An Accurate New Name for “MMORPG”

What of the final part of the title: “RPG”, for “Role Playing Game”?

Role playing can be defined in gaming purposes in two different ways- the act of role playing one’s character, or in the design of the game mechanics.

If you log into World of Warcraft (or any other “RPG”) on a “Role Playing” designated server you will find only a small portion of players are actually role playing their characters. The majority of players are simply playing the game, ignoring the basic ideas of role playing.

Considering the design standpoint, many of the latest genre offerings are moving away from role playing concepts- the market is saturated already. When every offering available is not of a role playing design, it’s inaccruate to declare the entire genre to be “RPG”.

• Second change to the genre name: The RPG’s gotta go.

So we’ve reduced the name to “MM”, which is obviously missing something.

One of the most common discussions on all massively multiplayer message boards regards the cost, which ususally consists of the retail price and a monthly fee. If you’re offering a massively multiplayer game for profit, you must have a monthly fee or other means of income (perhaps ads), or the project will lose money.

Why do products like Guild Wars work with no monthly fee? The design, functionality, infrastructure and operational expenses change all of the cost variables. This simplified system does not require the resources a true massively multiplayer game requires, and therefore can be sustained on expansion packs or advertising alone.

Yes, in recent years there has been a trend to move full-fledged, true MMORPGs to a “free-to-play” model, however there is a very important key difference here:  These are no longer fully supported products to the same degree that they were upon launch.  Many have moved to a micro-transaction model, as many foreign created MMORPGs work, paying for their upkeep via small charges via a small percentage of the player base.  Still, while these games are MMORPGs by concept, they are the drastic exception to the rule, and have fallen into a status more akin to the Guild Wars style of upkeep.  In the end, the exceptions shouldn’t dictate the overall theme of the genre. Instead, fully supported, active massively multiplayer games are far more complex and require a level of service beyond these other products.

Ah-ha! We’ve come to the final element we’re seeking. These products are Gaming Services.

We now have a shorter, less awkward title than the original mouthful that is “MMORPG”, but more importantly- something accurate.

• An accurate title that should be used instead of “MMORPG” is “MMGS”: “Massively Multiplayer Gaming Service”.

I’ve done the hard part here breaking down the details and getting to the truth- it’s now up to the gamers out there to take the next step and be part of the cutting edge in using the new name to support our favorite MMGSs. So next time you log into your favorite online gaming forum, take the initiative to use “MMGS(s)” when describing this genre and point those who get confused to this article.

After all, why continue to use a name that isn’t accurate?