By now, almost everyone knows what World of Warcraft is, but almost no one knows what it really is. Many see it as another video game for uneducated elementary school dropouts or as entertainment for those kids who end up being victims of the local school bully. However, not all gamers who get into MMOs are your typical gamers. People forget that Facebook games are online multiplayer games, that some iPhone games are online multiplayer games, and that many of these games require social interaction over an online network of some kind in order to play these games. Still, when one mentions the word “MMO”, all one usually thinks of is your typical online RPG game where you create a fantasy-based character and wander around slaying beasts and running quest quests.
To clarify things, an MMO and an MMORPG are not entirely the same. The latter is a subgenre of the former and it is this fact that most people forget about. Not all online multiplayer games require a player to create an elf with a +6 magic bow to kill orcs. Some MMOs, such as Cityville, involve players visiting each other’s simulated town and helping each other gather resources such as shop supplies and rent. Basically, the first problem MMOs face is that most people associate them with MMORPGs.
Now let’s move on to MMORPGs. Where is the big problem here, one might wonder. Take a look at any gaming website or just watch videos of these games on YouTube for five to ten minutes. Almost all of them are World of Warcraft clones. There’s no doubt that the success of Blizzard’s game is a factor in this, but when you consider that none of the competing clones do even a tenth of what Blizzard is doing, what’s the point of cloning a successful game? without even trying to change? the game mechanics a bit?
Almost every MMORPG out there involves the player creating a fantasy character with typically three options: strong, fast, or magical. They start with quest quests to serve as a tutorial and all involve the player talking to NPCs (Non-Player Characters) to start and end other quests. Virtually all MMORPGs have a hotkey menu where they can use abilities or items with the press of a button, most MMORPGs involve potion abuse (players buy numerous potions and use them madly to fight stronger monsters). ), and then it’s all rinse and repeat.
Why hasn’t anyone tried to take the risk of changing something or adding a new flavor? It is mainly because producers do not want to shell out money for decisions that have not yet been tested in the market. The “if it ain’t broke don’t fix it” kind of attitude makes them feel like the money they’re putting into developers is in safe territory. However, it still comes down to no one buying these games or playing them for long because World of Warcraft did it first and did it better than anyone. Producers need to start thinking outside the box if they really want to have a chance at the game.
