MMOs have a longer shelf life than other games do. We talked about this not so long ago, even, and you can see it when you think of the big online games out there. World of Warcraft is over a decade old, Star Wars: The Old Republic is four years old, Final Fantasy XIV is five years old, and League of Legends has been around for six years. I rarely see any of those titles brought up as “old” games, yet contemporary single-player titles are often listed as being “old” titles.
What’s even more amusing is that titles seem to age at different rates in matters of perception. I’ve seen people talking in World of Warcraft about how EverQuest II is an “old” title, despite the fact that the two games launched in the same month of the same year. Some titles just feel older or newer than others regardless of actual dates. So what do you think, dear readers? What makes a game move over the threshold from “new” or “contemporary” to “old”? Is it a matter of time, of active design, of communities, or some combination of all three?
Every morning, the Massively Overpowered writers team up with mascot Mo to ask MMORPG players pointed questions about the massively multiplayer online roleplaying genre. Grab a mug of your preferred beverage and take a stab at answering the question posed in today’s Daily Grind!
