An Accurate New Name for "MMORPGs"

If you're a gamer, you've heard and used this phrase countless times. Even when it first became widespread in its usage, jokes flew with its lack of brevity. You know the name... "MMORPG": "Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game".

That name has to be changed.

Why? Certainly some will agree it's a pain to say, but you can just call it an "MMO" instead, right? Unfortunately, that doesn't reach the crux of the matter... it's inaccurate. My first question to you is: Name one massively multiplayer game that is not online.

I'll wait while you rack your brain. Football isn't massively multiplayer. Golf isn't. Baseball? No. A marathon isn't a game. There is no game which exists offline that has thousands upon thousands of simultaneous players!

We've just started, and we've already found that part of the title isn't necessary!


First change to the genre name: The O's gotta go.

So, we've whittled "MMO" down to "MM". What about the "MM" portion of the title? What defines "Massively Multiplayer"? Thousands upon thousands of players all within the same game universe able to freely interact in game at the same time.

Some games that are often considered massively multiplayer fall short due to design and gameplay considerations. Let's examine Guild Wars. Great game! Fun times. A solid title to own for most gamers. Guild. Wars. Is. Not. Massively. Multiplayer.

What? Everyone says it's an MMO! That is nothing more than a case of people being stubborn when presented with overwhelming evidence to the contrary. The actual developers of Guild Wars have themselves proclaimed it not to be an "MMORPG", but instead call it a "CORPG": "Competitive Online Role Playing Game". I refer to it as an "OCG"- "Online Computer Game", like Diablo 2, for instance.

Still, when you are discussing a game with the proper design to allow simultaneous mass-gaming, "Massively Multiplayer", or "MM" works well enough to describe the genre.

What of the final part of the title: "RPG", for "Role Playing Game"?

Role playing can be defined in gaming purposes in two different ways- the act of role playing one's character, or in the design of the game mechanics.

If you log into World of Warcraft (or any other "RPG") on a "Role Playing" designated server you will find only a small portion of players are actually role playing their characters. The majority of players are simply playing the game, ignoring the basic ideas of role playing.

Considering the design standpoint, many of the latest genre offerings are moving away from role playing concepts- the market is saturated already. When every offering available is not of a role playing design, it's inaccurate to declare the entire genre to be "RPG".

Second change to the genre name: The RPG's gotta go.

So we've reduced the name to "MM", which is obviously missing something.

One of the most common discussions on all massively multiplayer message boards regards the cost, which ususally consists of the retail price and a monthly fee. If you're offering a massively multiplayer game for profit, you must have a monthly fee or other means of income (perhaps ads), or the project will lose money.

Why do products like Guild Wars work with no monthly fee? The design, functionality, infrastructure and operational expenses change all of the cost variables. This simplified system does not require the resources a true massively multiplayer game requires, and therefore can be sustained on expansion packs or advertising alone. Full massively multiplayer games are far more complex and require a full service.

Ah-ha! We've come to the final element we're seeking. These products are Gaming Services.

We now have a shorter, less awkward title than the original mouthful that is "MMORPG", but more importantly- something accurate.

An accurate title that should be used instead of "MMORPG" is "MMGS": "Massively Multiplayer Gaming Services".

I've done the hard part here- it's now up to the gamers out there to take the next step and be part of the cutting edge in using the new name to support our favorite MMGSs. After all, why continue to use a name that isn't accurate?