Conclusion

After spending a good amount of time in both worlds, I finally had to sit down and ask myself, “If you could only have ONE of these games, which one would it be?”  I really don’t think keeping both accounts open is an option for most gamers – there simply isn’t enough free time in most people’s lives to fully engage both World of Warcraft and Lord of the Rings Online.

In the end, I’d have to rule in favor of World of Warcraft… but only by a split-decision.  There’s simply more gameplay variety available in Blizzard’s MMORPG.  When you add in the huge online community that has surfaced around World of Warcraft, the excellent UI modifications available, and the great job Blizzard does with their periodic content updates, I feel that the MMORPG crown still belongs on the head of World of Warcraft.

However, weary is the head that wears the crown and the challenger will definitely still remain a strong number one contender to the throne.  Unlike other attempts such as D&D Online, Star Wars; Galaxies, etc., Lord of the Rings Online won’t be disappearing anytime soon.  It is the only game of this genre that has come close to toppling World of Warcraft off of the mountain top, and I believe it will have the following and resources to continue to fight for years to come.

Post-Thoughts

One other thing that became abundantly clear while playing both of these excellent games is that it is time for the online gaming development community to come up with a new and exciting game play mechanic.  MMORPG v2.0, if you will.  It’s only so long before the gaming community gets weary of constant Fed-ex and rat-killing quests, and it would serve an innovate company well to hurry up and figure out what the next step in this genre will be.  Plus, they’ll make a lot of money if they get it right!

I feel there is a need to shake off the Tolkein-esque chains that bind this type of game… do we really need more orcs, fairies, swords, etc.?  I know there have been attempts at other types of experiences with offerings such as Eve Online and The Sims Online, but those attempts have so far only amounted to a niche following.

I’m certain the great unmade game is out there somewhere… perhaps an MMO where you captain a ship that explores an unknown quadrant of a galaxy, with different quests and characters on every planet you land on.  Or maybe take a page from the D&D Planescape setting and allow a character to adventure through the very planes of existence themselves.  How about a time traveling tale that whisks the player to different eras in history?

Perhaps the next evolutionary step in communal gaming is lying dormant in the mind of a great up and coming developer.  I, for one, can’t wait to see what happens next…

Please feel free to leave any comments you have on this piece below.  Also, I’d be interested in discussing your thoughts on the games in the Gameworld Network forums – my handle is “EvilOtto.”

Happy questing!