MOP reader Elenie recently put the concept of “popcorn MMOs” back on my radar thanks to a comment about Neverwinter being an MMO many folks want to play only lightly. A popcorn MMO would be a game where you probably wouldn’t grind or make lots of alts or stress over endgame; you just kind of glide across the top of the world and mechanics, play the good and fluffy stuff only, maybe just the core questline or just casual quests, wring a bit of fun out of it, and then move on.
Marvel Heroes used to come up in convos about the popcorn MMO back in the day, and I think it was sort of emblematic of what I thought of as a popcorn MMO: the crunchy snack of the genre. Delicious, but not super filling. But sometimes that’s what you need!
For this week’s Massively Overthinking, I’m asking our writers and readers what they think are the great popcorn games of the MMORPG genre – and whether they have a different definition to offer up. Do we mind the presence of popcorn MMOs? Are there some that would be more fun if we treated them that way? Or is the whole concept an insult?
Brianna Royce (@nbrianna.bsky.social, blog): Weirdly, I don’t personally enjoy playing MMOs this way, now that I think of it. I’m usually looking for MMOs to really dig their claws into me. But that’s more because I bore easily, and I want to be obsessed so that I don’t wash out. Same with TV and books; I want to be obsessed. So I tend to keep my “popcorn” entertainment to things like YouTube video and blog posts.
Still, I think I’d put a bunch of MMOs into this category: Star Wars The Old Republic, Champions Online, Lost Ark. It’s not that they have no depth, mind you; it’s that they have a lot of scale – that they can optionally be played either hardcore or very… casually is not the word, but maybe nonchalantly? Effortlessly? Capriciously?
And frankly, I love MMOs with that flexibility because they adapt to whatever I need in the moment or season. The more the merrier. Even Guild Wars 2, which I am currently playing obsessively and in great depth (contrary to Tyler’s take below :P), offers a total popcorn mode if you just play the main storyline and ignore everything else, which is a totally viable way to go about it. I’m glad it has that option! I just don’t think every MMORPG needs to cater only to the kind of person who spreadsheets everything (i.e., me).
Also I miss Marvel Heroes so much. Sigh.
Chris Neal (@wolfyseyes.bsky.social, blog):Â No, “popcorn MMO” seems like a pretty cut and dried definition to me, and I see no need to change it. It’s perfect!
Honestly, variety is the spice of life and not every MMO has to be a meal (to overextend the analogy). So I have no problem with there being popcorn MMOs. It’s nice to have these little side games to bop around in once in a while!
But then I’m often a game tourist in a few different titles, so I’m probably a bit biased. At the same time, I do recognize that having a game world to live in on a more regular basis is important to even as I’m enjoying some snack games now and again.
Justin Olivetti (@Sypster, blog): It’s a good and not very derogatory term, so I’m cool with it. And yes, sometimes you simply need a shallow, visceral gaming experience at the end of a long day. It’s great to have an MMO or MMO activity in which you can zone out and relax, kind of like popping bubble wrap. ARPGs are perfect for this, as are superhero MMOs (hello, City of Heroes!), grindy farms (hello, WoW Classic and OSRS!) , and pretty much any MMO that overly holds your hand and shows you where to go and what to do next (which is exactly what Neverwinter does).
Sam Kash (@samkash@mastodon.social): Probably most MMOs, even the most popular ones, could qualify as popcorn MMOs if you choose to play them that way. At least most of the ones I’ve spent much time in. Sure, you’re likely doing yourself a disservice in a lot of ways, but there’s nothing wrong with playing a game super casually if that’s your way.
But I’d say the definition is pretty solid. I’m not sure I’d really change much about it.
Now, the one exception, probably, to the idea that anything can be popcorn is a subscription. I think if it were paying a sub, I’d feel pretty bad to log in just occasionally. So I’d strike WoW and FFXIV, but most of the others are buy-to-play or free, so I think they’re open for it.
Tyler Edwards (blog):Â Possibly a mildly controversial take, but I think Guild Wars 2 would fit this definition, at least for me. It’s very fun in small bursts, but over the long term the gameplay gets very repetitive. The world events and hearts and such all start feeling the same. The story’s never really been worth getting invested in either, in my view, which makes the whole experience start to feel feel terribly empty after a while.
It’s a good game, but it doesn’t have the depth to be the kind of virtual world in which I’d want to set down roots.
Every week, join the Massively OP staff for Massively Overthinking column, a multi-writer roundtable in which we discuss the MMO industry topics du jour – and then invite you to join the fray in the comments. Overthinking it is literally the whole point. Your turn!
