Massively Multiplayer Online Games (MMOGs)

History of MMOGs

Most people agree that MMOGs have their roots in the Multi-User Dungeons (MUDs) of the 1980s. While that decade saw the advent of online gaming, including the multi-player flight combat game Air Warrior, MMOGs really emerged in the 1990s. 1996 brought a jump in evolution for online gaming with an effort called Meridian 59 launched by the 3DO company. Purchased from developer Archetype Interactive, initially with the thoughts of using the technology to bring 3DO's Might and Magic franchise to online play, Meridian 59 was a small effort that did surprisingly well. The games Ultima Online and Everquest were also breakouts in the multi-player online gaming, initially allowing fewer than a hundred simultaneous players, but with rapidly increasing numbers as new technology evolved.

The Different Genres

While nearly any genre can be deployed as an MMOG, Role Playing Games and Adventure games have proved to be some of the most popular. The term MMORPG has been coined to describe Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games. MMOGs have also included games in the simulation, first person shooter and real-time strategy genres.

What Constitutes Massive?

Of course, as with all videogame definitions, what constitutes a MMOG is somewhat vague. GuildWars is sometimes considered an MMOG even though players tend to work in small groups. Other role playing games that allow players to vie against others online include Diablo II and Neverwinter Nights, Star Wars Galaxies, Asheron's Call and Dark Age of Camelot. In the shooter category, the Doom, Quake and Halo games allow people to play online against varying numbers of others, but are not usually considered massive. The technology for MMOG first person shooters (MMOGFPS) is still quite challenging, although successful releases include World War II Online and Planetside.

A Growing Market

The early adopters of MMOGs were hard-core games. However, as time goes by and more diverse games are released, more casual gamers are getting into online play. Most major game publishers have MMOGs on the market or in development, often based on their best-selling licenses. Japanese firm Square Enix has brought out online versions of their Final Fantasy games and Blizzard Studios, publisher of the Starcraft, Warcraft and Diablo game series', has launched the World of Warcraft MMOG to critical and popular acclaim. The makers of Everquest have released Everquest 2. Some of the anticipated games in development include Sigil Games' Vanguard: Saga of Heroes and Webzen's FPS Huxley, While game publishers must support their MMOGs with server space and tech support, MMOGs offer the advantage of ongoing revenue streams. Many MMOGs operate on a subscription basis, meaning that a fee is paid by each subscriber every month, a desirable scenario for game producers.