One can release a new kind of social network game and easily see how its user base grows and how the engagement metrics show that a game is popular. Within weeks, they know if the game will flop or not. The lower costs of development and release allow game designers to try whole new and risky things.

The challenge for MMORPG games is to find a way to take risks with new gameplay styles and truly unique game challenges that the best game designers can imagine. The social game viral distribution model and Games are probably not going to become more complicated in mechanics due to issues with accessibility, but instead the game complexity will come from the players themselves instead of the game design and game engine.

When game mechanics become more complex, it reduces the potential audience because they are harder to learn. We can search for more meaningful game experiences without increasing the level of gameplay complexity. The production values and graphics quality will go up, but the real power and draw of a game is from your friends and family.

... The industry is at a very exciting point now, when people are growing tired of the same old MMORPG game. Some new games are coming out with unique twists on game mechanics, but at their core, are still a basic MMO. I see a future, though, where game designers will break away from the pack, convince investors to put up a smaller amount on a new idea, and produce a hybrid MMORPG/social networking game. And I predict that it has the potential to draw in and retain a lot of new people and old veterans and become the Next Big Thing.