The Psychology of MMORPGs: 5 Reasons Players Get Hooked

Plenty of folks have their own reasons why they love MMORPGs. Usually it's a combination of things including friends, the IP, the lore, or the characters you can create. In this list we're looking at the 5 main reasons we get hooked on MMOs (in a good way!), and why they are simply the best gaming experience on the planet.

Escape From The Real World

One of the main reasons for playing any video game is the escape from the real world. Especially in MMORPGs where you can create the character you want, there's a real sense of being in another world with a representation of you that is different from the you of the real world. Want to be a swashbuckling pirate rogue? There's an MMO for that. Want to wear an outfit so bedazzled you can be seen from two zones away? There's an MMO for that (*cough* Guild Wars 2 *cough*). Whatever you can dream up, you can make a reality in one MMO or another.

MMORPGs are a great way to let off some steam from your real life, whether you want to take it out on some poor newbie in a PvP zone, take down the latest boss in a raid, or simply hang out in town and chat, MMOs can be your escape from reality and a welcome break from the dreaded IRL.

Living Breathing Worlds

MMOs go a step further than most single-player games when it comes to having a living breathing world to play in. First of all, the world is populated by tons of other folks enjoying the same game you are enjoying. Secondly, updates keep most MMO worlds alive and growing constantly. There's always some change happening or some update that brings somewhere new to explore.

While there are definitely large open worlds in single-player games, few of them continue to grow and expand after the first few DLCs are out. Hell, look at a game like EverQuest II, which just announced its 20th expansion. That's a lot of world to explore and bosses to fight.

Play With Friends

Here's a big reason why many of us play MMORPGs; we can play with our friends. It's awesome enough to escape into a world of fantasy or sci-fi, but to be able to share that experience with friends takes it to a whole new level.

My best MMORPG memories mostly revolve around World of Warcraft when several friends and I used to always play together. I miss those times a lot now that we've all gotten older and many of them have not been into gaming as much. Somehow I managed to dive the deepest into this crazy world of MMOs, but I often think back to when we all played together more often.

Socialize At Your Own Pace

No matter if you're a solo Andy, or looking to make new friends in an MMO, there are several games out there for you. Most games these days let you at least play through the story solo if you want, and even things like Final Fantasy XIV's duty finder can keep you out of groups you don't want to be in.

But if you are looking for more folks to play with, boy oh boy does an MMO have plenty of those. There are guilds for hardcore raiders, casual players, chatters, and event-based guilds with plenty of activities for you to participate in.

Basically, no matter what type of game you are looking for, most MMOs can accommodate you. You can socialize as much or as little as you want in an MMORPG, which makes many of them one-size-fits-all for different player types.

Choose How You Pay (If At All)

Maybe the best part about playing MMORPGs these days is the wide variety of monetization options you have to choose from. There are free-to-play games that let you download and play the game for no cost, buy-to-play games that let you buy the game and then usually have a much lighter cash shop, then there are subscription games that (in a perfect world) produce more content but come with a monthly price (as well as a box price usually).

There are plenty of free-to-play MMO players out there who never spend a dime on their favorite games, so if you're going through a rough patch IRL you can count on your favorite F2P game to be there for you. Buy-to-play typically lets you skip the monthly sub with an initial purchase and occasional pick-ups of DLCs or expansions. No matter how thin or thick your wallet is, there are MMOs out there that you can play at any time, and that's great.

There are so many reasons to love MMORPGs, and if you're reading this, odds are you love at least one. These are just some of the reasons we get hooked on MMOs, but we'd love to hear why you got hooked on this wonderful genre of games. Let us know why you love MMOs down in the comments.