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MMORPGs, as we define them today, have existed since the early 1990s. However, they have a history that extends back into the late 1970s. Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Players interacting in Ultima Online. ...

The First Gameworlds

The beginning of the MMORPG genre can be traced back to text-based (entirely non-graphical) Multi-User Domains, or MUDs, the first of which was developed by Richard Bartle and Roy Trubshaw in 1978. These were gameworlds hosted on private servers (usually at a university, sometimes without the knowledge of the system's administrators) which players would connect to using a TELNET client. Gameplay was usually similar to tabletop RPGs such as Dungeons & Dragons; by typing commands into a parser, players would enter a dungeon, fight monsters, gain experience, and acquire loot. In computer gaming, a MUD (Multi-User Dungeon or Domain or Dimension) is a multi-player computer game that combines elements of role-playing games, hack and slash style computer games and social instant messaging chat rooms. ... Richard Allan Bartle (born January 10, 1960) is the co-author of MUD, one of the first multi-user dungeons. ... Microsoft TELNET client animation. ...

Similar games quickly developed around the same time for the PLATO System. MUDs (and later descendants such as MUSHes and MOOs) were sometimes wildly different from one another, but shared many basic interface elements - for example, a player would usually navigate his or her character around the gameworld by typing in compass directions ("n", "se", etc.) Plato ( Greek: Πλάτων, Plátōn) (c. ... Look up mush in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Look up moo in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

Many MUDs are still active to this day, and a number of influential MMORPG designers such as Raph Koster, Brad McQuaid, Mark Jacobs and Damion Schubert began as MUD developers and/or players. Raph Koster (born September 1971) is an MMORPG designer and currently the Chief Creative Officer at Sony Online Entertainment. ... Brad McQuaid is a computer game designer who was one of the original designers of EverQuest, making him a major name in the massively multiplayer online role_playing game (MMORPG) industry. ... Mark Jacobs is President and CEO of Mythic Entertainment, Inc. ...

Early Commercial Development

The first commercial MMORPG (although what constitutes "massive" requires some context when discussing mid-1980s mainframes) was Islands of Kesmai designed by Kelton Flinn and John Taylor. Still text-based, this game became available to consumers in 1984 at the cost of $12.00 per hour via the CompuServe online service. A 1990 Honeywell-Bull DPS 7 mainframe Mainframes (often colloquially referred to as big iron) are large and expensive computers used mainly by government institutions and large companies for mission critical applications, typically bulk data processing such as censuses, industry/consumer statistics, ERP, and financial transaction processing. ... Kelton Flinn is an American computer game designer best known for his work in online games. ... John Taylor is the name of: // Academic figures John Taylor (Oxford), Vice-Chancellor of Oxford University 1486-1487 John Taylor (poet) (1580-1654), English poet John Taylor (1704-1766), English classical scholar John Edward Taylor, English translator John Taylor (1781-1864), British Egypt scholar John G. Taylor, British neural-network... 1984 (MCMLXXXIV) was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... CompuServe, (in full, CompuServe Information Services, or CIS), was the first major commercial online service in the United States, dominating the field during the 1980s and remaining a major player through the mid-1990s when it was sidelined by the rise of GUI-based services such as America Online (AOL). ...

The first graphical character-based interactive environment, though not actually an RPG, was Club Caribe (first released as Habitat), which was introduced in 1988 by LucasArts for Q-Link customers on their Commodore 64 computers. Users could interact with one another, chat and exchange items. Although very simple, its use of online avatars (already well established off-line by Ultima and other games) and combining chat with graphics was revolutionary for the time. The term avatar for an on-screen player character may have originated at LucasArts as part of the Habitat project. Club Caribe was one of the first graphical online worlds. ... Habitat was an early and technologically influentual online role-playing game developed by Lucasfilm Games and made available as a beta test in 1987 by Quantum Link, an online service for the Commodore 64 computer and the corporate progenitor to America Online. ... LucasArts Entertainment Company is a video game developer and publisher. ... Quantum Link main menu Quantum Link (or Q-Link) was a U.S.online service for Commodore 64 and 128 personal computers that operated from November 5, 1985 to November 1, 1994. ... For the hip hop group, see Commodore 64 (band). ... The 10 avatars of Lord Vishnu In Hinduism, an avatar or avatara or avataram(Sanskrit अवतार), is the incarnation (bodily manifestation) of an Immortal Being, or of the Ultimate Supreme Being. ... Ultima is a series of fantasy computer role-playing games from Origin Systems, Inc. ... Chat may refer to a casual conversation an internet chat room or instant messaging system Internet relay chat, a particular chat room system Chat, a kind of bird Chat, the waste rocks produced in mining Le Chat, a Belgian comic strip Khat, a narcotic plant Chats, the way British soldiers...

Neverwinter Nights on AOL, the first graphical MMORPG.

The first graphical MMORPG was Neverwinter Nights by designer Don Daglow and programmer Cathryn Mataga, which went live on AOL for PC owners in 1991 and ran through 1997. The project was personally championed and green-lighted by AOL President Steve Case. Both Club Caribe and Neverwinter Nights cost $6.00 per hour to play. Image File history File links NeverwinterNightsAOL.gif Summary Screenshot of Neverwinter Nights, the AOL MMORPG. Licensing File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Image File history File links NeverwinterNightsAOL.gif Summary Screenshot of Neverwinter Nights, the AOL MMORPG. Licensing File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Neverwinter Nights is the first graphical Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game (MMORPG), which ran from 1991 to 1997 on AOL. It is the predecessor to BioWares 2002 game, Neverwinter Nights. ... Don Daglow (born ~1953) is an American computer game and video game designer, programmer and producer. ... Cathryn Mataga has been involved in the game industry since at least 1984 and is probably best known for programming the landmark game Neverwinter Nights. ... Diagram of a typical modern PC. A personal computer or PC is usually a microcomputer whose price, size, and capabilities make it suitable for personal usage. ... Steve Case (born August 21, 1958) is a businessman best known as the former chief executive officer and chairman of America Online (AOL). ...

During the early-1990s, commercial use of the internet was limited by NSFNET acceptable use policies. Consequently, early online games like Neverwinter Nights, GemStone III, Dragon's Gate and Federation II relied upon proprietary services for distribution such as CompuServe, America Online, and GEnie. The 1990s decade refers to the years from 1990 to 1999, inclusive. ... National Science Foundation Network (NSFNet) was a major part of early 1990s Internet backbone. ... GemStone IV is a text-based online role-playing game, or MUD, produced by Simutronics. ... Dragon Gate is a Japanese professional wrestling promotion that started as Toryumon Japan. ... Federation II is an online text-based game developed by IBGames that centers around the intergalactic trade and economy in the distant future. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article may require cleanup. ... Ancient Assyrian stone relief of a genie. ...

Following Neverwinter Nights was The Shadow of Yserbius, a MMORPG within The Sierra Network (TSN) which ran from 1992 through 1996. The game was produced by Joe Ybarra. The Shadow of Yserbius was an hourly service, although it also offered unlimited service for $119.99 per month, until AT&T acquired TSN and rendered it strictly an hourly service. The Shadows of Yserbius was the first of three graphical MUDs for the online community The Sierra Network, which was later known as The ImagiNation Network. ... Categories: Computer and video games | Computer and video game stubs ... Joe Ybarra (born ~1954) is one of the original game producers at Electronic Arts in 1982 (along with Stewart Bonn, Dave Evans, Susan Lee-Merrow and Pat Marriott), where the concept of a game producer was created by Trip Hawkins. ... AT&T Inc. ...

As the NSFNET restrictions were relaxed, traditional game companies and online services began to deploy games on the internet. The first commercial text-based MMORPG to make this transition from a proprietary network provider (CompuServe, in this case) to the Internet was Legends of Future Past, designed by Jon Radoff and Angela Bull. It is also notable in that it had professional Game Masters who conducted online events, now a common feature. The game was offered through the Internet for $3.60 per hour in 1992 and ran until 2000. National Science Foundation Network (NSFNet) was a major part of early 1990s Internet backbone. ... In role-playing games, the game master or GM is the organizer, storyteller, and arbitrator. ...

World-wide MMORPGs

Access to one unified internet allowed game companies to accumulate truly "massive" playerbases, profit, and popularity.

Meridian 59 (launched by 3DO in late 1996) was one of the first modern MMORPGs. Its 3D engine, a first for online RPGs, allowed players to experience the game world through their characters' eyes. Even at the time, it was significant for several other reasons; it was the first Internet game from a major publisher, and was the first MMORPG to be covered in the major game magazines. Finally, it introduced the flat monthly subscription fee. It quickly grew a cult following, which still exists today. Meridian 59 is an online computer role-playing game first published by 3DO Studios and now run by Near Death Studios. ... 3DO Interactive Multiplayer (most commonly referred to as the 3DO) was a line of video game consoles released in 1993 and 1994 by Panasonic, Sanyo and Goldstar. ...

The Realm Online was a successful early internet MMORPG launched by Sierra Online just after Meridian 59. It had fully animated 2D graphics, both in and out of combat situations, which made it far more accessible to a wide variety of audiences compared to the uglier graphical MUDs on which it was based. Still, just like its predecessors, it had simple turn-based combat and a basic user interface. The Realm Online, originally known as simply The Realm, was one of the first MMORPGs (massively multiplayer online role-playing games) for public release (the public Beta was out 5 months before Merdian 59s commercial release). ... The most recent logo (Sierra Entertainment) Sierra Entertainment was a computer game developer and publisher active from 1980 to 2004. ...

Ultima Online was released the following year, and is now credited with popularizing the genre. It had 3D isometric/third-person graphics, and was set in the already popular Ultima universe. It was also a more complex game than many of its predecessors. Released on September 30, 1997, by Origin Systems, Ultima Online (UO) is often considered the first popular massively multiplayer online game. ... The term isometric comes from the Greek for having equal measurement and is a descriptive word associated with several topics: Isometric projection, a method for the visual representation of three-dimensional objects in two dimensions, is a form of orthographic projection, or more specifically, an axonometric projection. ...

Meanwhile, commercial online games were becoming extraordinarily popular in South Korea. Nexus: The Kingdom of the Winds, designed by Jake Song, began commercial service in 1996 and eventually gained over one million subscribers. Song's next game, Lineage (1998), was an even bigger success. Lineage reached millions of subscribers in Korea and Taiwan, and gave developer NCsoft the strength to gain a foothold in the global MMORPG market for the next few years. Nexus: The Kingdom of the Winds, which is also known as Nexus TK and simply Nexus, is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game which takes place in a medieval-type fantasy environment. ... Jake Song, Korean Name Song Jae-kyeong (송재경), is a South Korean programmer who is regarded as one of the greatest game developer in Korea. ... Lineage is a medieval fantasy massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) released in 1998 by the South Korean computer game developer NCsoft. ... 1998 (MCMXCVIII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year of the Ocean. ... NCsoft (KSE: 036570) is a South Korean based online computer game company. ...

EverQuest drove MMORPGs into the Western mainstream.

Launched in March 1999 by Verant Interactive and later acquired by Sony Online Entertainment, EverQuest drove fantasy MMORPGs into the Western mainstream. It was the most commercially successful MMORPG in the United States for five years and was the basis for eleven expansions (as of March, 2006) and several derivative games. TIME magazine and other non-gaming press featured stories on EverQuest, often focusing on the controversies and social questions inspired by its popularity. Asheron's Call launched later in the year and was another hit, rounding out what is sometimes called the original "big three" of the late 1990s (Ultima Online, EverQuest and Asheron's Call). This is a screenshot of a copyrighted website, video game graphic, computer program graphic, television broadcast, or film. ... This is a screenshot of a copyrighted website, video game graphic, computer program graphic, television broadcast, or film. ... EverQuest (EQ) is a 3D fantasy massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) that was released on March 16, 1999. ... 1999 (MCMXCIX) was a common year starting on Friday, and was designated the International Year of Older Persons by the United Nations. ... Sony Online Entertainment (SOE) is a computer game development division of Sony that mostly creates massively multiplayer online games. ... EverQuest (EQ) is a 3D fantasy massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) that was released on March 16, 1999. ... The EverQuest universe is a fictional universe where the EverQuest games take place. ... A pocket watch. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...

MMORPGs in the new millennium

By the turn of the century the concept of massively multiplayer online games expanded into new video game genres. Many of these games, such as the massively multiplayer online first-person shooter World War II Online (2001) brought some of the RPG heritage with them. To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... This is an alphabetized listing of computer and video game genres with a brief description and examples from each genre. ... Massively multiplayer online first-person shooter (MMOFPS) is a category of computer games that combines first-person shooter gameplay with a large number of simultaneous players over the Internet. ... World War II Online, commonly referred to as WWIIOL or WW2OL, is a massively multiplayer online first-person shooter computer game (MMOFPS) set in 1940-42 World War II Europe. ... Computer role-playing games (CRPGs), often shortened to simply (RPGs), are a type of video or computer game that uses traditional gameplay elements found in pen-and-paper role-playing games. ...

For fans of the genre, 2000 was a relatively quiet year, but developers and investors were buzzing to jump into the continually expanding market. Dark Age of Camelot was launched in early 2001 and can be seen as the first successful fantasy MMORPG of the 21st century. It launched smoothly, required less time to gain levels and had an integrated player versus player combat system. Critics dismissed the sci-fi MMORPG Anarchy Online while it suffered through its rough first month in June 2001. Growth of the 'big three' nearly plateaued during 2001 and Ultima Online 2 was cancelled while still in development, indicating that the market had possibly been saturated. Dark Age of Camelot is a 3D medieval fantasy MMORPG that revolves around the war between three realms at the end of King Arthurs rule: Arthurian-inspired Albion, Norse mythology inspired Midgard and Celtic Hibernia. ... Experience points (often abbreviated as exp or xp) are a representation of a characters advancement and improvement in skills in role-playing games. ... Player versus player, or PvP, is a type of combat in MMORPGs, MUDs and other computer role-playing games pitting a players skill against anothers, where the goal is ultimately the death of the opponents player character. ... Anarchy Online (AO) is a science fiction MMORPG released in June 2001 by Funcom. ...

Released in 2002, Final Fantasy XI, an online "sequel" to the long running single-player console RPG series, became the first major console MMORPG, as well as the first online game capable of supporting games and servers shared by both console and PC users. Its practice of randomly selecting servers for new player-characters all over the world was controversial and criticized, but resulted (intentionally in fact) in game worlds in which the players regularly spoke different languages. Also released in 2002, the sprite-based Ragnarok Online, produced by Korean company Gravity Corporation, took Asia by storm, as Lineage had done. Gravity once claimed that there were 17 million subscribers of the game, though this number may not be entirely reliable. Final Fantasy XI (ファイナルファンタジーXI Fainaru Fantajī XI) is the first massively multiplayer online role-playing game released in the Final Fantasy series. ... A video game console is a dedicated electronic machine designed to play video games. ... Ragnarok Online (RO) is an MMORPG created by Gravity Corporation of South Korea. ... Gravity Corporation NASDAQ: GRVY is a South Korean videogame corporation primarily known for the development of the MMORPG Ragnarok Online. ...

May 2003 saw the release of Eve Online, the first MMORPG released by Iceland-based developer Crowd Control Productions (CCP). Eve Online distinguished itself by placing all players in a single world without 'sharding' the servers to distribute player load. Based in a fictional galaxy 24,000 years in the future, Eve Online drew a small but loyal fan base that has grown over time. According to the game's website, the user base for Eve Online has broken the 100k mark, and the game continues to break its own Peak Concurrent User (PCU) record, which stands at 23,811 as of 26 February 2006 [1]. EVE Online is a persistent world multiplayer online game set in space. ... CCP hf (or Crowd Control Productions) is a video game developer, their Headquarters are located in Reykjavík, Iceland. ... February 26 is the 57th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ...

In October 1, 2003, NCsoft launched the sequel to its immensely popular title, Lineage. Featuring an highly improved, vast 3d gameworld that made use of Epic's Unreal Engine, Lineage II received the Presidential Award at the 2003 Korean Game awards, and went on to become the second most popular MMORPG in the world. As of the first half of 2005 Lineage II counted over 2.25 million subscribers worldwide. NCsoft opened its servers in Japan, China, North America, and lastly, Europe, once the popularity of the game had surged in the West (as evidenced by the opening of a Euro-only English server, Teon). With four "chronicles" or game installments already under its belt, Lineage II continues to be one of the more competitive older MMORPGs in the market today. The Unreal engine is one of the most popular game engines for action games. ... Lineage II: The Chaotic Chronicle is a fantasy massively multiplayer computer role-playing game (MMORPG) and sequel to Lineage. ...

In November 2004, Sony Online Entertainment expected to dominate the market when they released the sequel to their phenomenally successful EverQuest, EverQuest II. To keep from competing with themselves, Sony began to offer a flat monthly rate to play all Sony MMORPGs such as EverQuest, Star Wars Galaxies, and the new EverQuest II. However, much of Sony's potential customer base was drawn to Blizzard Entertainment's World of WarCraft (WoW), released in that same month. At present, WoW is one of the most played games in North America, and one of the most played American MMORPGs, with a total of over 6 million customers worldwide. With the release of these newer games, subscriptions began to decline for old games, such as Lineage II and EverQuest 1. Sony Online Entertainment (SOE) is a computer game development division of Sony that mostly creates massively multiplayer online games. ... EverQuest II (commonly abbreviated as EQ2), the sequel to EverQuest, is a fantasy massive multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) developed by Sony Online Entertainment (SOE) and shipped on November 8, 2004. ... Star Wars Galaxies: An Empire Divided (SWG) is a Star Wars themed MMORPG for Microsoft Windows PCs, developed by Sony Online Entertainment and published by LucasArts. ... Blizzard Entertainment is a PC game developer and publisher. ... World of Warcraft (commonly abbreviated as WoW) is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) developed by Blizzard Entertainment. ... Lineage II: The Chaotic Chronicle is a fantasy massively multiplayer computer role-playing game (MMORPG) and sequel to Lineage. ... EverQuest (EQ) is a 3D fantasy massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) that was released on March 16, 1999. ...

The release of Guild Wars in April 2005 represented NCsoft's investment in the possible profitability of an online RPG with a one-time fee. Guild Wars did not share many of the distinguishing features of typical MMORPGs such as an undivided gameworld (outside of cities, the game was played on a private copy of the gameworld), the lack of instant world travel, the subscription fee, the large time investment required to enjoy end-game content, and the largely server-dependent software architecture. As such, it was termed a Competitive/Cooperative Online Role-Playing Game (CORPG) by its developers. It is most often referred to as an OCG, or "Online Computer Game". Guild Wars is a Competitive/Cooperative Online Role-Playing Game (CORPG) by ArenaNet, a developer founded by individuals crucial to the development of Blizzard Entertainments past games and services such as Diablo, Warcraft, Starcraft, and Battle. ... NCsoft (KSE: 036570) is a South Korean based online computer game company. ...

Another Korean MMORPG, MapleStory, a side-scroller developed by Wizet, likewise contains free gameplay. However, it covers its costs through purchasable game "enhancements". Due to its free nature, the game is said to have more than 30 million players in all of its many versions, with the majority of them from East Asia. MapleStory is a free 2D side-scrolling MMORPG developed by the Korean company Wizet. ... // About Wizet Wizet is the company that developed and franchised the popular game MapleStory. ...