[MUD-Dev2] Bad Terminology: MMO, MMORPG vs. MUD

[Acius]

Adam Martin wrote:
> 2008/9/16 Michael Hartman <mlist at thresholdrpg.com>:
>> Jean, Yannick wrote:
>>> Why not just "MOG" - Multiplayer Online Game ?
>> The thing about POW is that the P and the W hit on the really key elements.
>> Persistence and World.
> 
> The thing about POW is that it isn't MMO.
> 
> Here are 21 million (approx) reasons why you're all wrong:
> 
> http://www.google.com/search?q=mmo
> 
> Sorry :(. Really, I am. If you're going to do a search/replace on
> every document and every webpage in existence, then ... awesome!
> 
> Otherwise, it's too late for you to change this terminology now.

*shrug* ... it changed from MUD, didn't it? And if a few dozen prominent 
locations use the POW term (gaming magazines, advertising, developer 
interviews, marketing departments...), then it becomes a valid alternative.

Names are far from static (Peking->Beijing? Constantinople->Istanbul?). 
Of course you're not going to wipe out the MMO* name, because it's 
well-entrenched. That's not the goal. The goal is to provide a 
palatable, attractive alternative, and make room for it in public 
discourse. The best time to be doing this sort of thing is when you're 
pushing an upgrade: "We don't consider Siege of Fish City to be an 
MMORPG. We are calling it a Persistent Online World, because of the USPs 
listed here on my boring PowerPoint slide."

-- Adam Helps