History Main / MassivelyMultiplayerOnlineRoleplayingGame

* ''Manhwa/{{Yureka}}'': Has Lost Saga and mentions of two "earlier" games.

* ''Literature/SwordArtOnline'' is notable for featuring several advanced virtual reality MMO games, one per major plot arc. The first one has the players [[InsideAComputerSystem trapped in it]] until [[WinToExit they beat the final boss]], or die... [[TheMostDangerousVideoGame which kills them in real life too.]] The subsequent arcs get rid of this and show the players' life both online and offline; the plots spawn both worlds and the dichotomy between players and their characters becomes a major plot element.

** It has a MMORPG called [[VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft World of War]][[VideoGame/EverQuest quest]]. It's a very-thinly disguised ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft'', which author [[JustForFun/OneOfUs Bill Amend plays]]. For example, one series of strips revolved around Jason's efforts to get the "Kingsquisher" title; in ''World of Warcraft'', you earn the title "Kingslayer" by killing the Lich King (the Expansion 2 BigBad).
** One Foxtrot comic featured a rare and powerful ''World of Warquest'' weapon named "Doomulus Prime." An actual quest reward mace named Doomulus Prime was later [[{{Defictionalization}} added to the real]] ''World of Warcraft'' game.
* ''ComicStrip/KnightsOfTheDinnerTable'' has "World of Hackcraft", the MMORPG spin off of the "Hackmaster" TabletopRPG.

* ''VideoGame/MegaManStarForce'' has the ever popular Burger Quest.

* The ''VideoGame/TerrainOfMagicalExpertiseRPG'' game adaptation isn't a true MMORPG, like the game featured in the source material's story was, but is instead a simulated one inspired by the ''Franchise/DotHack'' video games.

* ''VisualNovel/REAlistair'' begins in the fictional MMO Rivenwell Online, and the story begins due to an in-game incident. [[spoiler: All three [[DatingSim dateable boys]] play the same MMO.]]

* The eponymous game which is the main setting of ''WebAnimation/TvTomeAdventures'' and ''WebAnimation/{{TOME}}.'' Interestingly, though the series was heavily influenced by the likes of ''Franchise/DotHack'' and ''VideoGame/MegaManBattleNetwork,'' it was actually inspired by the now-defunct forum on the website ''Tv Tome'' rather than a real MMORPG.

* In the webcomic ''[[http://www.bitmapworld.com/smcomic.cgi?a=64 BitmapWorld,]]'' the teenage characters from the strip play an MMORPG called ''Cosmic Dungeon.'' The ''Cosmic Dungeon'' strips are almost a comic-within-a-comic.

* ''Website/TheOnion'' parodied ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft'' in a video about an MMORPG that lets the gamer play a gamer playing ''World of Warcraft''.
* The ''Website/SCPFoundation'' has [[http://www.scp-wiki.net/scp-896 SCP-896]], an MMORPG where, if the player uses their own name as the avatar, their stats in real life will start corresponding to that in the game. For example, increasing strength would cause the player in real life to become stronger, stamina would make them more durable, etc.

* ''WesternAnimation/AmericanDad'': Steve and his friends were fans of an MMORPG named ''Dragonscuffle'' in "Dungeons and Wagons". Hayley, wanting to talk to Jeff after dumping him, used her account to bring Steve's recently-killed character back to life. He wanted to be her boyfriend again, but she'd already found someone while playing the game.
* ''WesternAnimation/DannyPhantom'' had ''"Doomed"'', which was [[JustOneMoreLevel so addictive that Danny was able to play it from evening until morning without realizing it.]]
* The ''WesternAnimation/KimPossible'' episode "Virt-U-Ron" revolved around a fictional MMORPG called "Everlot" (the title likely being a mish-mash of ''[=EverQuest=]'' and ''Dark Ages of Camelot'').

* ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft'' was the focus of the ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'' episode "Make Love, Not Warcraft", as the boys tried to deal with an overpowered "griefer" who kept killing everyone else's characters and threatened to bring about the end of the world... of Warcraft. Cites "Franchise/HelloKitty Island Adventure" as a major rival to [=WoW=].

* ''[[VideoGame/GhostInTheShellFirstAssaultOnline Ghost In The Shell: Stand Alone Complex: First Assault Online]]'' (Free to play)

FakeLongevity, FakeDifficulty, FetchQuest (and subtrope TwentyBearAsses), and the ubiquitous LevelGrinding.

* ''Glory'' in ''Literature/TheKingsAvatar'': unlike other ficitional examples, this game has become a premiere title for UsefulNotes/ProfessionalGaming such that there's a dedicated [=eSports=] league for it in mainland China. The story begins in the midst of its eighth season, of which the ExperiencedProtagonist has won three consecutive championships in the league's first three years. [[spoiler:Some time after Season 10, the developers of ''Glory'' begin holding the world championships, of which the protagonist is invited to captain the Chinese national team]].

* ''WesternAnimation/RalphBreaksTheInternet'' has Ralph and Vanellope visting the online open-world racing game ''Slaughter Race", where they end up befriending NPC Shank and her crew. [[spoiler:At the end, Vanellope moves to ''Slaughter Race'' permanently.]]

[[folder:Films]]
* ''Film/FreeGuy'' revolves around an NPC of the online open-world game ''Free City'', the titular Guy, gaining self-awareness.
* ''Film/ReadyPlayerOne2018'': Just like the original novel below, the story revolves around ''OASIS'', a VR world that a lot of people spend much time in to escape from the crapsack real world.

* ''Literature/MagisterusBadTrip'' has Money (Game) Master, with a number of players estimated as ranging from 5-200 million. It is considered SeriousBusiness, with the in-game economy having significant influence over the real economy. However, it lacks many game conventions such as quests or a level up system. [[spoiler:This is because (unknown to most) it was never intended to be a game, but is actually a simulation of the real world.]]

!!Notable games in this genre:

* In a few episodes of ''Anime/WelcomeToTheNHK'', Sato becomes addicted to an MMO game called ''Ultimate Fantasy''. It makes him even more of a loser than he already is, and he becomes totally detached from reality, until his best friend snaps him out of it.

[[folder: Web Animation]]
* The eponymous game which is the main setting of ''WebAnimation/TvTomeAdventures'' and ''WebAnimation/{{TOME}}.'' Interestingly, though the series was heavily influenced by the likes of ''Franchise/DotHack'' and ''VideoGame/MegaManBattleNetwork,'' it was actually inspired by the now-defunct forum on the website ''Tv Tome'' rather than a real MMORPG.
[[/folder]]

* ''Elder Tale'', a long-running fantasy RPG set in a post-apocalyptic Earth, gets a new game update as all logged-in players suddenly experience TheGameComeToLife in the light novel/anime ''LightNovel/LogHorizon''.

* ''LightNovel/OnlySenseOnline'' features a virtual reality fantasy MMO of the same name and the series revolves around one beginner player and his (mis)adventures in the game.
* As ''Yggdrasil'', a long-running immersive fantasy MMO closes down for good, a player by the character name Momonga, the guild leader, decides to stay online. But he's unexpectedly awakes [[TheGameComeToLife inside a new reality of the castle of his guild's own making]], with NPC attendants now alive, in the light novel/anime ''LightNovel/Overlord2012''.

* ''LightNovel/SwordArtOnline'' is notable for featuring several advanced virtual reality MMO games, one per major plot arc. The first one has the players [[InsideAComputerSystem trapped in it]] until [[WinToExit they beat the final boss]], or die... [[TheMostDangerousVideoGame which kills them in real life too.]] The subsequent arcs get rid of this and show the players' life both online and offline; the plots spawn both worlds and the dichotomy between players and their characters becomes a major plot element.

* One episode of Manga/{{Chobits}} involves the main cast enjoying their time with a free trial of an MMO. They come across a boss that is said to be impossible to beat, [[spoiler: but Chi hacks the game and makes it possible to beat it. None of them are aware of how this happened]], and Hideki decides that playing MMO's wouldn't be healthy for him or his budget anyway.

* One episode of Manga/{{Chobits}} involves the main cast enjoying their time with a free trial of an MMO. They come across a boss that is said to be impossible to beat, [[spoiler: but Chi hacks the game and makes it possible to beat it. None of them are aware of how this happened]], and Hideki decides that playing MMO's wouldn't be healthy for him or his budget anyway.
* ''LightNovel/SwordArtOnline'' is notable for featuring several advanced virtual reality MMO games, one per major plot arc. The first one has the players [[InsideAComputerSystem trapped in it]] until [[WinToExit they beat the final boss]], or die... [[TheMostDangerousVideoGame which kills them in real life too.]] The subsequent arcs get rid of this and show the players' life both online and offline; the plots spawn both worlds and the dichotomy between players and their characters becomes a major plot element.
* In a few episodes of ''Anime/WelcomeToTheNHK'', Sato becomes addicted to an MMO game called ''Ultimate Fantasy''. It makes him even more of a loser than he already is, and he becomes totally detached from reality, until his best friend snaps him out of it.

* ''Elder Tale'', a long-running fantasy RPG set in a post-apocalyptic Earth, gets a new game update as all logged-in players suddenly experience TheGameComeToLife in the light novel/anime ''LightNovel/LogHorizon''.

* Fafnir from ''Manga/MissKobayashisDragonMaid'' ends up getting addicted to [=MMOs=] after coming to Earth (since they appeal to his love of killing and hoarding valuables), to the point that he spends up to 21 hours ''[[TheSleepless per day]]'' playing.

* The Creator/PiersAnthony novel ''{{Killobyte}}'' is about just such a game, in CyberSpace.
** His novel ''Literature/{{Steppe}}'' features a protagonist who is thrust into a ''live'' MMORPG, where players act out their roles in a historical setting, dropping out of the Game when they are "killed" and re-entering if they can afford to buy new parts. Although originally written in 1972, ''Steppe'' foresaw many of the conventions of the MMO as we know them.
* TheMetaverse from the Neal Stephenson novel ''Literature/SnowCrash''.
* ''Literature/HaltingState'' by Creator/CharlesStross is about a ''bank robbery'' in a MMORPG.

* ''Literature/{{Mogworld}}'' [[spoiler:[[ItWasHisSled is set in one.]]]]

* ''Literature/ReadyPlayerOne'' has ''OASIS'', which is a cross between this trope and CyberSpace (partly because logging in involves using VR goggles and haptic gloves). Given that the novel takes place in a PostPeakOil CrapsackWorld, a great number of people across the world tend to spend much of their time in ''OASIS''. In fact, there are schools and universities in ''OASIS'', which are at least as good as those in reality. Also, it's mentioned that the OASIS started as a VR MMO that involved into what we see in the novel.
* ''Literature/MagisterusBadTrip'' has Money (Game) Master, with a number of players estimated as ranging from 5-200 million. It is considered SeriousBusiness, with the in-game economy having significant influence over the real economy. However, it lacks many game conventions such as quests or a level up system. [[spoiler:This is because (unknown to most) it was never intended to be a game, but is actually a simulation of the real world.]]
* ''Glory'' in ''Literature/TheKingsAvatar'': unlike other ficitional examples, this game has become a premiere title for UsefulNotes/ProfessionalGaming such that there's a dedicated [=eSports=] league for it in mainland China. The story begins in the midst of its eighth season, of which the ExperiencedProtagonist has won three consecutive championships in the league's first three years. [[spoiler:Some time after Season 10, the developers of ''Glory'' begin holding the world championships, of which the protagonist is invited to captain the Chinese national team]].

* In ''VideoGame/StarOceanTillTheEndOfTime'', [[spoiler:the plot twist is the universe is an MMORPG for higher dimensional beings]].

* ''VideoGame/Persona3'' has one Social Link conducted entirely over the fictional MMO "[[VideoGame/Persona2 Innocent Sin]] Online". [[spoiler:Said Social Link turns out to be with the protagonist's homeroom teacher.]]

* In the webcomic ''[[http://www.bitmapworld.com/smcomic.cgi?a=64 BitmapWorld,]]'' the teenage characters from the strip play an MMORPG called ''Cosmic Dungeon.'' The ''Cosmic Dungeon'' strips are almost a comic-within-a-comic.
* The ''Webcomic/SluggyFreelance'' story arc "Years of Yarncraft" is all about spoofing [=MMORPGs=] (though the strip calls them [=MMORGYPOOs=]: Massively Multiplayer Organized Roleplaying Game Yarn Providing Outward Obnoxiousness). Most of it focuses on a ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft'' style game, but a bass fishing MMORGYPOO is briefly featured as well.
* "Clichequest" from ''Webcomic/TheNoob'' which satirizes [=MMORPGs=].

* ''Webcomic/{{Magience}}'' is about a MMORPG that may be more than a game.

* ''Website/TheOnion'' parodied ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft'' in a video about an MMORPG that lets the gamer play a gamer playing ''World of Warcraft''.

* ''WesternAnimation/AmericanDad'': Steve and his friends were fans of an MMORPG named ''Dragonscuffle'' in "Dungeons and Wagons". Hayley, wanting to talk to Jeff after dumping him, used her account to bring Steve's recently-killed character back to life. He wanted to be her boyfriend again, but she'd already found someone while playing the game.
* ''WesternAnimation/DannyPhantom'' had ''"Doomed"'', which was [[JustOneMoreLevel so addictive that Danny was able to play it from evening until morning without realizing it.]]
* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'': Bart dominated ''Earthland Realms'', which was basically a bloodthirsty (bloodthirstier?) [[HeroicFantasy Medieval Fantasy]] version of Springfield. At one point, Marge, being the loving mother she was, bought him some items in the form of a Franchise/HelloKitty expansion pack.

FakeLongevity, FakeDifficulty, FakeBalance, FetchQuest (and subtrope TwentyBearAsses), and the ubiquitous LevelGrinding.

* A version appears in the ''Anime/LuckyStar'' OVA. And it [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EhjhjVpaAVk looks awesome!]]

* The ''Wiki/SCPFoundation'' has [[http://www.scp-wiki.net/scp-896 SCP-896]], an MMORPG where, if the player uses their own name as the avatar, their stats in real life will start corresponding to that in the game. For example, increasing strength would cause the player in real life to become stronger, stamina would make them more durable, etc.

* ''VideoGame/ChroniclesOfElyria''