We've talked before about the changeover in video games from mere twitchy response-based play to emotion-engaging character-led content. An MMO is, in some ways, both a step toward that type of play, and simultaneously away from it. Where games like World of Warcraft reward is in their ability to proffer a rich palette of customization for your character's creation. You have a wide range of options to choose from in crafting the hero you'd like to be. Of course, the problem is that even with a lot of customization, there are still tons of others out there quite like you. Even if each avatar were completely different in appearance, there's still this scenario to consider:

ThrullSkull the Orc Shaman had finally done it -- the Necrowumpus was dead at last. Flush with victory -- and gold and loot besides -- he headed over to his faction's gathering area to boast of his victory. Seated at a table drinking grog, he saw his friend Basher the Troll Warrior walk in. Calling him over, ThrullSkull regaled the Troll with the details of his latest escapade, only to have Basher stop him three sentences in. "Yeah, the Necrowumpus. I completed that quest last week."

No matter how unique an experience it will be to you, it will have already been tackled, mastered, and had strategy guides written about it and posted online by those more experienced, hardcore, or simply earlier than you. Where, then, the sense of achievement?

Another problem arises: for true heroism to arise, there must be a sense of genuine risk, of the fear of losing something valuable. Where is the danger in a typical MMO? Death is impermanent. You have an unlimited number of attempts to complete a given quest. If you truly wanted to make it easier, you could take the long way around, level yourself up many degrees higher than the quest's recommended level, and waltz in like you owned the joint. Now, it's true that there are MMOs that levy a hefty death penalty -- Final Fantasy XI, for example -- but as a whole, these in-game tasks are designed to be conquered with little need for heroic measures on the part of the player.