like hostages to the game and need to stop being so sensitive). But my intention was always to push for improvement. Unfortunately I was banned from the subreddit after making some dissenting comments and “killing the vibe.”
Putting the Lobster in the Pot → Devs start to make small adjustments
Instead of addressing the core endgame problems, the developers began slowly raising the temperature of the pot. They moved key resources out of contested PvP zones, catering to players who preferred to avoid conflict. It felt like they were slowly boiling the lobster and removing any meaningful friction or stakes that made the endgame worth engaging with.
Titanium and Stravidium were moved to the “non combat” zones near the entrance of the deep dessert. Now the only contested resource was the spice melange. Devs kept pandering to the loudest players with the most hours. But these players happened to prioritize their own convenience above all else. The type of player who wants to grind a game while watching TV.
Community Rationalizes Temperature → The Lobster Gets Boiled
What struck me wasn’t just the design failure, it was how the community responded to it. Many players began rationalizing the state of the game. The game had become an identity and a community. Criticism around the game was perceived negatively as dismissal or cynical take on the game.
- “It’s only a $60 game”
- “They said it’s not a typical MMO”
- “You’ve already thrown hundreds of hours into it, you have no right to complain”
- “It’s not about the end-game, it’s about the journey”
Criticism became personal rather than constructive, and the subreddit turned into a space where dissent wasn’t welcome. Over time, the critical voices disappeared, leaving behind an echo chamber.
Most players leave → Only the most dedicated remain
Now? The game is practically dead. I see constant subreddit posts of people leaving the game. Announcing it like a eulogy:
“It’s been great knowing you guys. May Shai-Hulud provide safe passage into the afterlife and blah blah blah”
Did any of these players write an email to the devs before quitting? Did anyone sit down to really analyze the health of the game and how it can be improved for the largest swathe of players? Not just those who spend HOURS building bases. Did the subreddit let other players voice criticism and suggestions without BANNING them from the subreddit?
All this made me realize that thousands of smart capable players tied their identity to defending this game. They don’t even realize how much they’ve tied their ego to this game and what the game means to them. Are they using it to escape? What are they grinding towards? They don’t want to step back and address its structural flaws.
Now that those voices are quelled and gone, the game is a husk. Silence accelerated the game decay. What’s tragic is that so many of the most active players are clearly smart and invested. I see their constant theory-crafting and min-maxing posts. But when the game began faltering, that intellect and energy didn’t translate into meaningful feedback. The culture leaned toward defending the game instead of helping it grow. And without that pressure, the devs had little reason to change course.
Learned Helplessness
At its core, this wasn’t just a case of bad design. It was a slow drift into learned helplessness. Both from a community relying on group-think, and a dev team that catered to the loudest voices. These players were mostly concerned with their own convenience. And they are basically addicted to the game, they are emotionally invested and won’t leave. The rest of the players tried to voice their opinions and got punished. The learned helplessness obfuscated what the devs needed to know. Although to be fair, the devs were also hoping pandering to the loudest players would mean hooking in “whales” I’m sure. I hope they learned their lesson too.
I still love what Dune Awakening has the potential to be. But without criticism, loyalty becomes denial. And denial boiled the lobster (sandworm) alive.
Also just for fun, here’s what Gemini thinks I look like after I fed it this post HAHAHA
