[MUD-Dev2] [Design] Dinosaurs evolve to chickens, MMOs evolve to massively single-player games

[Mike Sellers]

Mike Rozak wrote: 
> But my point is that MMOs have a new USP to add: Players not 
> only don't have to buy the game from a store, they DON'T have 
> to download the entire game before they start playing. And, 
> all game updates (to content and code) are automagically 
> installed.)And, to top it off, players DON'T even have to pay 
> for the game.

All of those are operative in browser-based games, some of which are MMOs or
their descendants (mammals, not chickens).  These games are phenomenally
successful -- and have development budgets that are 5-10% (or less!) of a
"typical" MMO these days.

Regarding single/multi-play, there's a new(ish) twist: asynchronous
multiplayer.  We play "together" but that may mean a lot of different things
-- we're on the same team, we contribute toward the same goal, etc., even if
we're never see each other in the game.  This makes for a much more flexible
usage model, one that fits much better with the "I have 20 minutes for a
game but still want to feel connected to my friends."  And it works because
people talk about the game outside of the game, because they're already
friends.  

> ...
> Most people on this mailing list think that single-player 
> games are missing the social aspect of gaming, which is why 
> people on this list are attracted to MMOs in the first place. 
> This is a self-selecting community. 

This is a self-selecting community, but that doesn't mean we're necessarily
off the mark in looking at what works and how people react to different
kinds of games.  The biggest shift I've seen in social games online is that
now people are playing more to play "with" their friends (even if they're
not on at the same time) than to be in the world and hope to have a social
experience.  It's embedding the game in the social context rather than the
other way around.  That may seem like a small thing, but IMO it's a complete
turn-around from how MMOs have been designed and played thus far. 

> To repeat: More people like rap than mozart... Most people 
> play games alone (they like rap). Most have tried MMOs 
> briefly, but returned to single-player games for various 
> reasons (like griefing, inability to change the world, not 
> enought time to keep up with friends, etc.).

Most have tried MMOs?  Not really.  Relative to the number of people who
play casual games, social games, and other "light" games online, few have
tried MMOs.  There's all kinds of theories for why more haven't tried them
and why many of those who did left them behind, but I don't think we can
specify particular reasons for sure.  

> The convenience of "not having to download or pay for the 
> game to play it" is a very big draw. 

Completely agreed.

> This may attract a lot of single-player 
> gamers into MMOs like FreeRealms. 

Possibly.  It's sure drawn many millions (far more than play WoW) into games
on the web and social networks.  

Mike Sellers