I've played most of the big name mmo's, and many smaller ones. During gaps in between, I tend to go to http://www.mmorpg.com/ and scroll down their game list just looking for one I've missed or a new one. Offline single player games just don't seem to do it for me. There s something about the MMO that I've been addicted to since UO. Currently playing Rift and PoE to pass the time.

Let's see here... first MMO I ever played was star wars galaxies for a little over a year pre-cu. Then I went on to play world of warcraft from launch for about 4 years until just after wrath of the lich king launched. After WoW my memory gets hazy on how long or when I played others, but since then I know I've gone through DC Universe online, star trek online, priston tale, star wars: the old republic, Global agenda, and probably several others I'm forgetting about.

If you have not played a mmo before do give yourself enough time to get used to the quirks. Don't be put off and give up right away. If you are used to only seeing NPCs behaving like NPCs then it will be distracting at first to see other players jumping and running about and some of them will have strange names - many after Game of Thrones characters. After a short time you just learn to live with or ignore other players and their unpredictability actually becomes likeable. It's radiant AI without the A - occasionally without the I too.

I've played 10+, but only two of those for more than a few weeks before I got bored, which was WoW for 7 years (obviously) and the most in-depth game, let alone MMO, I have ever played, Anarchy Online for about 5 years.

I tend to skip F2P MMO's, because I don't like locked content and with a F2P model, I find it is possible to spend more than the game is worth on micro transactions for a minor advantage, or none at all, in the case of cosmetics. At least with a sub-fee, you get everything and you're on a level playing field with everyone else. Even if ESO has an in-game store for cosmetics, I couldn't careless about looking unique. Although, I have bought the imperial edition, but that was only for the Molag Bal statue and art book.

This is a pretty good point. There are many things about an MMO that you may find startling if it's your first time. But some are much worse than others, so downloading and playing a couple free ones before you try ESO is a good idea.

Can't remember all of them anymore ... The most intense was DAoC (7+ years), followed by Warhammer Online (1 year), GuildWars 1 (3-4 years) and World of Warcraft (1-2 years). I've been playing GuildWars 2 since release too for about a year and some months too though I never felt really bound and connected to that game at all. In the end DAoC was als my favorite one since I really felt like exploring a world without being bound to quests and defending/representing my faction. There are too many things why I loved and still love that game I guess. And there are too many reasons why other MMORPGs didn't bound me that much.

A MMORPG should catch you and keep up your interrest. If its not interresting anymore then there is no reason to play it anymore in my opinion. I kinda need to be bound in several ways to the game even when I don't have a huge amount to invest into the game.

I've played Star War Galaxies for about a year, though 85% of my time played was in the card game, and didn't even have a moderately leveled character.

I also played Dofus, a cartoon graphiced MMO. I was drawn to it by its turn based tactical strategy. I spent 2.5 years playing it, and at my height was playing 6 accounts. Turn based combat made this easy. I forced myself to quit cause I was addicted...by now want to start back up thinking about it...

..must find something productive to do until the end of March!

I started with the proto-MMO from ancient days known as the original Neverwinter NIghts on AOL. The engine was based on the old gold box D&D games from the late 80s or early 90s and could hold up to 400 players and we paid by the HOUR to be there. From there it was UO, then EQ, then AC, then AO, then DAoC, then WoW, after which I have lost track.

It's interesting to see so many people trying out more than 5 MMO's. Makes me wonder how much indepth understanding those have of each community.
Interesting poll btw!

I used to be firmly in the "An Elder Scrolls MMO? Hell no!" camp but a good friend worked carefully and patiently to convince me that I'm better off giving this game a chance than just hunkering down for the long wait until TES 6 while everyone else enjoys all that lovely content. Now I'm quite excited and keen to give it a go. I'm also hoping the fact there's a subscription will act as some kind of deterrent to people just coming on to act like trolls, although my friend insists that's not as big a problem as I imagine even in F2P games.

Understanding can be hard, for example you don't understand that it isn't trying out more than 5 MMOs, it is having played more than 5 MMOs since the genre started in the late 20th century. Once you understand that, you can try understanding that we played those games for years before moving on to a new game, and thus understood those communities pretty well.

Understanding, you should try it, you might like it.

Come on.. don't be splitting hairs, if I would've asked you if you had tried any of those games you've played you would've said "Yes" not "No, I haven't tried it, I have played it". To try it is to play it.
I know that some people have been playing MMO's since the 90s (appearently your case), but I don't believe that all of those people in this poll have the same long term commitment to MMO's as you do (and you're in no position to answer for them either). But that's not my original question either.
It's a theoretical question, I'm not asking for an answer to cover everyone in said group. To reach a better understanding I would have to ask everyone individually, since amount of time played doesn't actually tell anything about the indepth understanding of said community.

Interesting thing is, that in P2P games is sometimes more trolls than in those F2P

From my WoW experience - the longer the game existed and more expansions were released the more trolls and anoying people were present in game, and they all are paying sub !!

No and 5+

Plus, I could say the same exact thing and my point would be valid.

Interesting thing is, that in F2P games is sometimes more trolls than in those P2P

I've played a little bit WoW and LOTRO, but neither of them catered to me.

But ESO does so i really look forward till the releasedate.

One of the bigger issues I see a lot of people have is suddenly being surrounded by people coming from every way of life imaginable. Real people, that aren't just another NPC that you can stab in the back of the face if you don't like them, but in fact people that actually exist in real life.

Sure, we all know of the stereotypical cheeto dust encrusted basemant dwelling neckbeard so pale from lack of sunlight that they could blind the unprepared. You might think there aren't really people like that right? But there are, and you'll eventually meet him! But you're also going to meet nerds, geeks, religious fanatics, emos, jocks, sports buffs, models, fitness enthusiasts, nice people, mean people, kids under 10, elderly into their 60s and 70s, trolls, casuals, hardcoes, etc. You are going to meet them all eventually. You're going to be subjected to an astounding amount of WTFery.

The best advice I can give to anyone new to MMOs though is this: Don't give up just because you came across the wrong people before the right ones. The right ones are out there, and you will meet them if you stick with it.

I recall in LOTRO a new kinmate who swore constantly like you had never heard before. In officer chat we guessed he must be about 11 so we tried to go easy on him. Later that morning he left saying his Dad was calling him. I don't recall seeing him around after that.

Another issue is people who join your guild and just immediately ask for money or stuff or constant help. They usually hop from guild to guild enriching themselves along the way.

Vast majority of people l have met in LOTRO though have been great. Some wonderful conversations about the different things we all eat for Xmas dinner etc.

By the way if anyone was about to say anything about female dwarves in LOTRO at least two of those are me!

It's not the first MMO but maybe thest one! ;D

won't be my first. Can't really remember all the others, let's just say too much time has been spent in alternate realities

This will be my first MMO. I am kinda nervous about playing an MMO. It seems a bit intimidating. And, I have only played online multiplayer once-Call of Duty: World at War. I have been doing my research on MMOs and TESO. I just hope I don't die the very second I spawn in PvP. I'm expecting to die ALOT.

I'm kind of in the same boat. My only online gaming has been FPS stuff like Quake and I got killed a LOT. I'm not a "twitchy" gamer....and I don't tend to hop around and jump up and down like a bunny or something like is popular.

You gonna have a blast if you can weed out the trolls and be patient enough!

I used to play this game called Graal Online, must have been like 12 years ago or something. Used to be called Zelda Online, I suppose it could be called a MMO. Around the same time I tryed this game called Fairyland for a bit, wasn't very good.

More recently I've played LOTRO for a little while, as well as GW2. Whenever I play GW2 I'm usually pretty excited about it the first week, after that my interest fades pretty quickly. Usually never continue to play it longer then 3-4 weeks. Probably has got to do with the fact that I just can't get into the story/lore of the game and that the races just seem pretty dull to me.

Graal Online, Fairyland, LOTRO and GW2. So I've voted 4.

TESO is the first MMO I'm really excited about and which I'm planning to spend a lot of time on. So ZOS, do not dissapoint me.

Everyone will die alot in Cyrodiil. It won't be a big deal. You just respawn and go back for more Try this thread if you haven't already. http://www.gamesas.com/topic/1486628-a-few-tips-if-eso-will-be-your-first-mmo/ Might be some helpful info there for ya.

I voted 5+, but the only one I've played for a significant length of time was WoW (release to three years in).

Others I've tried include AoC, LOTRO, SWTOR, CoH, STO, Neverwinter, TERA... and probably some more. Just couldn't really get into any of em.

ESO is different though. I know that from the beta