Massively Multiplayer Online (MMO) games have come a long way since their conception. And ever since the first-ever known MMO in 1986, the gaming industry has already built a total of at least 1000 MMO games in Asia alone, and counting. Not only is the MMO scene ever growing but it is also an industry that is highly profitable as more and more devices become ready to take on the MMO gameplay.

Although the number of MMOs continue to rise in number there still remains an impending challenge among developers to create a game that will stand the test of time and the seemingly insatiable desire of MMO gamers for a game that they would celebrate for many years to come. Previously, three basic elements were outlined to identify what keeps gamers hooked and loyal to certain MMOs (Story, Graphics, and Gameplay). Now, there still remains additional elements that make MMO inviting and enticing to their loyal patrons.

1. Community and Game Collaboration. As the name MMO implies, the aspect of engaging with tons of other players online is widely important. Since one of the main attractions of an MMO is to be able to play with other players all over the world, to be an effective MMO, developers must take into consideration the need to build a game that will allow players to effectively collaborate and interact with all the available players. PVP (Player versus player) is already an established aspect of MMOs, but to become more effective, developers must learn to go beyond the traditional PVP aspect and focus more on community building.To provide an effective community to players, developers must focus on building events and in-game battles that will encourage players to build lasting relationships with other online players as well.

2. Open World and a Broad Map. With MMOs, any game must be wide and huge enough to accommodate the ever-growing number of players in the scene. Coupled with the game’s graphics and animation, developers must have a game that will definitely provide a massive world where any player may explore and venture into anytime anywhere.

3. In-game Holiday Events. Aside from building an effective community, an effective MMO must learn to facilitate in-game events that will surely contribute to building and strengthening the community in the game. To do this, developers must properly asses the type of players they have (their demographics and their habits) and create effective and relatable events that all types of gamers will surely enjoy and participate in.

4. Fair and effective economy. Once a strong community is established, what is left for developers to invest in is the building of a fair economy that will push economic activity amongst players. In doing this it is not enough to just build a scene where players may simply buy and sell items (with reasonable prices) but also create an engaging rewards and loot system that will definitely make players strive to claim more items and play for more loots.

5. Value for Money. It is a basic notion that the price of a commodity is already a reflection of the features and benefits that any product has. Therefore, the price that any MMO has to pass on to consumers (whether through in-app purchases or subscriptions) must be reflective of the quality of game they are giving consumers. Nowadays, most gamers favor one-time purchases in order to enjoy the game fully instead of incessant demands of in-app purchases.