Why Modern MMORPG Games Are Getting Stale

MMORPG games are rampant throughout the internet. Many of us have played them, but for those of you who haven't, here's a little definition. MMO stands for Massively Multiplayer Online game, and the RPG portion stands for Role Playing Games. In these kinds of games, as opposed to the standard Legend of Zelda kind of RPG, are meant to be enjoyed by many people at the same time. There are even many different types of these kinds of games for all kinds of people, ranging from Text Based to Sci-Fi to even ones about farming. As the title of the genre suggests, many people gather and play together to complete goals in this kind of game. This can provide new depth and new game-play opportunities for most games, but with it comes many issues.

The plot lines

Ranging usually from saving a princess or killing an evil wizard, a lot of these games seem to really fall under the same kind of plot line. Now, this isn't really an issue in and of itself, as games with similar plot lines can have very different ways they can be approached. Where the problem lies, however, is just that. they are approached similarly, or when they try to steer off course, it is done sloppily or is overshadowed by the game's other features. One example of sloppy storytelling lies in the game Archeage, developed by XlGames. Originally this game was praised for its storytelling, but once it hit the online market in the US, a lot of that dissipated. The game was visually stunning and it seemed to have a wide range of character types and races to choose from, ranging from walking cats to regular old humans. This was all fine and dandy, but the plotline fell short. In simplicity, the plot line was this; There is a fight versus good and evil, and your suddenly the chosen one and are supposed to change the world for either side. The games' story was based on the Archeage Chronicles by Jeon Min-hee (link to buy the novel is right there for those who speak Korean) Sounds cool, right? Well, it would be, if the people in charge of the story made it interesting or on point enough for it to stand a chance against the better parts of the game. Interestingly enough, Jeon had a hand as the lead Story Designer for the game, but it didn't shine enough to take away from the in-depth house building and the huge boss battles and raids. Sadly, this seems to be a rampant issue in most games like this.

Most gameplay ideas have been taken already

Most MMO games end up trying to come up with new gameplay ideas, to their own demise. This is mostly due to the large influx of these kinds of games popping up on the internet since the release of the popular World of Warcraft game. This, of course, caused people to try and compete with this game by releasing some new and innovative gameplay styles. Some companies succeeded in this venture, creating some of the most fun gameplay I had ever experienced, but most fell into the trap of copycatting others, or just plain not even trying to make the gameplay interesting. Some of the new age, browser-based MMO games are simple click-and-it-will-do-the-quest-and-fights-for-you kind of games, which totally ruins the whole point of even playing. That's kind of an extream example though, so a better one would be Rift, a game by Glyph. I am a long time player of this game, but I noticed it fell deep into the copycat combat style so many had fallen into. It was a click to attack kind of game, just like World of Warcraft. This, however, is a light example of what happens in these kinds of games as it doesn't entirely run the game stale, as it is made up with the expansive skill system, but its an example none the less.

Forced payments.

This is perhaps one of the worst offenses MMO games pull. In most MMO games, this becomes a serious issue, as how competitive you are in the game becomes determined by how much money you throw into it. You can buy Exclusive armor sets and weapons for in-game currency. This seems to be a sole exclusive to new age MMO games, as a lot of the companies feel like they can suck money out of their dedicated fans. Even big names, such as blizzard and Bethesda, are guilty of this. Bethesdas own ESO: Tamriel Unlimited is a money scheme in itself. not only is the game $60 USD, but in order to get more of the game unlocked, including armor sets, more of the world and more characters and classes, you need to fork out $19 a month to pay for a membership, or throw another $100 at it for the expansion pass. This just makes the game less interesting for those without money to just throw away, myself included.

In conclusion, most MMO games are fantastic, offering a fun way to make friends and play with the ones you already have, but like all great things, there are awful things within it.