A game is being released this spring that aims to change MMO’s (Massively Multiplayer Online games) as we know them. Until now the majority of games have been combat-heavy, but Free Realms’ gameplay focuses on freedom and variety and it’s being aimed at… you.

Although developer Sony Online Entertainment (SOE) believes the game will appeal to family members from eight to 80, its core demographic is 10-16 year-olds. One of a growing number of games that are free to play, SOE believes the key to making an online world you’ll want to be part of, is to break down the barriers that put most people off MMOs – including buying a game or having to pay a subscription.

MMOs started off as MUDs (Multi-User Dungeons), which first appeared in the mid 1970s on university computer networks. They took the form of simple, text-based role-playing games (RPGs) where gamers interacted by typing commands into their keyboards and reading feedback on-screen.

These early MMOs were essentially chat rooms with computer-based dungeon masters that were programmed to give written descriptions of areas and calculate combat chances based on a player’s stats – much like what happens in fantasy MMORPGs today, only without the graphics.
 
The first MMO to feature a graphic interface was in 1986. Air Warrior was a flight combat simulator that allowed players to engage in online dogfights at a cost of $10 (£6.85) per hour. Finally, massively multiplayer gaming had a full graphics engine to show visual representations of the action rather than reams of descriptive text, albeit with very simple black and white wireframes rather than the high definition 64 million colours you’re used to today.
 
“The first MMORPG as we know them today was Neverwinter Nights, which was based on the Dungeons and Dragons ruleset and charged an hourly subscription of $6 (£4.10) per hour. It could accommodate 50 players simultaneously when it was launched in 1991,” says Gaz Deaves, records manager, Guinness World Records. “Nights would be superseded by Ultima Online, which increased the number of simultaneous players to thousands and the term ‘massively multiplayer’ was finally realised.”

Hundreds of MMOs now exist, many of them free, but Free Realms is one of the first to focus on a teen audience. It consists of a virtual world offering a variety of mini-game experiences, which pay homage to popular games such as Bejeweled and Mario Kart. It replaces the classic MMO class system with ‘jobs’, each related to themes within the mini-games. As a ninja compete in action or combat games, or don your apron and rise to Cooking Mama-style challenges. The key is that you can become whoever you want whenever you want; you just change your job to suit your mood.

So how do developers go about designing and building an online world for teens – what’s the thinking involved?

‘Plenty of teenagers play MMOs aimed at adults, but for many, complicated gameplay systems and subscription models that come with hardcore MMORPGs are too time-consuming and not engaging enough. For those who aren’t interested in traditional MMOs, the key will be simplicity, diversity and customisation – the easier it is for gamers to access fun, varied content and reflect their individual personality in the game world, the more likely it is that people are going to want to join in and stay around,’ says Deaves.

SOE agrees. Free Realms is a bright, colourful world which is simple to get to grips with, offers a lot of variety (action, racing, puzzle, fighting…) and although free, it allows you to buy items to customize your character via in-game ‘microtransactions’. The thinking was to remove all the features that put teens off MMOs, instead focusing on gaming variety, character customisation and socialisation – the things SOE’s focus testing told them teens want.

Technology has been key in creating a teen-friendly world. The developers chose streaming technology over downloading a game client. This allows you to go straight to the website and play: no waiting. Other MMO barriers included over-use of text, awkward controls and too much mundane killing with not enough character evolution. These they all threw out.

‘The temptation is to make a game you like, but you have to think about your audience and make a game for them,’ says creative director Laura Lynn McWilliams. ‘We looked at what our audience actually wanted, looked at the games they’re playing and why.’

But they didn’t always get things right, as feedback showed them.

‘Girl gamers told us there weren’t enough clothes options for their characters. We discovered that was important to them, so we added much more customisation in response,’ says McWilliams. ‘Sometimes feedback supported developers’ minority views. We had a huge debate raging over controls – do they want to use the keyboard or a mouse? Feedback showed us that at least 50% wanted point and click play.’

And what of the games ‘cartoony’ graphical look?

‘It was a deliberate choice,’ says Sebastian Strzalkowski, associate art director. ‘We really wanted it to have a sense of humor, and for the whimsical nature of the world to come through the style of the art, making it more approachable. Its not “high” fantasy, it suits the casual gamer.’

SOE’s answer to creating an online world you’ll enjoy was to focus on accessibility and variety. Hardcore gamers can play WoW, Free Realms is for people to play and socialise online with friends, customise characters and have fun with mini-games.

‘We wanted a game where you don’t have to use a calculator to work out what pants to put on,’ says McWilliams. ‘In games like World of Warcraft or Everquest it’s all about stats: whether some pants with +2 intellect and +3 strength are better than those with +5 stamina or +20 defence. It’s not that kind of game.’



The Competition

Want to try out some other free-to-play MMOs? Here are some of Free Realms biggest competitors…

Runescape – The world’s most popular free MMO, its similar in style to World of Warcraft, but with less power-hungry graphics. Kill monsters, complete quests, win treasure.

Habbo Hotel – A virtual community rather than a game, you can meet up with friends in your online ‘room’, and throw parties. Almost like the latest form of a 3D chatroom…

MapleStory – Almost an MMORPG ‘Lite’, MapleStory has quirky graphics and a bright atmosphere, all in a 2D side-scrolling environment. It has classic RPG elements of questing and hunting, but with a big focus on character customisation and socialisation.