10 BG Stories used in MMOs – The Gods are to Blame for Our Anguish
By Kei Beneza (dividelife), OnRPG Journalist
Have you ever been curious and asked where we all came from? I bet kids in the MMO world have the same questions. Aside from generic gameplay, renamed classes and recycled features, I managed to find out that some MMOs also share the same origins (in terms of story). You’d think some had already lost their originality in terms of game play, but storylines as well? Geez, it’s like they’re all connected somehow really.
1. The Old Gods
Most MMOs branch out from this main idea regarding Old Gods being at war with each other. It would seem that MMO Gods are quite hostile can’t grasp the true meaning of peace. There will always be a party pooper though as these warring gods will always be forced to separate the land and its inhabitants to create an army of their own. After being Gods for centuries, you’d think they would’ve had a less childish sense of reason, but nope, these deities really love to fight and argue over the smallest things. Sub-categories such as “The Great War” and “Holy Wars” often branch out from the Old Gods, which is why I have concluded that MMO Gods are no better than humans. In some cases, there are Alpha Gods who stop the war by imprisoning the hostile Gods, creating a new utopia for our characters to live in. Quite the party pooper, but at least someone is being reasonable. <_<.
The Old Gods
2. Great Annihilation/Wipeout
Another abused storyline is the “Great Annihilation” where some great God (Yes, Gods again) or Dragon ends up destroying the world by mistake. Since new life can always grow from the foulest of lands, the world ends up being reborn and repopulated, creating another war story no different from their ancestors. In this scenario, the object of the story is to rebuild the once beautiful paradise that the Dragon (or God) hath destroyed; despite their noble efforts however, the new inhabitants always seem to disagree and end up firing off a war instead.
It was all over before it began.
3. Pre-wipeout
While some concentrate on the results of death and decay, other MMOs simply try to prevent it. Some MMOs take place right before the end of the world (or rather, before the Gods lose their cool). Since it’s a given fact that these gods are going to start zapping people fairly soon, characters are forced to counter their godly ways, thus the start of the Great War (see above).
4. Good and Evil
Though the whole idea of Good vs Evil has been spammed all throughout the gaming world, some MMOs can twist this idea into something new like “Light vs Dark”. Once again, this bloodshed is the work of (you guessed it!) two Gods (Light and Dark) who happen to hate each other enough to actually get their followers to kill one another.
One is good, one is bad. Can YOU guess?
5. The Power Source
In some cases, MMOs branch out from the Indiana Jones aspect, which focuses on a powerful artifact capable of destroying the entire World (they all seem to be hell bent on destruction if you ask me). Here, our heroes try their best to gain an artifact that does not even exist in the actual game. This idea can be the product of all the stories mentioned above, but can still work as a standalone storyline due to its diverse origins.
6. Racial Supremacy
While some concentrate on Gods and destruction, other games simply focus on the hatred projected by certain races towards other races. Aside from their beliefs, this storyline revolves on nothing more than their quest for world domination and racial supremacy. In most cases, this war is the work of Human and Orcs, who have battled many times in many different series (from books to games). It’s really hard to comprehend why these races can’t just get along, continuously gathering allies (other races) to overthrow the enemy. In some cases, racism can also spread out all over the galaxy, resulting in galactic racial warfare. It’s amazing how Orcs and Humans can branch out to so much isn’t it?
Racial Supremacy: Oldest Tale in the Book
7. Minerals
For some reason, the world has become quite illiterate, with only mining as the last existing profession. Classes know how to fight, wield magic, and put up schools, but everything always goes down to minerals. I mean what exactly do their NPC children study? Mining school? If you’ve played these games, there seems to be enough minerals for everyone, as you can normally mine 24/7 without running out of ores to collect. I suppose it’s just galactic GREED talking.
Mine? Mine! Mine! Mine!
8. The Greater Evil
Races don’t really need to fight. At least some games don’t promote this bloodshed; instead, they divert it towards a single EVIL creature with horrendous abilities. Yep, we’re talking about the oh so common Dark Lord. The one who’s hell bent on destroying or enslaving the entire population (or turning them undead). All MMOs have Dark Lords, but not all games prioritize their role to such an extent. In some games, these evil bad guys are featured to prevent players from fighting each other, instead forcing them to unite for the greater good of mankind (or orc-kind).
9. Nerdzorz Story
While the whole idea of Galactic Federations doesn’t appeal to me that much, Sci-Fi storylines have made their way into the MMO world. A bit boring since the whole thing revolves around politics, alien senators and galactic pew pew wars, but these type of stories often have a greater depth. The Nerdzors storyline can also act as the origin of those mentioned above (of course taking place in the Galactic spectrum). Gee thanks, but I’ve had enough politics and alien senators to deal with in real life, thank you.
Hail to the rebel within!
10. Peace
Finally, a non-violent storyline! This is another rendition of the aftermath brought about by the war of the Gods. Instead of fighting each other, players are forced to live their happy life in a monster-infested world (which somehow works to their advantage as these monsters tend to drop currency). There are no Dark lords here; however, the world is filled with bosses who disturb the peace. Since the entire world is bound to start a war again, YOU (the one reading this), as the Legendary Hero (my god, there are a lot of you) must do your best to bring peace all over the world. How? By simply killing monsters :D.
