On the surface, gamers have a lot of choices to make when deciding which one of the many mmo games on the market today that they want to play. However, when one looks a bit deeper, that choice becomes somewhat of an illusion. The truth is that the vast majority of online games are fantasy in nature. Fantasy mmos have dominated online gaming since its inception, and it looks like that domination shows no signs of abating. Will this always be true? Will fantasy mmos always dominate?
There are several genres found in mmo games, such as fantasy, sci-fi, horror, superhero, and real world action. There are a number of popular sci-fi mmo games that players enjoy, but their popularity is totally eclipsed by fantasy tittles. Horror has just a few examples, as does superhero games. Real world action has surged a bit recently with the increased popularity of games like World of Tanks and other shooters. Still, fantasy mmorpgs rule supreme.
Even when the number of online gamers was much smaller, fantasy mmos ruled the roost. Early titles like Ultima Online and EverQuest had huge market shares. As the popularity of online gaming exploded, World of Warcraft appeared on the scene and became not only the standard bearer for mmo gaming, but also the gateway for non-gamers to enter the online gaming world. While WoW has dropped in popularity, that does not mean that fantasy mmos have declined. Just look at some of the big moba games that are leading the charge now. League of Legends is the number one game in the world, and it’s a fantasy-based game. The same is true for Dota 2 and SMITE.
So why is fantasy so dominant in the world of mmo games? There are several reasons for this. The first is that every person is exposed to fantasy at an early age, and this exposure continues as we get an education. The myths and legends that permeate our culture are a form of fantasy. Reading about the labors of Hercules and the squabbles between the various gods (Greek, Roman, or Viking) are part of a solid education, but it also makes us quite receptive to such fantastical concepts. Players who battle one another in SMITE do so in the guise of a powerful god from antiquity.
Another factor in the dominance of fantasy mmorpg games is the sheer domination of fantasy in literature. It is true that sci-fi has the stronger hand at the movies (Star Wars and Star Trek), but just look at the amazing volume of fantasy books that gamers and geeks devour every year. Every person at least knows about The Lord of the Rings books by J.R.R. Tolkien. Then there are other classics like Conan the Barbarian and The Sword of Shannara series. Of course, one cannot forget about the Harry Potter books, which are as fantastical as they come. This fact that fantasy rules the book store has also carried over to pen-and-paper roleplaying games. Many of the current mmo developers got their first taste of gaming by sitting around and playing Dungeons and Dragons. The biggest pen-and-paper rpgs were fantasy-based, and tabletop games have had a huge impact upon online games. Heck, even a card game like Magic: The Gathering is fantasy-based.
Lastly, the basic nature of fantasy lends itself to domination in the online arena. Fantasy is all about possibility and wonder, and fantasy does not have to adhere to logic or scientific fact. In a fantasy mmo like TERA, one does not wonder about the rationale on how the undead come to be functional in the game’s setting. The reason why the undead are prowling a graveyard looking for victims is because they’ve been animated by magic. The effect of elves being immortal in Lord of the Rings Online has no impact upon the in-game ecosystem. Wouldn’t a race of immortal beings eventually overwhelm the resources of a land? Could a person from a mortal race (men) actually understand the thought process of one who lives for eons? Who cares! As gamers and lovers of fantasy, all we care about is that elves are damn cool.
Overall, I think that fantasy mmo games will continue to dominate for a long time to come. We’ve been steeped in fantasy our entire lives, whether it was reading Beowulf in school or having our parents read us Mother Goose or Grimm’s Fairy Tales. Literature and tabletop gaming are heavily dominated by fantasy, and those pastimes have massively influenced online gaming and us gamers. Lastly, fantasy translates incredibly well into an online setting. As fantasy encompasses magic and possibility, the potential for fantasy-based gaming worlds is almost endless. The key aspect of most fantasy is that of the mighty hero who stands alone against the darkness. It is the fact that fantasy allows us to become a powerful and heroic individual is another primary reason why fantasy mmos dominate now and will continue to do so.