Summary of The History of MMOs (and where it all went wrong)

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The video traces the history of massively multiplayer online games (MMOs) from their origins in the 1970s to the present day, discussing the evolution of the genre over time. The video highlights the importance of text-based games and mods that predated video games like Pong in the early days of MMO development, including the creation of the first mud in 1978. It also discusses the challenges faced by early iterations of MMOs, such as player killing, lack of internet accessibility, and high cost, which were addressed by games like Ultima Online and Neverwinter Nights, which respectively introduced online RPGs and graphics. The development of MMOs over the years is highlighted, and the focus on group-based cooperation, punishment for death, and player accessibility is discussed in detail in relation to games like Runescape, Dark Age of Camelot, and World of Warcraft. The video also discusses the impact of MMOs on the gaming community, including their role in normalizing online gaming and the importance of social aspects of the genre.

00:00:00 In this section of the video, the speaker discusses the history of massively multiplayer online games (mmos) and its evolution over time. The origin of mmos is traced back to the 1970s, where early mainframe and mini-computers were used to create programs for entertainment purposes, leading to the first video game, Pong. The speaker highlights the significance of this moment as it marks the beginning of the mmo genre.
00:05:00 In this section of "The History of MMOs (and where it all went wrong)", the speaker discusses the origins of massively multiplayer online games (MMOs), specifically the text-based games that predated video games like Pong in the 1970s. These games were popular because of their cool names like Adventure Dungeon and Zorg and the immersive experiences they offered. The speaker uses an analogy comparing the experience of exploring a dungeon in a video game to exploring a dungeon with friends. However, multi-user dungeon-based games, or "mods", were the precursors to modern MMOs. The first mud, called MUD 1, was created in 1978, and its lineage can still be seen in MMOs today with concepts like party-based gameplay, loot Raiding, and the holy trinity all appearing in games like Dungeons & Dragons. The speaker notes that many MMO developers got their start as mud developers, and that muds had a limited reach during this time as they were only available to students or professors on university networks. Despite these limitations, the allure of playing with other real-life people in an online virtual world was so strong that people were willing to make it happen, leading to the dream of MMOs becoming a reality.
00:10:00 In this section of the video, the speaker discusses the history of MMOs (massively multiplayer online games) and the challenges faced in the early stages of development. He starts by emphasizing that while MMOs today offer a wide range of features and immersive experiences, their early iterations faced significant hurdles. The speaker then moves on to discussing the first online RPG with graphics, which was 1991's Neverwinter Nights. Neverwinter Nights was designed to incorporate online multiplayer aspects into the gold box D&D formula, allowing players to join the same party and act independently in combat. The game's concept was impressive for its time, but it was still limited by the shortcomings of the technology, the lack of internet accessibility, and the high cost of the game. Despite these challenges, however, Neverwinter Nights managed to attract a large player base of over 100,000 people and is considered the first graphical MMO RPG.
00:15:00 In this section of the video, the host discusses the history of MMOs, specifically focusing on notable titles such as Ultima Online. Ultima Online, released in 1997, was an offshoot of the long-running and important Ultima series. It was the first of these games to truly take the gaming world by storm and coin the term MMORPG. Ultima Online was designed as a virtual world first and a game second, with a focus on player-driven experiences. The game didn't come with clearly defined pre-packaged goals for all players to follow and instead was about making your own objectives. Ultima Online was a truly open-ended experience that allowed players to live within the virtual world and choose what they wanted to do. However, the game did come with a downside in the form of player killing, which created a complicated red vs blue dynamic of outlaws and innocent rule-abiding citizens. Despite this, the opportunities for player creativity proved endless.
00:20:00 In this section of the video, the narrator discusses the early history of massively multiplayer online (MMO) games, specifically focusing on Ultima Online. The video highlights the success of Ultima Online despite various challenges and issues, such as player killing, lack of credit cards, and technical difficulties. The video also explains how the game's world was split into multiple identically copy servers in order to accommodate the large player base, which proved to be a significant decision in the development of future MMOs.
00:25:00 In this section of the video, it is discussed why Mac's Notes app may not be the most reliable way to take notes on a Mac. The author argues that the Notes app may not save changes in real-time and may have syncing issues. Additionally, there may be issues with formatting or organizing notes. The author suggests using Apple's Pages or Microsoft Word instead, as they offer more advanced formatting options and are more reliable when saving changes.
00:30:00 In this section of the video, the history of massively multiplayer online games (MMOs) is discussed. The video highlights the harsh death penalty systems and challenging gameplay mechanics that were common in early MMOs like EverQuest. These systems encouraged cooperation among players and made them grateful for help from others. The concept of working together was also incorporated into EverQuest's class design, which featured specialized roles like tanks, healers, and damage dealers, as well as other roles like buffers, crowd controllers, and pullers. The game also popularized raiding, a challenging group-based activity where different roles became necessary to kill enemy bosses and collect loot.
00:35:00 In this section of the video, the host discusses the history of MMOs and how EverQuest's hardest encounters became a serious challenge for players. He also highlights how raiding was all about working with others and how it set the stage for other MMOs to follow. Additionally, the host explains how EverQuest's DNA was shared with Dungeons & Dragons and that it ultimately became one of the most popular Western MMOs, featuring a vast size, in-game world, and player-based factions. The host also talks about how player killing led to heavy focus on in-game world and sustaining factions.
00:40:00 In this section, the history of MMOs is discussed, starting with the co-creators blessing with the Wachowski siblings, who believed that players would inherit the original storyline. The Matrix Online, launched in 2005, had a unique method of storytelling that was admirable, albeit its problems, which include an increase in servers when these interactive story events occur. Live interactive story events are almost unheard of as time progressed, and the focus on grinding became synonymous with Korean-themed MMOs. Lineage, the Korean-themed MMO, exploded into the market in 1998 and continues to bring in billions of dollars in revenue to this day. Star Online, the first console MMO, was released on the Dreamcast and quickly found a dedicated audience in Japan. Fantasy Star Online, despite its limitations due to console limitations, had a focus on accessibility and social aspects and was the first ever MMO to do so. Other Japanese MMOs, including Final Fantasy 11, further expanded the social aspects of the genre.
00:45:00 In this section of the video, the history of MMOs is discussed, focusing on the evolution of group-based cooperation, punishment for death, and player accessibility. The development of MMOs such as Final Fantasy 11, Runescape, and Dark Age of Camelot are highlighted, emphasizing their unique features and impact on the gaming community. Games like Runescape provided a free-to-play, player-driven design that enabled players to level up skills and complete quests without significant barriers to entry, thus allowing people to step into virtual worlds for the first time. Other games, like Dark Age of Camelot, introduced a new focus on competitive play (PvP) and used an entire game built around the idea, offering players the chance to kill each other for glory and rewards.
00:50:00 In this section, the excerpt discusses the pinnacle of large-scale player-vs-player gameplay in the MMORPG genre, specifically in the game "Dark Age of Camelot". The game's focus on group combat, where players fought not only for rewards but for pride and glory for their guilds and realms, led to a sense of community and bonding among players. The game was successful in despite its relatively modest budget, and it achieved the second highest subscriber count of any MMO in the West, surpassed only by EverQuest. Additionally, the MMO genre continued to grow in the early 2000s, with new settings and styles of games such as Anarchy Online, Ragnarok Online, EVE Online, and Star Wars Galaxies. However, many players found that the core activities in these games were repetitive and unfulfilling, with combat being a particular disappointment, leading to a perception that MMOs tended to be tedious. Despite this, the mmo dream of creating real virtual worlds was still alive within the genre, and many players found joy in participating in massive player-driven story events, creating huge alliances, and even conquer land in wars. Additionally, the concept of online games as a whole was still novel during this time, leading players to find novelty in even the most familiar experiences.
00:55:00 In this section, the video discusses the importance of massively multiplayer online games (MMOs) and their role in normalizing online gaming. The video highlights Halo 2, which was released in late 2004 and allowed players to play together over Xbox Live, as a revolutionary moment for gaming consoles. However, the video argues that Halo 2's multiplayer was not an entire virtual world for players to live in, and that MMOs predated social media. The early to mid-2000s were a golden age for MMOs, with new titles and growth in both the number of games available and the total number of subscribers playing. The video also mentions World of Warcraft as a critically important game, with a massive impact on each individual player. The video includes graphs showing the historical data of past MMO subscription numbers, showing World of Warcraft's dominance.

01:00:00 - 02:00:00

The YouTube video titled "The History of MMOs (and where it all went wrong)" explores the rise and fall of the massively multiplayer online games (MMOs) genre. The video focuses on the success of World of Warcraft (WoW) and how it helped to popularize the genre, as well as its impact on player perceptions of MMO players and the negative stereotypes that emerged. Additionally, the video delves into the positive and negative aspects of the progression and social elements inherent in MMOs, as well as some of the flaws in game design and the consequences of these flaws. Ultimately, the video argues that the decline of the MMO genre in the years following WoW's launch was largely due to factors such as the oversaturation of the market, the failure of game developers to create compelling experiences, and the unstable servers and bugs that plagued many MMOs.

01:00:00 In this section of the YouTube video, the speaker discusses the success of World of Warcraft (WoW) and how it brought massively multiplayer online games (MMOs) into the broader public consciousness. WoW, which was launched in 2004, had around 800,000 active subscribers at its peak, and was a significant competitor to other MMOs like Warhammer Online. Although WoW only managed to keep its peak subscriber numbers for a month before being shut down in 2013, its impact on the genre is still felt today. The speaker argues that WoW's success was due to several factors, including its fun gameplay, accessibility, and the fact that it was marketed to Blizzard's existing audience of passionate MMO players. The speaker also discusses how WoW helped to cement negative stereotypes of MMO players as addicted losers, which brought a negative reputation to the genre.
01:05:00 In this section, the speaker discusses the appeal of World of Warcraft and how it combined elements of older MMOS with higher quality production values to create a unique gaming experience. They explain that one of the key features of MMOS is progression, which creates a sense of accomplishment and meaning in the long term. The speaker also discusses the social elements inherent in MMOS, such as player housing and conflicts between factions. Overall, the speaker argues that the combination of progression and social elements is what sets MMOS apart from other games.
01:10:00 In this section, the speaker discusses the history of massively multiplayer online games (MMORPGs) and how they have evolved. They argue that while progression has become easier and more accessible over time, it can also be addictive and ultimately lead to unhealthy behavior. The speaker uses World of Warcraft as an example to illustrate how long it took for players to level up in the original version, pointing out that the average player was not efficient enough and often struggled to learn the game's mechanics. They then go on to describe some of the challenges and mistakes that players made when first playing MMOs, such as playing the game without adequate knowledge of mechanics and taking hours to figure out basic concepts.
01:15:00 In this section of the video, the narrator discusses the progression system in MMOs. They explain that as players progress, their knowledge of the game and their list of achievements grow. The narrator emphasizes the importance of grouping up with other players and taking on challenging foes, which eventually led to raids. However, raids were not easily accessible to most players, and many did not get to experience them. The narrator argues that progression in MMOs was not just about reaching a max level, but about challenging oneself and becoming part of the myth and legend.
01:20:00 In this section, the speaker discusses the world of MMOs, specifically World of Warcraft. They argue that the ultimate goal of the game is not necessarily the eventual raids or defeat of bosses, but rather the journey of self-improvement and learning that takes place along the way. The speaker compares the game to climbing a mountain, where progress may seem slow and difficult at times, but the sense of accomplishment and personal fulfillment can make it all worth it. They ultimately argue that the value of MMOs lies in the way they provide an escape from reality and allow individuals to create their own challenges and find fulfillment in the things they enjoy.
01:25:00 In this section of the video, the speaker discusses his personal experience and ambitions surrounding MMOs. He argues that while MMOs are a great genre, they can also be detrimental, leading some people to prioritize money and status over enjoying their lives. The speaker enjoys playing MMOs and fondly remembers his happiest memories from his time playing them. However, the speaker also acknowledges that the golden age of MMOs may not be truly recognized as historical, and that it is possible that the end of World of Warcraft's second expansion, Wrath of the Lich King, may represent the peak of the genre in terms of player numbers and achievement. Finally, the speaker discusses the efforts Blizzard made to modernize the game and make it more accessible, leading to a new age for the genre.
01:30:00 In this section of the video, the speaker discusses the flaws of MMORPG game design. He believes that the community's hunger for new content and challenges leads to the game becoming a swarm locust-like behavior, consuming whatever resources are available until there is nothing left. The player base only exhibits this behavior once they have exhausted all options in the game. It seems that the game designs and community-based knowledge sharing, such as internet guides, YouTube videos, and add-ons, have allowed this behavior to surface. It is uncertain if the game designers are to blame, or if it is inherent in the nature of the game. Either way, it results in players rushing to maximize their characters, optimize their rotations, and be as competitive as possible. The next expansion, new gear, and new challenging content only add to this behavior and thirst for progress.
01:35:00 In this section, the speaker discusses the changes that occurred in the MMO community following the release of World of Warcraft. These changes led to an era of hype and hope, as players eagerly awaited new big-budget titles to replace the success of World of Warcraft. This created a culture of over-ambition, where what was promised was more important than delivery. Some games even employed a tactic of denigrating World of Warcraft in order to draw attention to their own claim to success, yet failed to deliver on this promise. Despite early hype and excitement, many of these big-budget titles were unable to surpass the success of World of Warcraft and the MMO genre has been struggling ever since.
01:40:00 In this section of the video, the hype surrounding MMORPGs in the late 2000s is discusses. The first contender in this race was Lord of the Rings Online. Released in 2007, it was praised for its faithfulness to the source material but failed to gain traction due to its poor timing. The same could be said for Age of Conan, which also failed to see long-term success despite its initial hype and positive reviews. Warhammer Online also struggled to gain a following, while the Korean adventure game AION had mixed results in the West. Lastly, Final Fantasy XIV had a disastrous launch and was relaunched as Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn. MMORPGs were not able to kill World of Warcraft as some had hoped, with the game still remaining popular even after a decline in subscription numbers.
01:45:00 In this section of the video titled "The History of MMOs (and where it all went wrong)", the speaker discusses two of the most promising World of Warcraft killers of all time: Star Wars: The Old Republic and Guild Wars 2. Star Wars: The Old Republic, developed by BioWare, promised to raise the bar for MMO storytelling with full voice acting for every single quest and more story content than any other Bioware game combined, but the game's generic quest objectives, noticeable animation delay, and lack of content at launch made it seem less than the competition. Guild Wars 2, a sequel to ArenaNet's 2005 MMO Guild Wars, set itself apart from the competition with its more action-focused gameplay, lack of a subscription fee, and focus on map completion and dynamic events, but players quickly reached max level and easily acquired a full set of max-level gear, leaving them with nothing left to do.
01:50:00 In this section of the video, the speaker discusses the decline of the massively multiplayer online (MMO) genre in the years following World of Warcraft (WoW). They note that while many games tried to emulate WoW's success, few were able to do so. They cite the example of Guild Wars 2, which included both raiding and gear progression, but in a more restrained way. Despite its initial success, Guild Wars 2 did not live up to the hype and failed to become the next big thing in the genre. The speaker also discusses the issue of unstable servers and frequent bugs that plagued many MMOs during their launches, which made it difficult for them to retain players. Finally, they note that the constant influx of new titles and expansions made it hard for MMOs to establish long-term player bases.
01:55:00 In this section, the YouTuber discusses the development of mmorpgs (massively multiplayer online role-playing games), particularly in the era of World of Warcraft (WoW). While newer mmorpgs offered improved graphics, presentations, and player experiences, they also faced high development costs, resulting in smaller game worlds and less content. In comparison to WoW's 40 zones, newer games such as Lord of the Rings Online, Rift, and The Old Republic had significantly less content. The failure of these games to compete with WoW, combined with increasing player dissatisfaction, led to a death spiral for mmorpgs. As the game's player base declined, future content development diminished, leading to a vicious cycle of declining players and revenue. This period also marked the end of the era of mmorpgs, as new games failed to materialize, leaving players with limited options. Despite the failure of these games, the era was not entirely bad, as there were still plenty of games to play, and players could hope for new experiences.

02:00:00 - 02:40:00

In this section of the video titled "The History of MMOs (and where it all went wrong)," the speaker discusses the decline of MMOs in the gaming industry, the evolution of monetization methods in World of Warcraft, the low value placed on achievements in MMOs, the failure of Kickstarter MMOs and the rise of unofficial private servers, the nostalgia for the past in MMOs, and the current state of the genre with games like New World and Ash of Creation. The speaker acknowledges the challenges and criticisms faced by MMOs but believes there is still potential for the genre to thrive with the right solutions.

02:00:00 In this section of the video, the host discusses the decline of MMOs in the gaming industry over the past few years. He notes the gap between the initial launch of "Scrolls" in 2014 and the release of "New World" in 2021, which highlights the decreased popularity of the genre. He also discusses how other genres, such as League of Legends and survival games like DayZ and Rust, have offered similar experiences in a more accessible and affordable way, which has further diminished the appeal of MMOs. Additionally, the host notes the changing expectations of gamers regarding social design and the focus on monetization in MMOs, which have led to a decline in the genre's appeal and profitability.
02:05:00 In this section of the video, the speaker discusses the evolution of monetization methods in MMOs, specifically in World of Warcraft (WoW). The game has a long history of introducing paid services and cash store items, starting with server transfers in 2006, which allowed players to play with friends across different realms. Later, this was followed by the optional purchase of cosmetics, such as mounts and pets, as well as name changes, race, and faction changes. These options were controversial, with some players arguing that they allowed for an unfair advantage, which led to the introduction of the Celestial Steed, the first ever purchasable mount in 2010. This, however, has become a standard feature of modern MMOs, and the speaker notes the irony that when these features were first introduced, there was a lot of community pushback. Despite this, players have come to love and be comfortable with them, and they have become a normal part of the game. WOW also introduced an in-game store, where players can easily purchase these items, followed by a 60-level boost in 2014, which instantly raises any player character to the start of the latest expansion. In 2015, the game introduced the Wow Token, which players can exchange for gold within the game, allowing them to buy other in-game items and services. This has also become a standard feature of modern MMOs, and the speaker notes that the intrusion of real money into the game economy has led to an issue with players profiting from the business of others.
02:10:00 In this section, the video discusses the issue of the low value placed on achievements in MMOs, specifically in World of Warcraft. The China Burning has lessened the sense of achievement in the game, as jumping on bandwagon farms has become a common strategy for less than one hour of work that yields up to 300,000 gold. The low cost of the token that provides bonuses in the game has led to this issue. Despite the disappointing results for traditional MMOs, there was a rise of optimism in the genre in the 2010s. The emergence of indie gaming and digital distribution allowed for new life to be breathed into the genre. However, MMOs do not align well with the indie lifestyle as they rely on large player populations and continuous content. The video also discusses the potential positive impact of crowdfunding on the gaming industry, but the video argues that MMOs were the victims of this trend and failed under that system.
02:15:00 In this section of "The History of MMOs (and where it all went wrong)", the speaker discusses the problems that have occurred with the development and implementation of massively multiplayer online (MMO) games. Specifically, he mentions the failure of several MMOs that were kick-started through crowdfunding campaigns, such as Camelot Unchained, City of Titans, and Star Citizen, to meet their estimated release dates and to gain widespread popularity. He also talks about the difficulties that occur when developing and launching an MMO, including the importance of both a good game and effective marketing. Ultimately, he suggests that successful MMO development requires a combination of good design, effective marketing, and a dedicated fanbase to drive interest in the game.
02:20:00 In this section, the speaker discusses the failure of "Chronicles of Illyria," an MMORPG that was Kickstarted in 2016 with an estimated delivery date of 2017 but was cancelled in 2020. The game raised eight million dollars from players, but according to the developer, all of the funds had been spent and refunds were not possible due to the lack of money. The speaker also notes that this is not the only example of a failed Kickstarter MMO, and many other projects have faced similar difficulties. The speaker attributes these failures to the high costs and ambitious goals of MMOs, as well as the inaccurate promises made during the Kickstarter campaign. The era also saw high-profile cancellations of other upcoming MMOs, such as "EverQuest Next," "World of Darkness," "Project Copenhagen," and "Project Titan." As a result, many MMO fans turned to unofficial private servers running different versions of popular games, such as "Nostalrius," which accurately preserves past versions of popular games.
02:25:00 In this section, the speaker discusses the private World of Warcraft server Nostalrius, which offered a patch 1.12 version of the original pre-expansions World of Warcraft. Nostalrius launched in early 2015 and became hugely popular with a subset of the World of Warcraft community. However, Blizzard issued a cease and desist letter for copyright violation, leading to the closure of Nostalrius about a year later. This brought widespread opposition from YouTubers, Twitch streamers, gaming outlets, and even one of the original World of Warcraft designers. The speaker then goes on to discuss other MMOs, such as EverQuest's first official progression server and Runescape's version of Old School Runescape. These games were successful and received continual development, with Runescape maintaining a larger player base than the newer version to this day. This led to Blizzard announcing their own version of a WoW vanilla experience with World of Warcraft Classic, which released in 2019 and allowed players to relive or experience World of Warcraft's glory days for the first time. However, the speaker raises questions about the direction the genre has taken and the prejudice towards the past. Many fans believed that MMOs were better in the past, and that many of the changes that were meant to improve these games had actually made them worse. This was encapsulated by a response from Blizzard's future president in a Q&A session at BlizzCon 2014, where he said that introducing legacy servers would not be a good idea. The speaker also mentions the concept of "nostalgia goggles," where players only remember the good things about the past and forget about the challenges and difficulties. The launch of World of Warcraft Classic confirmed that this was the case, as the game itself was largely unchanged, but the player base had become more accustomed to solving problems and playing effectively. Overall, the speaker suggests that while the past may be gone, the lessons learned from it can still be used to improve the genre today.
02:30:00 In this section of the video, the topic shifts from the history of MMOs, specifically World of Warcraft, to the current state of the genre. World of Warcraft is highlighted as a game that was brutally challenging but is now cleared easily. The videomaker notes that World of Warcraft's success was undoubtedly due to the fact that players rushed to conquer all the available content. The description of the game as the "rebirth of the MMORPG genre" also sets the stage for the next topic of conversation: Ash of Creation. This game is highlighted as the current contender for the "next big thing" in MMOs, despite its delays, disappointments, and crowdfunding. The videomaker acknowledges that discussing MMOs includes smaller stories of success, such as Runescape, Guild Wars 2, Final Fantasy XIV, Elder Scrolls Online, Black Desert Online, and even Lost Ark.
02:35:00 In this section, the video discusses the recent release of Amazon Games' New World, which brought in over 900,000 concurrent players at launch, despite mixed reception. The video argues that the success of New World marks the end of the MMO drought that started in 2016, and that despite the struggles of certain titles, the genre still has life in it. The video ends by summarizing its main points and emphasizing the importance of understanding the history and meaning behind the MMO genre. Overall, it suggests that the dream of stepping into a virtual shared reality has been a driving force behind the success and evolution of the genre.
02:40:00 In this section of the video, the speaker discusses the history of MMOs and their continued popularity despite criticism and declares of death. They argue that MMOs are the greatest genre in gaming but also the worst, leading to wasted time, repetition, and disappointment. The speaker acknowledges that the genre is facing existential dilemmas and there is a crisis over what these games should be and what went wrong. Despite this, the speaker claims to have the solution to saving the MMO genre once and for all. However, they do not have time to discuss it in this video, but plan to include it in future content.