A history lesson in how to not make an MMORPG.
Underlight
Be a part of a vast Underlight City of dreamers. Real people, just like you, creating real characters. There are no pre determined paths for you to follow and no specified end game. You are in control of how your character interacts with the other characters creating true conflict and resolution. It's your dream to make.
"Review"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9TFGWS21kw4
https://store.steampowered.com/app/980730/Underlight/
Not much point in "playing" it today, but worth adding given how early this MMO came out. You could already roleplay in Meridian 59 (1996) if you really wanted to, so I'm not sure how popular this game was back in the day.