Massively multiplayer online role-playing game (commonly abbreviated MMORPG, MMOG, or MMO) is a genre of role-playing video games where large numbers of players interact with one another within a persistent game world. The term MMORPG was coined by Richard Garriott, the creator of Ultima Online, the game credited with popularizing the genre in 1997.

MMOs have become popular on a worldwide scale with evenue for MMOs exceeded an estimated half a billion dollars in 2005. In 2008, Western consumer spending on subscription MMOs grew to $1.4 billion. Blizzard Entertainment, the owners or one of the most popular MMORPG, World of Warcraft, claim to have 11 million paying subscribers as of 2009. Square Enix has stated that its Final Fantasy XI currently has around 500,000 players.

While playing MMORPGs, players can create and assume the role of a Character in an online and persistent world, a world that progresses whether they are connected or not. When creating their character they are usually given many options of customization to start with that allow them to be more unique in the game compared to other players and their characters. These options are usually things like Race, Skin Color, Hair Style and Color, Face, Jewelry, and Tattoos. Clothing and its appearance is usually determined by the equipment and armor the character has equipped.

List of Popular MMORPGs[edit]

• Age of Conan
• City of Heroes/City of Villains
• Dark Age of Camelot
• Eve Online
• Everquest I & II
• Final Fantasy XI
• Lineage I & II
• Lord of the Rings Online
• Dungeons & Dragons Online
• Warhammer Online
• World of Warcraft