Diving completely into MMORPGs with a VR headset. A former WoW developer reveals how realistic the desire for an MMO like Sword Art Online is.
The dream of fully immersing oneself in a game world is great for many gamers. Especially in movies like eXistenZ or the anime series Sword Art Online, this theme is repeatedly addressed. Players can completely sink into a game world, controlling everything solely with their thoughts or the movements of their bodies. The immersion is perfect, and all influences from the real world have no significance for the duration of the game.
But how realistic is it actually? Could VR MMORPGs really be feasible in reality?
“No. At least not in the near future.” This is what Rob Pardo, who previously worked at Blizzard on World of Warcraft, thinks. In 2014, he left the game studio and then founded Bonfire Games, which is still waiting for its first game release.
Virtual Reality still has a long way to go
In a keynote at a gaming conference in Italy, Pardo spoke about the possibilities of VR and the current state of technology. He knows that many fans are eager to finally be able to play an MMORPG in VR, but he has no good news on that front.
- Pardo sees the biggest problem being that Virtual Reality still has too many issues to resolve.
- The VR headsets need to be lighter so that they can be comfortably worn for hours.
- Then the technology must be improved so that no motion sickness occurs.
- A better input device optimized for MMORPGs is also necessary.
But all these points are only half the battle. MMORPGs cannot simply be transferred 1:1; content and game design must be specifically adapted for a VR MMORPG. Just this development could take several more years before a satisfying gaming experience can be achieved.
In conclusion on the topic, Pardo said:
“I believe that it will take a very long time until we can experience complex games like MMORPGs in VR. But someday, I am sure, we will have a holodeck. However, I don’t think that will be soon.”
How long do you think it will take until the technology for truly good VR MMOs is mature? Do you think we will see significant advancements in the next decade? Or is that still a long way off?
