MMORPGs should not really been seen as a genre. It is just a technological advancement in the way that people can play and partake in a wide variety of video game experiences.
I've honestly begun to think that this has been one of the largest problems within the mmo gaming industry - the hair-brained notion that an mmorpg needs to be a specific type of game that fits the mold of previous massive multiplayer online role-playing games.
It's possibly the reason why we see clone after clone... why people love talking about how the genre is dying out...
Most of the previous incarnations of what has been called mmorpgs or mmos have followed specific molds that cater to certain types of gamers and, more importantly, ignore (and/or
turn off) large expanses of other types of gamers with different interests.
While this is absolutely nothing new within the field of entertainment (producers want guarantees, especially as costs within the industry rise, and most producers believe that guarantees and efficient businesses come in the form of previously proven formulas that have a history of success, which also comes with a nice, already established, marketing plan), it's all about efficiency - and following known paths is more efficient than blazing a new trail (never mind the wise sayings about the path of least resistance and all that... as we're - shamefully - talking cents not sense)... The difference here is that this somewhat new method of video game entertainment has been stunted nearly from its birth. And it has been stunted and limited as such, rather needlessly.
Perhaps there were two paths that were originally acceptable for the MMORPG: 1) A more rigid form, akin to the theme park ride, generally based around achievement and time spent earning things and 2) more of a sandbox system more balanced towards social community building.
While Ultima Online may have reigned in the early, early days, Ever Quest set the path for the WoW factory... While Asherons Call was the less popular option - yet, much more enjoyed by those that preferred its approach over EQ.
Star Wars Galaxies was originally designed and launched more around the principals of the Ultima Online approach - options, options and more options and let's see what community is built from the inherent interdependency and the encouraged individuality of the game's systems.
City Of Heroes was somewhat uniquely in-between these styles (in my opinion). I'd say more about CoH, but we all know it.
World Of Warcraft was heavily built around the other approach... and exploded (for a large number of factors - from things being timed right that were entirely outside of their control - to things being done right that were entirely of their doing and to their credit - that is all best left mentioned as a "perfect storm").
Ever since that explosion of success, we've seen a great number of games either fail or become converted into a game more closely fitting into the WoW mold (usually
both).
CoH was one of the few that remained its own. EVE Online as well, to their credit, has been a unique fixture (loved and despised by different players... as differing options should be!).
Several large titles have been released over recent years, but they've all tried to fit into particular molds (oh, they've had their slight differences, but that's usually been more in line with accessories or merely different Barbi outfits, as opposed to something truly different).
I don't mean to start this thread sounding as though I have all the answers or that I am all knowing about this subject... because that is very far from the case. I'm more interested in sparking discussion, as a great variety of people here have many individual ideas, opinions and viewpoints of their own.
It just seems to me that this whole "MMORPG" or "MMO" thing has become some sort of far-too-limited
genre as opposed to what it truly is...
A means in which large amounts of interested players can take part in, and share, an ongoing massive experience within a game that they all truly enjoy. The MMO experience could be as varied as the video game experience has been (which, admittedly, has had the tendency to fall into similar pitfalls... but still).
It almost seems like people have treated the MMO aspect as though, years ago, it would have been good and right to classify any and every game that used a joystick into one single genre.
MMOS are just PC games that are open ended and shared between players in an ongoing virtual world.
I do recognize that there are inherent issues with an ongoing, massive multiplayer, online video game... and that each and every one of them need to tackle those shared aspects, concerns, issues and potential problems... But... HELLO... there are so many different ways to accomplish things.
This industry is
really missing the boat.
I expect that most of this is because the expenses have become so high for producing such endeavors, that the
sure thing is the only way people are willing to put their money down on it. However, clearly that
sure thing is
nota
sure thing, so, perhaps, different approaches would be recognized and embraced, rather than the whole advancement of massive multiplayer online experiences being lumped into some tiny single genre and shelved because the industry didn't know how to handle the true variety of customers they could potentially have.
*stomps on, crushes and splinters his soapbox*