Gamasutra published a very interesting article in which they interview five Academics. They talk about players migration from a game to another, about the future of MMORPG genre and the future of games in general.

Below you can find some snippets and here you can read the full article.

What kinds of contributions did Warcraft make? Enough to warrant the level of attention that we’re giving it?
AD: I think that WoW demonstrated to many people the financial viability of the subscription model virtual worlds, and it also demonstrated that you can have games that appeal across cultures with very little content localization. I think it highlighted above all else the need for usability: having a real clean, user friendly game mechanic for new users. I know that a lot of EQ players freaked out, but in terms of the overall health of the industry it was exactly what we needed.

But today, I’m not a high-end player. I don’t do raids, and generally I don’t know what else there is to be said about World Of Warcraft which hasn’t already been said. I’m really curious to see what’s next. That isn’t to imply that there isn’t anything we can say, but there is this huge emphasis – in blogs, articles and journals, and in some quarters it may be a little excessive.

I’m biased, but maybe social virtual worlds have fallen by the wayside.

If Warcraft collapsed today, then where would the players go? Other MMO games, single player games, the gym?
JM: I believe mainly MMOs, but who knows? If Warcraft were to go down, for some technical or gameplay reason, then there would be a hundred more games hitting the market trying to gather the gamers into their arms.

If you were stranded on a desert island with only one game to last you through the long years, what would it be?
HJ: That's an easy one. Tetris. I have been playing Tetris off and on regularly for more than a decade. Its simplicity of design allows for almost infinite replay value. I keep telling myself one more game, constantly thinking I can do better. I can get into the flow of the game easily and can remain relaxed and captivated for a long time. So, if I could have only one game, I'd go for a classic that never seems to grow old. It isn't necessarily my all-time favorite game but then, my favorites tend to come and go, and this remains loyally at second or third place on my list.

Conclusion

So what’s really in store for our intrepid diaspora of gamers?

Are they locked in an ongoing migration from populous to desolate game worlds, or will the fertile valleys of one monstrous game become too utterly irresistible? How will social worlds, such as Second Life, relate to worlds like World of Warcraft, where the grind is planned and the players expect entertainment? How “Blockbuster” or sensually realistic will new MMO games have to be? Will we barrel toward huge and highly realistic games? Or at some point on our path to largest and most realistic, will these digital realities start to look like a world that we’ve had all along? Perhaps McNeill is right, and it’s real life that will start to look more like a game.

But the point of this article was not explicitly to make deep or philosophical points. It was to have conversations with the academics immersed in the research. The point of this article was not to answer questions so much as to raise them.

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