MeinMMO author Johanna isn’t really into the MMORPG genre, but she finds a recent development to be good. For the Grindfest Theme Week at MeinMMO, she sheds light on why the genre is becoming more exciting for her.
I know, I know! It seems paradoxical that I, as someone who doesn’t really like MMOs or MMORPGs, write for a site called MeinMMO. But well, as they say: Where love falls… or something like that.
MMOs are just not for me. Even though I love creating a unique character in RPGs and possibly replaying games multiple times with different builds (Hello, Skyrim with 700 hours). MMORPGs have never captured me.
I once checked out Elder Scrolls Online for several hours, and although I love the game world, there is just too much going on for me. Other players were running around, even standing in front of the blacksmith where I was just. That simply irritates me.
During this week, you can expect exciting articles every day around the topic of MMORPGs. Included are: nostalgic retrospectives, fascinating analyses from notable industry veterans, previews of upcoming online role-playing games, and entertaining streams.
Here it goes to the program for the big MMORPG Theme Week 2026 from MeinMMO
Also, there is somewhere the duty to join a guild, and so I am then forced to interact with other people. So even more hustle!
The time when World of Warcraft was just on the rise and people hosted huge LAN parties with their friends in their childhood bedrooms, I missed due to my too late
birth. Thus, MMOs became a genre that intimidated me too much due to their sheer size. We never got along.
However, there is a development within MMORPGs that might bring me closer to the genre after all. One that our MMORPG expert Karsten Scholz also discussed in one of his articles: MMORPGs are increasingly becoming MMO Lite, incorporating more single-player elements.
- You can read Karsten’s article here: 2 games from China show the future of MMORPGs, our expert doesn’t like it at all
Karsten summarizes it by saying, “Classic MMORPGs are dying out,” and while he is sad about it, I say: “Hello, new world of games that I can explore!”
Others: Boo!
Me: Yay!
Anyone who engages with the MMORPG genre even a little bit will have noticed the recent development: the genre is becoming less and less loyal to its multiplayer MMO aspect and is increasingly heading towards single-player.
This is also evident in the hits released recently. Where Winds Meet is a good example, as it combines MMO elements such as raids, PvP, and guilds with a single-player experience. For Karsten, it is clear that this game is the guiding star for upcoming MMORPGs.
In fact, Where Winds Meet was also one of the first MMORPGs that I tried out again and actually had a lot of fun. Because I could play the game at my own pace.
This time, when LAN parties were held for WoW, I simply didn’t experience and can’t relate to that nostalgia. Instead, the world opens up to me in a different way by enticing me with the option to play the game solo as well.
I am sure that just the option to play the game solo will encourage me to give MMORPGs a try and also test the MMO elements of the games. Previously, MMORPGs felt like a big castle that intimidated me. With the single-player option, it’s still a castle, but now it has an entrance with signposts, providing me with a way to become more familiar with the genre.
So who knows! Maybe you’ll see me running around on a few MMORPG servers in the future, but please don’t be disappointed if I run away from you. It’s still just too much hustle for me!
What do you think? Do you agree with me or do you have a completely different opinion? Write it in the comments!
If this article has now made you eager for MMORPGs solo – like me! – we have this list of recommendations for you: Which MMORPGs are also fun alone? The 7 best online role-playing games for solo players
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