A while back, there was a post on the MMORPG subreddit that was basically “the genre didn’t change, we changed” – I’ve seen those types of threads for the last decade and probably before that too as people grow up and self-reflect on their hobbies. That’s not what I want to talk about today, though, especially since the OP then deleted his post. What I want to talk about is some of the discussion under the original piece, whereby a pair of posters got into a debate about the decline of the genre – another type of thread we’ve seen forever.
The way these back-and-forths usually go is that people who think things are fine will point to the fact that there are more MMO players and MMOs than ever with more money in them than ever. This particular poster also noted that the quality-of-life and features in MMOs are stronger than ever as “garbage” gameplay (designed downtime, anyone?) has been “disposed of.” The the other side will argue that the genre just doesn’t feel the same as it used to, the adventure is gone – that the genre is creatively and spiritually bankrupt.
Do you think the MMO genre is in decline? Do you prefer qualitative or quantitative measures to make that call?
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!
