Bill Murphy: Should We Add Diablo 3?

It’s no secret that we’ve been broadening the scope of this site in recent years to include games which may not be traditional MMORPGs, but fall into the broader and broader scope of “MMO”.  The reason we’ve added games like League of Legends and Guild Wars or Global Agenda is pretty simple: they have facets which are comparable to an MMORPG, even if the sum of the game is more of an MMO-Lite experience.  We cover a broader scope these days because the industry and readers demand it, and that’s really all there is to it. 

But when do we cross that line?  We almost have to judge each game on an individual basis and decide which is right for adding to the list based on the combination of features and fan desire.  That’s why I’m writing this today.  Diablo 3 is going to be big.  It’s going to be online.  It’s not going to be massively so, but it’s going to have persistent elements tons of co-op options, and even an auction house.  Does it deserve a spot on this list as much as Guild Wars or Global Agenda, or without a shared “hub” is it missing one vital part?

So as this posts, we’re going to make a poll in the general forums and ask for your input.  You can argue your position, but really we want your votes.  Diablo 3 is bringing the series one step closer to MMO-dom, and even if it’s not quite an MMORPG there’s still going to be little separating it from many of Nexon’s titles or PWE’s games.  And if they’re listed… shouldn’t Blizzard’s Action RPG be listed?

I know the argument will be that we can’t keep spreading the meaning of MMORPG thin, and we’re really not trying to.  But what we are trying to do is serve you up as many bits of information, reviews, previews, and news as possible in a genre that’s quickly becoming too big for its britches.  We know what the “real” MMORPGs are, and by that extension we’re likely going to be changing some things on our Game List in the near future to reflect specific off-shoots (MOBA, Action-MMO, MMORTS, etc.)  This way you can sort the List as you see fit and get to the games you care about even faster.

All we’re really asking right now is: Should Diablo 3 be added to the MMORPG.com Game List?

›	No 46.0%
›	Yes 54.0%
(login to vote)