The main reason MMORPG’s (Massively Multi-player Online RPG’s) aren’t selling in the millions yet is because of the stereotypes surrounding them. Buyer’s are more wary of MMORPG’s because of the monthly fees usually involved on top of the $50-$60 they have to shell out. It’s understandable why they aren’t overwhelmingly popular still, but all the stereotypes aren’t 100% true in all cases. Many games have displayed elements of each area previously stated to be lacking. On to the reasons:

- Cost

People don’t like paying monthly fees for most things in general. When your gas, electric, or water bill comes, there will not be a smile on your face. This applies to your credit card bill of course, so the monthly MMORPG fee on there will not make you happy. What will is the gameplay. Don’t think of the fee as a way of feeding money to a greedy monster company. Think of it as a service charge for them to update the servers, give you the chance to use the servers, and meet people online. Sure, I can understand how $10 a month is quite a bit to use a server and meet people, but it is a very unique experience. Also, not all MMORPG’s have a monthly fee attached. In fact, many beta tests are 100% free. All you need to do is download and register, and you are set!

The problem with this stereotype is it is not completely unfounded. Many makers of these games know they can make loads of money off of them. If they get only 100,000 people in, they are making loads of profit. It isn’t that great to support the causes of greedy companies, personally, because they will continue to raise the monthly fee. Originally the norm for monthly fees was $5 when MMORPG’s first started to rear their head in the gaming market. Now that they are very popular they cost anywhere from $12.95 to well over $30 dollars a month to play. Don’t give up hope though, as technology gets cheaper, hopefully they will start to bring us better service for our bucks. Also, many a time, I have not gotten into select MMORPG’s because I didn’t think they were worth any of the money. So, you’re not alone.

- Story

It’s true. MMORPG’s don’t have a set story built in. The most you get out of their story is usually a couple lines describing the world you are in from an NPC (non-player character). For the most part, getting story from an NPC is uncommon, so consider yourself lucky. In most MMORPG’s, the players make their own story. This is called RP’ing. I have never really gotten into RP’ing in the games I have played, but it can add story. I personally, play MMORPG’s for the deep gameplay and social interaction. If you are the type that likes linear, game-driven storylines, these games will probably not be your style. Hopefully in the future, story will play a bigger part.

Of course, the stories are still horrible. In fact, the only true gripe I have with most MMORPG’s is never knowing where to go, what to do, or who to talk to. Most of these games just drop you off at a beginner’s spawn point, then show you the mechanics of the game. They then follow this up with dropping you off in your first town. Where do you go? That’s completely up to you. With little story, there also comes little guidance. People may see this as non-linearity or the game just being dynamic, but to me it’s advice and direction that is sorely needed.

- Ugly

Every time I show off a new game to people, the first thing they ask is for screenshots. Nowadays, graphics are a very important factor in how well games sell. MMORPG’s are the only exception it seems. The most prominent, profitable MMORPG of all time is Everquest. Take a look at it, very unattractive, even for it’s primitive 4 year old standard of graphics. The problem is, whenever people who haven’t played them, and only seen them, they then think of what one might look like. 9 out of 10 times, the first image that comes to their head is the horrible quality of Everquest itself. Many games have far surpassed that quality. Believe it or not, the makers of newer MMORPG’s actually hire artists that have degrees and extensive experience now. The days of amateurs designing the graphics as purely a means of helping the gameplay be displayed are over. Companies have realized that MMORPG’s are big money-making machines if pulled off well, so they will do their best for you now.

All facts aside, most MMORPG’s do look ugly. There is a reason for it, though. Sometimes you will have to see over 100 people on your screen at once. If the graphics were super-advanced then no computer alive could handle that many 3d models on the screen at once. Still, there is no excuse for horrible art and just plain bad modeling. Everquest is the worst looking game of all time, in my opinion. I think someone would have to be taking a hallucenogenic drug for it to look good. Thankfully, not all games look like it. Yet, they do come very close to looking that horrible. My favorite MMORPG’s are the ones I can look at for 1000 hours. If I can’t even watch my friend play it, there must be something wrong with the game. Something very wrong, indeed.