I like to stay a comfortable year or two behind current trends, so I thought it was about time to jump into the world of MMORPGs (Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games). My first foray into the genre, and likely the last, was "Phantasy Star Universe" for the Xbox 360. I dove headfirst into the abyss and somehow made it back to tell the tale.

MMORPGs allow players to create their own virtual avatar and enter an online world populated by other gamers. There they can meet other gamers, chat, form parties and take on missions together while communicating through text or headset — all for a fee of about $10-$15 a month, of course.

For three months the game never left my console. I'll admit I was hooked. There were missions to accomplish, weapons to try and spells to master. Every few weeks a new update would be released that expanded the world a little bit. I would play long hours just to get to that next level or to make just enough virtual money to upgrade one of my weapons.

As with any RPG leveling up becomes increasingly more difficult, to the point where it can take days to level up just once. I found myself playing the same missions over and over because they gave me better experience than others. This is called "doing runs" by MMO gamers. Instead of enjoying the actual game the only thing that mattered was getting to the next level, and the next, ad infinitum.

The problem is that it never ends. One of the joys of playing video games is beating the game, putting down the controller, then picking it back up and beating it again on expert level. This is especially true for console gamers. To make the investment of the monthly fee worthwhile you should want to log numerous hours on the game, but when there are always other games begging for your attention it becomes impossible. To be fair, there is a single player, off-line game included on the disc that requires no monthly fee to play, but there are far superior RPGs out there, if that is what you are looking for.

The biggest-selling point for this game, and every MMO, is the ability to interact and socialize with an entire gaming community. However, this is exactly what finally made me put down the game for good. If I was concerned about socializing I would have been outside with the neighborhood kids playing kickball when I was 5 years old, rather than playing "Donkey Kong Jr." on Colecovision in my basement.

As a whole, gamers are hardly social butterflies, but in "Phantasy Star Universe" it is impossible to do much of anything unless you are in a party with four of five other gamers. After awhile I just grew weary of people trying to talk to me while I was playing video games.

Believe me when I tell you this game, and all MMOs, are simply not worth the time and monetary investment that they ask of you. There are plenty of other games that are far more satisfying to play, don't have additional fees to play online with other gamers, and won't devour all your free time. Take it from someone who has been there, just say "no" to MMORPGs.

By John M. Schaedler

post@eastbaynewspapers.com

Mr. Schaedler is a gamer, writer and bartender living in Philadelphia.