MMORPG is a genre of videogames that has transcended through time and has also helped to define the current scheme that massively multiplayer online videogames have.
The MMORPG achieved great success for several well justified reasons, and one of them is undoubtedly the large number of elements that characterize this genre of videogames, such as: their settings, gameplay, combat system, Jobs or classes, among many others. It is also worth mentioning the businesses formed around games of this genre, whether inside or outside their virtual worlds, such as Final Fantasy XIV, which inspired the emergence of various websites where players can buy FFXIV Gil with real money. Other games of the franchise didn’t stay far behind and currencies such as FFXI Gil are easily obtainable as well.
But, the features of MMORPGs have turned out to be a bit repetitive nowadays, so it’s normal to find a lot of MMORPGs that share almost the same elements and environments, as if they were the same game. For that reason, it’s very important that MMORPG developers start to innovate with new ideas for the themes and environments of their worlds.
In short, below is a brief list with the most wasted settings in MMORPG videogames, or that have not been taken into account for some reason.
World based on historical events
There have been a lot of very interesting periods of time in the course of human history, but even so, it is quite rare that there are not many MMOs who take advantage of the possibilities of this setting. There are a great number of medieval videogames, but they almost always follow the generic template of the kingdom with knights and kings, without giving them any real depth.
It would be quite interesting to find MMORPG set in historical times, such as feudal Japan, or the Wild West. However, more videogames are needed to explore the rich history of the human race, which is full of conflict, innovation and glory.
Apocalyptic World
Apocalyptic worlds (unlike their post-apocalyptic counterpart), are a very little used theme in videogames in general. There are a lot of games that take place in a post-apocalyptic future, but not many take place during the apocalypse. The most common example of an apocalyptic world are scenarios based on a “zombie apocalypse,” where humanity still has the opportunity to save itself and its planet from a plague of undead, but there are many other types of plots that can take advantage of this setting.
World of Science Fiction
Unlike what is normally believed, science fiction videogames are quite rare. True science fiction is one that tries to simulate real science as much as possible. Laser guns and extraterrestrials are not enough, science fiction must try to create a technological world where the player can believe in the possibility that the science of the game can really exist in the future. Most MMORPGs with a science fiction setting are actually more inclined to “scientific fantasy,” in other words, fantasy stories in a high-tech environment. True science fiction is actually quite complicated, and that may be the main reason why developer companies prefer a more fantasy approach, as it offers more freedom and ease of creation.
There are many other environments that have not been well exploited in the MMORPG genre and that many fans of MMORPG hope to find sometime, even so, it should be borne in mind that many of these ideas are extremely risky, so it is normal that the developer companies opt for the safest option and offer more creative freedom.
