The growth of the MMO

“Neverwinter Nights” was the first online role-playing game to display graphics. Debuting on AOL in 1991, this game took the rules of tabletop RPGs and infused it with the processing power of DOS to breeze through the dice rolls and math that had once made “Dungeons and Dragons” playable exclusively by nerds. Some AOL users, depending on their plans, paid $8 an hour to have intrepid adventures on their Commodore 64.

“Meridian 59” was the first 3-D graphical MMO by 3DO in 1995. It was also credited as the first “massively multiplayer online role-playing game” or MMORPG. Players were able to interact with an unlimited number of other users from all around the world but unable to jump in this early 3-D environment.

“EverQuest” was released by Sony Online Entertainment in 1999 for Windows. As GameSpot’s Game of the Year, it had nearly half a million subscribers by 2003. To date there are 17 expansions, and the game was banned in Brazil in 2008 for being psychologically damaging.

“Phantasy Star Online” for Sega Dreamcast was the first MMORPG to breach the console market. Too bad it was on Sega’s last console. Sony’s attempt at a console MMORPG was “Final Fantasy XI,” debuting on the Playstation 2 and later released for Windows and the Xbox 360. The two million registered users signify the largest chunk of console MMO players.

“World of Warcraft” was released November 2004, and as of October 2010 it holds the Guinness world record for more than 12 million paid subscribers worldwide. Blizzard’s flagship title holds an estimated 62 percent of the MMO subscription market. Entire industries have sprung up among players who game professionally, “farming” and selling the proceeds on eBay and other online marketplaces for real-world money. Powerful player accounts have been auctioned for the equivalent of $10,000.

Think you’re not a MMORPG-er? Of the 600 million Facebook users worldwide, one out of every 10 play “FarmVille,” a free online role-playing game with the Facebook social scene at its core, released June 2009.