Free to Play MMORPG Games

Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games or MMOGs, are quite popular these days. There is something truly fascinating about immersing yourself in a virtual world of magical wonders and high adventure.

You could be the adventurer who would brave the darkest forests and horrifying castles to slay the magic beasts and lay claim to untold wealth.  Or perhaps you might be the mage who will become the most powerful sorcerer in the known world, or maybe the dark lord who will rule the many lands.

With MMOGs, you could be anyone and anything, you want to be. The limits are only bounded by your imagination. That’s why everyone loves them.

The problem is that not all MMO games are free to play. Often, you’d have to pay for the MMO game download, if not the monthly subscription fee. Who wants to pay for something you can get without paying for it?

That’s why a lot of devout players have searched far and wide for the best free MMORPG games that might be worth their commitment. In the past almost all of these types of MMORPGs were not very good but this is not true anymore. Nowadays the some of the top game developers have created top-of-the-line MMORPG games that cost nothing to play or download. In addition many previously pay to play games have switched over to free to play to popularize their game.

What’s the catch? You might be wondering why they are not asking for a membership fee. The reason is simple they operate using a different business model compared to premium games. This is “freemium” business model where almost all the content is given to gamers for free except for a few paid or premium contents.

So, for example when a gamer starts playing, all skills and content are free similar to a free trial period except without the time limit. Then as the player levels up, there may be some premium expansion packs or items offered for the most hardcore players. These expansion packs or items are all optional and are just there to offer more variety. Quite a few of these premium items are purely for the looks that do not even give any special bonuses. The items are sold just to make your character look good.

To give a concrete example, all regular players will have to use the boring-looking steel mace but there might be a cool-looking glowing sword for those willing to pay for it. The generic-looking steel sword has precisely the same stats as the awesome-looking ice sword – players are paying for only for their character to look cool.

These premium items are also known as vanity items because they are bought purely for bragging rights and do not really affect character stats. They are somewhat like buying costly car accessories for your car. They do not actually make your car go faster but they improve your car’s visual appeal, and car aficionados are happy enough to buy that type of thing. The same is true of MMOs with the side effect of these completely optional vanity items taking the place of paid subscription fees.

Does that sound good to you? Freemium MMO games are ideal for casual gamers who only play occasionally because they don’t want to pay for something they will not play every day. It’s also good for poor players who can’t spend too much for online games.

These are some of the many reasons why gamers are flocking to these online multiplayer games. In conclusion, it’s mainly because players love to role-play.