What is the future of the MMORPG genre

[PaleGrim]

What do you think will be the future of the MMORPG genre?

Personally i think they have a bright future...

What do you think? ;)

[EvilEggCracker]

Its lookin brighter with every new one that is released.

[Aqo]

MMORPGs will take over life, and all social life in the entire world will become played thru MMORPGs. You'll earn real money for professions in the MMORPG you play (some already do...) and those without a computer will be sent to slavery to power power stations and other things that are required for playing MMORPGs.

Or, they will be eliminated by FPSRPGs.

[TranquilNightElf]

MMORPGs have a very bright future and are possibly evolving to something more than a game. Not just in how the players immerse themselves in a fantasy world but how a real world economy can center around the game, having potential uses in your real life as well. (Yea you can read an article in the upcoming edition of the .Org for more information. ;) )

I see them increasingly as a new means to meet like minded people from around the world, not just the people in your neighbourhood.Possibly they could play a bigger role in social lives of individuals as they evolve and offer higher and higher levels of realism.


~TNE

[IrishDutchman]

As technology developes, MMORPG's will get more popular by the day. For example, with virtual reality, some people would be able to live two lives at the same time. One working for money, the other in their MMORPG.
It doesn't sound nice, but loads of people are already getting addicted to these games.

[SpeedyWorm1]

When the world realizes they should be living real life, and not a fake one, MMORPG's will become nonexistant.

[GrimTerror]

Hey look, one of my dopplegangers...

MMORPGs are fun I guess, but I don't think they will become life-consumingly popular for most people. I'm sure people have more exciting things to do than being plugged into a virtual reality, despite how addictive they are...

I've also noticed that quite a few girls play MMORPGs, but they have the most ironic names. Since when would you expect someone called "sweetiepie15" to be a level 89 warrior who kills dragons and greater demons for a living?

[sololop]

Whats a MMORPG? :confused:

[Graeme]

Massively Multiplayed Online Roleplaying Game.

Think Everquest or World of Warcraft.

Anyway, MMOs will be around forever. I personally believe them to be the game of the future ^_~.

[ScottieIWU]

I personally dislike the MMORPG genre for a few reasons. I'll concede that a game played online without AI, but rather with real people is a notch above most other games.

However, that said, I feel like economically something must happen to the MMORPG genre to have a greater success than currently. Since most games have a monthly fee, plus the fee of the software, it is less accessible to many people, especially younger players who would depend mostly on parents to pay for their game. Games that are free to play (like Guild Wars, if I recall) will probably be the ones to see the most success.

The other problem I've seen is that so many people lose control of their gaming and it takes over their lives. I know at least three people who have had their lives adversely affected by WoW. The biggest example is a friend of mine who failed out of school and had his parents stop helping pay for college because he spent so much time online and not enough going to class.

I think MMORPGs will have their day in the sun (read: right now) and will eventually become just another genre of games that's nothing special. They probably won't ever die, but right now is probably near or at the golden age.

[Leosam096]

MMORPGS would dominate most of the human world if science masters the art of virtual reality.

Imagine yourself inside a glass ball, inside the ball you are having a dream, but its actually part of the virtual reality machine. At the same time many other players experience this at the same time around the globe, making it a mass multiplayer online game.
Whatever the game has, you could be playing another life in another country, get a job and earn money, eat food(the glass ball or the virtual machine feeds you), or even sleep and wake up the next morning...
thats my idea of the future MMORPGs. :) ;)

[PaleGrim]

I've played MMORPGs and I think that they have a major role in our comunity. They can be very addictive, just look at WoW a couple of people died because they were addicted to the game.That's not good. Especially since more and more MMOs are developed. They can be fun at the beggining but when you do all that you can in them they become boring. That's why i stick to the RTS genre. :P

[TranquilNightElf]

I personally dislike the MMORPG genre for a few reasons. I'll concede that a game played online without AI, but rather with real people is a notch above most other games.

However, that said, I feel like economically something must happen to the MMORPG genre to have a greater success than currently. Since most games have a monthly fee, plus the fee of the software, it is less accessible to many people, especially younger players who would depend mostly on parents to pay for their game. Games that are free to play (like Guild Wars, if I recall) will probably be the ones to see the most success.

The other problem I've seen is that so many people lose control of their gaming and it takes over their lives. I know at least three people who have had their lives adversely affected by WoW. The biggest example is a friend of mine who failed out of school and had his parents stop helping pay for college because he spent so much time online and not enough going to class.

I think MMORPGs will have their day in the sun (read: right now) and will eventually become just another genre of games that's nothing special. They probably won't ever die, but right now is probably near or at the golden age.

Well there are whole new levels of MMORPGs that are being made now, that are starting a debate whether they should be classified as games or not.
So I cannot believe that they are nearing the Golden Age and they will continue to evolve. Again not to toot my own horn , but one such game is covered in an article in the upcoming issue of the .Org

Also, regarding the monthly fee, there are many new titles that have broken free of that mechanism and are extremely popular, though they cannot be called MMORPGs in the purist sense, they still incorporate many of the original experiences.
Of course that has it's own disadvantages since that any kid can just get a game without the parents having to worry about a fee, you do tend to get a lot of immature people in there, Though I can imagine a monthly fee in other games is not an effective deterrant to jerks getting onto the other games either ;)

But yes addiction to the game is a serious issue that is becoming more and more common, And I am sorry to hear of your friend. Perhaps we'll have phsychologists specializing in a standard type of therapy suited to an addicted MMORPGer

~TNE

[PaleGrim]

Yes that kind of psychologists are really necessary not anly to stop people from excesive playing of MMORPGs but also to find what is the element that is so addictive about the games. If anyone knows why these games are so addictive let me know.

[TranquilNightElf]

It's generally the carrot and stick principle. They continue to wave something in front of you such that you think
"Ahh ok the let me reach the next level"

In such circumstances, game companies often spend more money maintaining the game than they do while developing it .
Why ?
Because they cannot , simply cannot let the game fall static.
New content in any form has to be thought out and developed timely to maintain the interest of the gamer.

The next new Uber Monster to defeat,
New Weapons.

Heck it can be something as simple as new emotes to show off your level or efforts to the others
It's a well thought out plan

~TNE

[Veeger]

MMORPGs are fun I guess, but I don't think they will become life-consumingly popular for most people.

http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2002/10/10/1034061260831.html

People have died from playing video games non-stop, not taking the time to eat or drink. It's scary, and a touch stupid, but it happens.

[sololop]

I don't know if that is true.. I didn't think it was possible to stay awake long enough to DIE.. your body would go unconcious long before that, or shock. Then you people would send you to a hospital. The people running the cafe would have said SOMTHING to the guy after two days or so.. like.. get Out..

[Leosam096]

People have died from playing video games non-stop, not taking the time to eat or drink. It's scary, and a touch stupid, but it happens.
Theres an anime called .hack//Legend of the Twilight. Its about a really fun MMORPG but it starts to make children go unconscious and they get sent to the hospital because of the game.