Gamers all over the world have been screaming, “MMOs are dead!” for years now. The general feeling among the gaming community is that massively multiplayer online role-playing games no longer provide the same level of excitement and adventure they did in the early 2000s. Most players believe that MMORPGs have become incredibly boring, repetitive, and gritty.
You may even be one of those gamers who has grown tired of the MMO genre. If you’re thinking about quitting your favorite MMORPG, you may be wondering why MMORPGs are boring and lost their appeal. After all, you used to love spending hours upon hours leveling up your character and completing quests. So what’s changed?
MMORPGs lack content
Who wants to play a game that doesn’t have enough content to keep them busy? Gamers are no longer willing to pay a monthly fee for an MMO that they can only play games for a while each week. For an MMORPG to be successful, it needs to offer hundreds of hours of content.
Unfortunately, many modern MMORPGs miss this area. Once you reach the max level and completed the gameplay, there’s not much left to do except grind for gear or wait for new content to be released. And let’s be honest, grinding for gear can get pretty boring after a while.
Free MMORPGs are never actually free
If you’ve ever found yourself on Reddit, you’ve probably seen posts from people asking for recommendations for free MMORPGs. And if you scroll for long enough, you’ll find threads full of people trying to warn others about the dangers of playing free MMORPGs.
The truth is, there are no barely any good free MMORPGs out there. Any game that’s actually fun to play will either be extremely pay-to-win or the sheer amount of ads are so unbearable that you’d stop playing eventually. Some companies will suck you in with the promise of a free game, but you’ll end up spending more money on in-game purchases than you would have if you had just bought the game outright.
Not to mention, free MMORPGs tend to be filled with bots and hackers. Nobody wants to deal with that kind of nonsense, so it’s no wonder that most people get bored fast.
Old-gamer syndrome
Are you familiar with the term “old-gamer syndrome?” It’s a condition that affects many long-time MMO gamers. Basically, it’s the feeling of being burned out on the genre. You’ve played so many MMORPGs that they all start to feel the same.
This is especially common in veteran World of Warcraft players. After spending years in Azeroth and other virtual worlds, it’s only natural to think that MMOs are not what they used to be. When you’ve been playing for a long time, it’s easy to get bored of the daily grind and the monotony.
So if you’re suffering from old-gamer syndrome, don’t worry. You’re not alone. Many gamers have grown tired of the MMO experience and are looking for some other game to play.
You’re not finding a community
In the early days, it was all about finding a good guild and building an MMORPG community. These days, it seems like almost every MMO is dead on arrival. Part of the problem is that there are so many different modern MMOs to choose from. It’s hard to find one that’s worth your time and isn’t boring to play.
And even if you do find a good MMO, it’s often difficult to find a guild that’s right for you. There are so many toxic and elitist guilds out there that it can be hard to enjoy the game. When you’re looped in with 20+ other players that you don’t even talk to in between raids, there comes a point where this stuff isn’t fun anymore.
Part of the immersion in an MMO comes from the community and social interaction. Unless you have a lot of real-life friends who play the same games, if you’re not finding a community that you enjoy, it’s no wonder that the gaming world is turning sour.
New games are dumbed down
Any gamer enjoys a good challenge. Don’t lie – you’ve played games so hard that you ended up searching for walkthroughs just to get an idea to progress. We’ve all been there.
But nowadays, it seems like all of the new games are spoon-feeding us the content. There’s very little challenge to be found. Bosses can be easily tanked and spanked, and quests are so easy that you can complete them while AFK. They’re too easy and lack the thrill that gamers crave. As a result, many players find it boring because the story is not challenging enough.
And it’s not just the games that are getting easier. It seems like everything is becoming more casual these days. Even the way we play MMOs has changed. In the past, it was impossible to play the game and finish it in your first week. But nowadays, many gamers only have a few hours of their free time. As a result, they’re not progressing as fast and they’re getting bored.
It’s too mainstream
Not to be the hipster of MMORPGs or anything, but the genre has become too mainstream. It’s not just nerds and geeks that are playing MMOs these days. Even your mom has probably played WoW.
This can be a turn-off for some gamers because it makes the genre feel less special. Gaming companies are now focusing on how to get as many people to play their games as possible. They’re not caring about what truly makes a game so great such as the stories and game design.
And let’s face it – the more people that are playing, the more problems you’re going to have. The servers are always crowded and finding a group for a dungeon can be nearly impossible. Not to mention, the prices for in-game items have gone through the roof. It’s just not worth your money!
Bottom line
Don’t give up on MMOs just yet! Do not think that MMORPG is dying. There are still some good ones out there. You just have to find the right one for you.
And if you’re feeling burned out on the genre, it’s okay to take a break. Maybe try playing other games for a while. However, if you disagree with everything we just said because you actually enjoy the new MMORPG era, then we’re happy for you! Play on, friend. Play on.
Either way, don’t be afraid to experiment. The world of video games is always changing, and there’s always something new to play. So go out there and find your next favorite game! You can speed up your search by checking out our recommendations for MMORPGs for different types of players. Who knows – maybe you’ll find the next big thing.
