Introduction
The video game industry is growing by leaps and bounds, titles and franchises branching out in all directions, filling every possible niche market. Nearly every genre can be divided into subcategories, catering to every consumer's desire, no matter how eclectic. While each of these established genres are successful, with no signs of waning, it is my belief that the dominant future market of video games is the Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game (MMORPG). When compared with traditional RPGs, it quickly becomes clear why the MMO is the future.
Traditional RPGs, derived from pen-and-paper based games such as Dungeons & Dragons, are plot-driven games, focusing on a strong storytelling element, immersing the player as the main character in that story. The storylines tend to run the gambit from mundane to epic within a single game, and it is that variety of tasks and accomplishments that makes the genre so successful. Players feel as though their character is making decisions, and more importantly, making a difference with every action or reaction they choose. This level of interactivity in all tasks makes the genre truly immersive, and compelling.
RPGs are most commonly plotted within three primary settings: fantasy, science-fiction, and post-apocalyptic. However, they are only truly as limited as the imaginations of their creators. There is no reason an RPG can't be set entirely within a traveling circus, or a modern office complex, or a car wash, for that matter. This vast versatility is another aspect of what makes the genre so successful - if you have a fetish, there is likely an RPG to cater to it.
Market
It is worth noting, however, that there is a divisive factor to RPGs. Their market, for the most part, is split neatly in half. Most titles are geared specifically to one of two groups: Eastern and Western (or more specifically, North American and Japanese). For the most part, Japanese RPGs tend to be fairly patterned and formulaic, with emotion being the driving factor. On the contrary, North American RPGs are far more experimental, and level/power advancement is the motivator.
As successful as RPGs are, however, there is always room for change, and the video game industry is constantly evolving to meet consumer expectations. The newest incarnation of the RPG is the MMO. This is clearly the future, not only of the RPG genre specifically, but of video games in general. The reason for this is very simple: the MMO takes the very best from RPGs, while simultaneously borrowing elements from many other genres, and adds to the mix a heavy dose of socialization.
MMOs follow the same paradigm as RPGs in general, but manage to take things a few steps forward. A major factor attributing to the success of MMOs is their communities. By making their games simultaneously accessible by literally millions of players, social circles are formed, and societies are built. In order to maintain these societies, environments have been made persistent - leaving the game no longer causes it to cease to exist. This consistency and stability is very appealing to players. They are able to come and go as they please, assured that life goes on, within or without. Persistence offers benefits to both the casual and hardcore gamer, who can come in and play once in awhile as time allows, or spend endless hours immersed, respectively.
Aden Castle Under Attack
Additionally, this massively multiplayer environment is able to support such a vast player base that the division of East vs. West in traditional RPGs is no longer an issue. Games are designed with everyone in mind, offering aspects of appeal to both Japanese and North American mindsets. This level of unity and cohesion spawns global communities that are strong enough to exist even outside the game environment, with entire infrastructures of websites and forums dedicated to the discussion, research, and general enjoyment of various MMOs.
Setting aside any possible negative side effects, the level of compulsion generated by MMOs alone is enough to display conclusively that this is a genre which will only get bigger. Never before have gamers been dedicated enough to a video game to put in as many hours in a week as they do at school, or at work (much to the chagrin of mothers and wives everywhere). If this isn't enough to convince someone of the strength of this genre, the marketing figures surely will.
Player Appeal
Internet research suggests that even the early MMOs that were popular just after the turn of the millennium were incredibly successful, with games such as Lineage & Lineage II, boasting well over 2 million subscribers, and Ragnarok Online claiming to have peaked at 17 million! Even so, these were early incarnations of modern MMOs, which are breaking all kinds of records. World of Warcraft is acknowledged as the most successful MMO to date, with a consistently growing subscriber base currently estimated at over 7 million players, each paying approximately $15 a month, in addition to the $60 they paid for the game initially, and the $40-50 they will be paying again soon for the expansion pack.
Subscribers of World of Warcraft
As mentioned, the modern MMOs cross all demographic boundaries. Not only do they appeal to players of all continents, but also appeal to both genders. Sony Online Entertainment states that nearly 40% of EverQuest & EverQuest II players are women. MMOs are spanning generational gaps as well. World of Warcraft is populated by players of every age group, ranging from early teen to late fifties. The virtually universal and nearly unlimited appeal of MMOs has guaranteed them a place in the future of video games.
There is one other, less quantifiable factor to MMOs that make them so successful. Many players who become involved with MMOs have a very hard time returning to single player games. No matter how appealing a single player game might be, no matter how revolutionary or impressive, it is hard to maintain any enthusiasm or dedication towards them when you have no other players with which to share your exploits. Put simply, MMOs offer you the ability to show off (or to complain) as required. Two hours of character customization is pretty pointless if no one will ever see the result. This brings us full circle to the original secret ingredient of MMOs that secure their place at the top of the video game heap: Socialization.
MMOs have created a virtual community unlike anything seen before, and it would seem as though this is just the very beginning. There can be no arguing that MMOs will continue to be a dominant video game market for the foreseeable future. Invest your time and money in small RPGs if you wish; personally, I'd rather go Massive.
Vadim Mercurio is a recent graduate of the Video Game Design & Development program at the International Academy of Design & Technology (Toronto campus). Though diversified to all creative aspects of Game Design, Vadim’s primary focus is writing for and about the video game industry.
