3. You are the chosen one! Just like everyone else…
Many MMORPGs try to tell a story like in a single-player RPG. The player should feel like the hero, the chosen one who can save the world. But that is essentially not possible. Because this story applies to all players. There is no single chosen one who can save the world; otherwise, the others would have nothing to do.
Such stories become meaningless upon closer examination. It is better to let your imagination run wild and pretend to be alone.
The Elder Scrolls Online for example tells exciting stories in which you also have to save NPCs. But don’t other players also have to save the same people? ESO tries to present this through phasing, so at least some consequences are visible. The NPC then appears for the player at a certain location after rescuing them. But even if you defeat the villain at the end of the story (see video for ESO), it doesn’t significantly change the world or the overall story.
It gets even more obvious. In the MMORPG Neverwinter, for example, you are supposed to stop the orc invasion in the city – but you can never achieve that. The orcs are always there, but they never progress in their invasion. Nothing at all changes in the overall situation. And the orc leader respawns happily.
