2. Cost: The MMO takes paying for your games in a completely different direction than has been done by any genre before. Originally you just bought the game and that was all you ever had to pay. With an MMO it’s understandably different; in addition to the initial costs of developing and distributing the game, you have to maintain the servers that run the game, programmers to fix any bugs or errors, customer service representatives and more designers to create new content to keep things fresh for existing customers. Of course, the cost gets transferred to the players who must pay monthly subscription prices as well as the cost of an internet connection fast enough to minimize lag. One of the biggest barriers I can see to sustaining MMOs on consoles is the inevitable upgrade. Few MMOs have maintained a sufficient level of popularity for long enough to make any sort of graphical upgrade a likelihood, but World of Warcraft will likely receive a facelift of some sort eventually. I don’t imagine that logistically it would be possible to have two different versions of the same game software running simultaneously, meaning you’ll have to either upgrade or quit. For many upgrading to a new console isn’t a big issue since you have to in order to play the new games, but for someone who mostly plays the MMO in question, the thought of dropping another $300-500 in addition to the internet fees and subscription costs might be enough to make them give up altogether.
1. Commitment: Let’s face it; people have probably logged more collective time playing MMOs than any other genre of game on the planet. If you’ve ever played one for any length of time, you can understand why. It takes a significant amount of time to advance in levels, gather better equipment and hone crafting skills. In some single player games you can focus more on exploring every corner of the map, completing every side quest and collecting every item without ever touching the main story, or you can simply railroad yourself through the story and move on to the next title immediately. MMOs have no finale, no end game, no real objective beyond playing them and improving your character. For many (myself included) coming to the completion of a good story is one of the best parts of playing a game. I don’t mind investing 40+ hours in a well-crafted tale of intrigue and adventure whose landscape is dotted with fleshed out characters and situations, but playing a game whose purpose is self-sustaining gets boring quickly. MMOs are without a doubt one of the biggest and least rewarding (to the general populace) commitments you can enter into. For many, the thought of essentially taking on a second job playing as an elven wizard isn’t terribly appealing.
