Over on mmorpg.com, an editorial has been posted asking the question, "Where's the RPG in MMORPG?".
It's an interesting question to which I answer, in short: Well, the role-playing is right in front of you.
The traditional RPG has been a scripted story where players take on the role of a character or a group of characters, assuming their roles, and playing through the story. It's obviously a very difficult task to translate scripted events and stories to the (relatively) lawless and unscripted world of the MMORPG.
For those who are not aware, an MMORPG is a Massively Multi-player Online Role Playing Game. Typically they feature massive worlds populated by hundreds or thousands of people playing as whatever character they've created. Where they differ from the traditional RPG is in that they don't feature elaborate storylines.
So why would I say the role playing is right in front of you? Well, at least from my experience with EVE Online, the storyline is created by the players themselves. EVE featured more player-created drama and excitement than I ever thought possible. Perhaps it is a testament to the successful gameplay experience CCP has created for EVE Online, or perhaps it is inherent to human nature. Put a whole lot of people in a world with sufficient motivators and an engaging setting, and watch the politics and friendships become. Isn't that what an RPG is about? The difference now is that one lives the experience, and the politics and friendships can be quite real.
But if a story is what you're looking for, then at least EVE has it in spades, player-produced or not.
