After playing FFXI for a few weeks, cant wait for Trusts!

[guardin]

...No, they did not. You can't just change the definition of what the acronym for MMO stands for, in general, for the genre just because you feel that mentioning a few personal and arbitrary examples of games that don't follow the traditional mold to a "T" all of a sudden changes the way the entire industry looks at and frames the acronym entirely.

The first M still stands for Massive, as in, the game world is very, very large and it can incorporate an almost endless stream of locales, environments, cultures, races, cities, etc. It's huge, it's an expansive over world. You're not strictly confined towards a linear pathway or specific locale like a single player game would box you in with. You can freely roam an area that expands and seems larger than it really is.

The second M still stands for Multiplayer, as in, the game is able to host and house a very, very large playerbase. You can play with other gamers from differing background and locations without ever leaving the comforts of home. You can make long distance and short distance friends and broaden your social horizons unlike a single player game where you are solely playing by yourself. The AI's cannot converse with you, they can't hold a conversation, you can't form social bonds. You are playing with other people, therefore, it's multiplayer gameplay as in multiple people can join you.

And last, Online, this should be self-explanatory from the get-go.

If the MMO genre was meant to focus on stand-alone and single player gameplay than they would just simply be called "single player games". If an MMO has any kind of single player content, it could be referred to as flavor or additional content, but it is not a core value or component of the genre. Just because an MMO has some single player limelight in its gameplay, does not mean that the concept of an MMO is somehow radically changed. And the same can be said, again, if a single player game has a competitive, multiplayer mode in it.

You wouldn't call an MMO with some solo content a single player game, likewise, you wouldn't call a single player game with some multiplayer content an MMO either.

I think you are somewhat confused... YES there are massive people playing but that doesnt mean you HAVE to play content with them. Just like in real life you dont HAVE to do things with people. MMO isnt about doing content with people but just having a lot of people in one game. Solo experience or not. That is what he was saying.