From modern indie MMORPG’s like ‘Realm of the Mad God’ to timeless classics like ‘World Of Warcraft’, MMORPGs or Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games have shaped the gaming industry and how we view online games in this modern era. There’s nothing worse than getting hyped up for a new MMORPG to kick back and play with your friends only to realise it’s nothing like you’d thought it would be. As an active gamer myself, having played almost a dozen MMORPG’s such as ‘Path Of Exile, Guild Wars 2, Divinity Original Sin etc.’. It’s not uncommon to come across one that doesn’t meet your expectations. Meaning all that time spent on researching for an MMORPG to play is put to waste. Although there will never be one that will satisfy the expectations of every single gamer out there. These are some things that all good MMORPG’s should include.

Since there are a huge number of factors to consider when making an MMORPG, I’ve simplified it by sorting them into 5 basic categories. Characters, Community, Progress, Design and in my opinion the most important, Gameplay. 

 

DESIGN

Let’s start with design. What’s the first thing that pops up when starting any game? Most likely it would be the name of the game itself. A good title should be simple yet easy for people to remember, whilst also relating to the game itself. Aside from the title, the artwork of the game should be able to capture the attention of its audience. Choosing the right colours to represent the game themes is very important. Bright lively colours to represent a happy theme, or dark gloomy colours to represent a sad theme.

 

(Dark Souls – Source)
(Runescape – Source)

 

COMMUNITY

Furthermore, the succession of most online games specifically MMORPG’s relies heavily on its community. In other words, how players and staff members interact with one another. It’s a huge turn off to gamers, especially myself when the game I’m playing has copious amounts of, in gaming terms ‘toxicity’ without any consequences. I believe that every good MMORPG should have active mods/admins regulating the chat rooms ensuring the well-being of the players. Besides that, having scheduled events such as giveaways, limited events and constant development ensures players don’t get bored of repetition. Also constantly providing an incentive to log on. It may also show that the developers care about its audience, and not just about making money.

 

CHARACTERS

Thirdly, and one of the most important factors in any video game. It’s characters. A good MMORPG should have a well-developed character customisation menu. An amazing example is in some of the sim’s games where even tiny facial features are customisable. Your character should be able to at least look how you want them to look. In a great MMORPG the only thing limiting players from their character appearance should be their creativity. I believe a good character customisation menu helps in creating character attachments. Seeing a plethora of different character models and appearances online create a sense of individuality.

 

(Sims 4 character customization – Source)

 

PROGRESS

Penultimately. Different players will have different ideas in what they want to do throughout their journey. Some may want to be a level 80 marksman, some a level 80 fisherman. Therefore I believe any good RPG should have a variety of areas for different players to focus and grow in. I can’t emphasise enough how much ‘Pay 2 Win’ put off gamers like myself. A good MMORPG should reward its players for the hard work and dedication put in rather than the money spent . A leaderboard system may also be a good addition to the game as it allows players to compare their progress to others, challenging and encouraging themselves as they strive to be the strongest orc on the battlefield. 

 

(Kurtzpel PvP Leaderboard – Source)

 

GAMEPLAY

What’s the point of any video game without immersive gameplay? All good gameplay should actively keep players on their toes at all times. Aspects of teamwork and communication should also be considered in gameplay because playing with other people, especially friends is a completely new experience compared to playing alone. But overall I truly believe that well developed, smooth gameplay without bugs and glitches will keep players fully immersed whether they’re with friends fighting other teams of people or by themselves slaying monsters in the deepest depths of the underworld.