Bruce’s stats peg the genre for MMOGs at something like 85-90 percent fantasy. With Grandparents like UO and EQ, it’s not hard to understand why the genre as a whole hasn’t fallen that far from the tree.

One thing I would really like to see, though, is a MMOG set in ‘modern day’, with something other than superheroes for character options. I know the goal here is escapism … but why do we have to run so far?

As successful as WoW is, I can’t help think that a modern setting could attract even more attention over time. Certainly, All Points Bulletin is likely to raise a number of eyebrows when it is released next year. APB’s popularity is going to come as much from the subject matter as it is the setting. The Grand Theft Auto series has spawned countless imitators, and Peter Moore’s recent GTAIV announcement was a huge win for Microsoft in the console wars.

Real city streets have been the backdrop for storytelling since moviemaking began. A lot of great stories get told there; Despite the number of orcs in MMOGs, the first fantasy movies I really enjoyed were those in the LOTR trilogy. On that note too, the variations on the ‘orcs and elves’ theme in MMOGs has been pretty weak. I respect the lore, but the feel of the stories in EQ, AC, and DAoC don’t feel dramatically different. Modern movies and television shows, on the other hand, manage to capture numerous tones all with the same basic premise. Me, I like Law and Order, Numb3rs, and even Matlock, but Cold Case and The Shield do nothing for me.

I personally would rather see a modern setting put to use in a more noir setting (Maltese Falcon), or perhaps something post modern (Half-Life 2) … I’m not a big fan of the GTA series, and gangs seem like a waste of time to me in a MMOG too. Just the same, if writers can switch up the cop/mystery genre as much as they do on-screen, who’s to say that APB can’t feel significantly different than GTA?

So, what does that say about the power of a modern setting for a MMOG? What elements of storytelling in the modern world could lend themselves well to the Massive space?

Believable Spaces -

The urban zones of CoH and CoV are some of the most engaging I’ve experienced, simply because they’re like places I’ve actually been. Downtown Chicago and Steel Canyon bear a pretty close resemblance. The feeling I get as I fly/hop/teleport through that area is tied to my own imagination of doing the same in the real spaces. I lament the obvious copyright problems with including webswinging in the game, as that would be a most powerful image for me. The NPC population in the Cities zones helps a lot in that respect too. Compare this with the empty villages of Star Wars Galaxies (a title where passing familiarity should have aided immersion).

Getting back to the topic of variations in game setting, a big city would tap into the wonderful cinema of Woo, Cagney, and Bogart. Mafia Online? Instanced neighborhoods filled with the clues and suspects involved in a murder?

A ‘resistance’ type of game could be set in rural or even suburban spaces. Fire fights with big brother in a mini-mall? Pushing on the forces of the communist invaders from behind the haystacks of Iowas is a topic unexplored outside of Invasion U.S.A., or Red Dawn. So … there you go.

Seriously, though, familiarity is a great breeding ground for storytelling. ‘Write what you know’, right?

Understandable Roles -

‘Play what you know’, too. Modern roles are instantly recognizable, and draw on the player’s understanding of the world around her to fill in a character’s background. Without looking it up, what is the purpose of the ‘Shade’ class in Anarchy online? The ‘Meta-Physicist’? Contrast that with a class like ‘Doctor’, ‘Cop’, ‘Gumshoe’, or ‘Mercenary’.

Instant recognition means that the first experiences a player can have in the game can be experiential, not explanatory. I know my favorite thing when I jump into a game is to have my class abilities explained. That’s super fun.

Contemporary roles also bring the power level down a few notches. If you’re a paladin, of course you’re supposed to save the world. If you’re just a private detective, though, any worldsaving you do is a big deal. Heck, you don’t even need to save the world to feel like you did a good day’s work. By making the classes within a game believable, you can start to make character goals more believable too.

Approachable NPCs/Quests -

NPC goals, too. Instead of ‘go across the courtyard and deliver this, I’ll slip you a twenty’, quest designers can really stretch their wings. Real-life problems (money, sex, your job) can be the source of your goals, instead of ‘intergalactic struggle’ or ‘I need bat wings’. A cosmetic change to be sure, but I imagine the average player would identify with someone who wants you to erase a compromising voice message, or remove a damaging review from their boss from the company records. Oo, another game idea: ‘Corporate mercenary’.

The people you speak to could finally be ‘real’ people. Who cares about the leather vendor, when you could get a quest from your boss or your girlfriend’s sister?

Suggested Features -

A big city suggests certain easy to understand features, as well as characters. Mass transit is always an issue, but in a subway in a big city will seem a lot more in-character than the Deeprun Tram. Long distance travel is via airplanes, and is expensive.

In a modern MMOG, player housing would basically be a necessity. As a huge fan of decorating a character’s space, I see this as a very good thing. No need to worry about where goods come from, or decorations. They’re delivered by UPS (or whoever is willing to pay for the in-game advertising).

The real question here is: player-controlled cars? If it’s a living city, with traffic and stuff, that’s a bear. I don’t know how APB is going to do it, but I can’t imagine they’ll have the density of traffic that GTA does. If they have cars, can they drive between cities? What is that like? As much as I like the idea of a modern MMOG, I don’t think ‘the Citgo experience’ needs to be a part of that.

A modern setting also suggest a unique twist on the ‘dungeon’, if designers want to go there. The urban exploration phenomenon could lead players into abandoned aqueducts, hospitals, or warehouses on quests against … umm, anything but rats.
And then, of course, there’s guns. But that’s something for the ESRB to discuss.

The modern setting, then: somebody make it.