How far developers take this is anyone's guess. I've heard people suggest the ability to be able to scan your own face onto characters, which is a pretty tall order. Besides, I'm quite happy playing someone, or something, a bit different to myself. That's part of the fun – taking on the role of someone else. But I do hope that developers continue improving character customisation options. To enter a bustling online town where people of all shapes and sizes, each with a different face and wearing the outfit they want to wear rather than whatever happens to have the best stats, is certainly what I would like to see more of in MMOs.

As the MMO genre has grown in popularity, several sub-genres have popped up. The first games, such as EverQuest and the others mentioned above, were mainly fantasy, and the most popular one of all to date also comes under that heading. So seeing the attraction gamers have to online games, developers have been working hard to bring online worlds to fans of other genres. For gamers that prefer high-tech over high-fantasy, there are now several science-fiction MMOs out there. The space-based EVE Online is an example of one, and the post-apocalyptic Fallen Earth is another. Games set in and around the modern-day include the upcoming APB and The Secret World. Another sign that MMOs are becoming part of every day culture is development of games based on books, films, TV series and existing games. Star Wars Galaxies was released in 2003, allowing gamers to become a part of the long-running universe. The Final Fantasy games got their own MMORPG in 2002, and another one is currently being developed. After the success of the films in 2001-2003, Turbine released Lord of the Rings Online in 2007, this was followed up by Age of Conan and Warhammer Online in 2008 – both based on existing titles, although Warhammer's origins are from the pen and paper RPG days. Next year, Star Trek Online is being released, and a game based on the Stargate franchise is also in development. In fact, it seems that every week we hear rumours that an MMO based on another popular theme is on its way; companies certainly seem to have realised that if people are fans of something, many want to actually be a part of it, and MMOs make that possible.

It's unlikely we'll end up with an MMO for every book, film or invented universe out there though. They're expensive to produce and maintain, and players usually have to pay a subscription to be able to log on. Several free-to-play games are now available, but those are sustained by micro-transactions or in-game advertising. But I do believe MMOs are here to stay, and I think they will become a part of most people's lives at some point. There are already several different types of MMO, Facebook has a wide selection that people can take part in – probably without realising they are doing so.

As for the blockbuster subscriber games such as World of Warcraft, LOTRO and next year's Star Wars: The Old Republic, I can see things getting bigger and better. WoW is getting old now, it's just celebrating its fifth anniversary, but Blizzard has a new MMO in the works, something I hear will make even the most staunch WoW fan think about changing their game of choice. SW: TOR is bringing a couple of new aspects to MMOs by introducing another feature of the original RPGs – choices that will genuinely affect future events for your character. Every line of quest text also has a full voice-over. Future games will have to compete with features like this, so what's left? Personally, I'm still holding out for that virtual reality MMO.

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