Based on my 4 years in the local MMORPG industry, I’ve seen online games come and go. But the numbers have told me that Filipinos have a penchant for cute MMORPGs. Ragnarok, the first and still the biggest MMO, is testament to this fact.First, how do we define “cute”? There really is no accepted “industry standard”. For me, as long as it’s chibi or SD (Super Deformed, in the Japanese-anime style), that’s cute. Ragnarok, Rose, FlyFF fall into this category. Meanwhile, the full anatomically-correct games such as Perfect World or RF would fall into the other end of the spectrum.

Why Filipinos Love Cute MMORPGs

1. PC Spec – one of the main drivers for the extensive growth of metrics such as registration and log-ins is the fact that almost all cute games don’t really squeeze much juice from your PC. You can play them on most computers 2 years old or older. This simply means that there are more homes and Internet cafes that can run these types of games, hence their popularity. The same argument can be told for bandwidth.

2. Cute is Cute – hey! What can I say??? I’m no exception. I love it and admire the characters, the milieu and even (the sometimes lame) storylines. It’s easy on the eyes and the game is “light”. The girls are there – Admit it, guys. It’s easier to find a girl playing a cute MMORPG than a hard-core game or FPS, right? And sometimes you can become friends with a lot of them or even invite them to your guilds. I should say that it’s time well spent hehehe. It can even lead to romance.

3. Gameplay – Cute MMO gameplay is not complicated. This means that it will be easier for anyone to teach even a non-gamer to play the game. The fact that the viral aspect of cute MMOs has really helped the industry is a plus, but it really is the community that keeps it strong and alive. Heck, you can teach even your “ate” or mom to play the game. Compare said games to technical MMOs and you know where I’m getting at, yes?

4. Pop Culture – Cute MMOs have transcended more than the game. Look at Ragnarok, you have a lot of user-generated content like videos, cosplay costumes, fan art even some flash games which were designed using the game as the base. Plus look at all the merchandise (both official and unofficial) that were made for the game(s). There is still a huge demand for the cutesy items (iRL) that’s why, sadly, even inferior and fake stuff are getting into biting the piece of the market pie.

Although a lot of gamers are graduating to the more “hard-core” games. I still think there is a HUGE demand and market for cute MMOs. If analyzing the trends will be the basis, I’d predict that we need another cool, new cute MMO, one with innovative features with regards to gameplay and community functions. A game that would drive all the current and new users into one big community where user-generated content will be crucial to keep it all alive and “sticky”.

Note that the Waukster and I aim to fulfill that vision. We’re still searching… but we believe that that day will come soon.

So, keep playing your cute MMO and may you always have fun and find new and lasting friendships!

Peace!

GM Tristan

**The opinions and viewpoints published in this article are not necessarily those of Level Up! Inc, its games and its licensed products or services.

This entry was posted on Saturday, June 28th, 2008 at 9:00 am and is filed under GM Tristan. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.