Playing For Free: How a new breed of free MMOs are changing the world.

[Aronian]

Article by Skion, MMORPGFocus Staff Writer

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Back when computer games consisted of colored squares on a black background accompanied by bleeping, online gaming was a very expensive affair. AOL was king of the Internet back then. Pioneering online games like the first Neverwinter Nights and Ultima Online made their way onto gamers PCs, charging their customers by the hour to play their games. And the rates weren't cheap- players were known to rack up hundreds of dollars a week in charges just to play these games!

Would-be players weren't put off by the high costs though. The people spoke and they wanted more games- the online gaming industry had to grow. As technology developed and the Internet became bigger and faster, games became better. Online games were not just for the rich and nerdy anymore; now the mainstream wanted a piece of the action, and they got just that. More and more online games popped up, fitted with immersive 3d graphics and engaging game design. From the fantasy-realm of Asheron's Call to the sci-fi world of Anarchy Online, the industry shifted from pay-per-hour to the much more appealing monthly subscription-based system- and players rejoiced!



Subscription-based games were just what players were looking for. They loved the convenience of paying a small fee for a full 30 days of gaming. The value-for-money, along with better overall quality drew a much wider target audience now- World of Warcraft, with its whopping 10 million subscribers bears witness to that.



Now however, things are changing again- more and more Asian companies are developing beautiful and fantastic MMOs of their own, catered to the tastes of both the Asian and Western markets. From Korean developer Nexon's Maplestory and NCSoft's Lineage 1 & 2, to the ethereal Aion Online, the Asian developers have brought a slice of their own ideas to the table.



All is not rosy though- a lot of Asian MMOs take a bit of getting used to. Levelling up is typically harder, and gameplay can sometimes be more challenging. However, for those who enjoy this style of gameplay, Asian MMOs are the way to go. The numbers don't lie; with millions of subscribers, these games definitely have their niche in the market, and many of them do things better than their western counterparts.



A big way in which Asian MMOs made their mark was with a totally new way of staying profitable- the F2P (free-to-play) model. The F2P model gave MMO players something that few could foresee- social gaming for free! The games would find alternate means of building revenue from the free players. Some games offered optional paid accounts. Many included an item-mall, where players could trade real money for rare items. Although it requires some work to set it up right, F2P games have had an explosive impact on the online game industry currently. By offering fun gameplay for no cost, F2P games are the perfect solution, not only for gamers on a budget, but for any gamer looking for a different experience.


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