Back in the Day

When you think of the start of MMO gaming, what do you think of?

Big titles like Everquest? Maybe Ultima Online? Well, as big as both those games were they weren't the first. The first game was Meridan 59 way back in 1996. It predates Ultima by one year, and established many of the genre's standard features. Such as monthly subscription fee's, a magic system, the User Interface and other such things.

To put this into perspective the game ran on a Doom engine- that's right, Doom- and characters couldn't jump. Which doesn't sound like a profound issue, but being able to jump in video games was a major revolution. Before the space key you had to run off a higher object or ledge and fall to a lower area to simulate a jump.

Stop laughing, that's how you had to jump back in the day. You had to fall.

But what we take as the standards of game play in the MMO field were pioneered, including the name MMORPG, by Meridian 59. The game had roughly fifty different monsters for players to battle, and featured very little sound that quickly became repetitive. It offered an incentive for exploration and team work, it improved some of your stat, and gave reasons for players to work together.

Of course there were some downsides such as exploits, bugs, and cheaters but every game has their share of these issues.

And the game is still being played today, twelve years later.

Of course the graphics have been updated, a little, and the jump has been added, but their have been some significant changes in the game. Such as the greater focus on pvp in the game, and the ability to play for free or have an upgraded account that requires a monthly fee.

But, it is something that speaks to the staying power of a well designed game, it's still being played over a decade later despite other games that deliver newer and flashier game play. The game still has the power to draw in players by offering them a bit of diversion from their daily lives. It gives them a type of satisfaction that they cannot find anywhere else. And that speaks to the power of games themselves.

So, if you're curious how it all started and how it is still going swing on by http://meridian59.neardeathstudios.com/ and take a look.