Study proposes server‑side solutions to keep tiny MMORPGs alive

A master's thesis by Sina Rahimiashtiani at the University of Klagenfurt examines the unique challenges faced by very small multiplayer online role‑playing games, where player numbers drop to single digits. The research identifies five interrelated problems—economic stagnation, social isolation, the “empty world” effect, accelerated churn, and inaccessible content—and models them as a self‑reinforcing death spiral.

The author proposes thirteen server‑side game mechanics across economic stabilization, social facilitation and content accessibility, and implements ten of them on a custom server compatible with the open‑source Eternal Lands client. Demonstrated interventions include dynamic NPC traders, cooperative collection pools, asynchronous player markets, AI‑driven wildlife encounters and guided progression systems, all operating within a single‑threaded architecture without requiring client modifications.