Future of the Massive Multiplayer Online Games

Humanity traversed a long path from the old textual adventures and simple roleplay games built for our Paleozoic machines, to the modern breathtaking massive worlds with millions of players and relations.
Some trends in gaming industry have been set, especially in making the Massive Multiplayer Online games. Some of those trends have been exploited mercilessly, causing that every new game looks like a previous one.
Is it time to set up a new milestones in MMO gaming? Is future bright for MMO games?

Fantasy moment is the most important and the most dominating in the majority of Massive Online Multiplayer Games, abbreviated as MMOG.
Foundation in fantasy based worlds offers a lot of opportunities. Everything is possible, like use of various magic items, mana, restoration, teleport, etc. That spreads role play and world expansion to eternity.
But, would it be too much fantasy MMOGs one day? Would it become too boring?
I doubt, but genre will definitely need some refreshment.

It's possible that integration with futuristic elements will take place. Some of the 'straight' futuristic MMOGs are already made, like Fallen Earth or Star Wars Galaxies, Eve Online or Anarchy Online, before it. Some are still in beta like Star Trek Online.
But would it be interesting to see some kind of crossover game that integrates both fantasy and futuristic elements? A kind of game that offers opportunity to choose world where you will play and a level of advancement?
For example, player would be able to choose a planet, with not so advanced economy, inhabited with various creatures and perfect for roleplay and raid with guild mates, or space station or battleship monitoring that planet, highly advanced, which offers a lot of gadgets and future weapons for good fight among the stars.
Both (or many) worlds can interact between each other (for example, every once in a while, spacetroopers should land on the planet to gather crystal, which is necessary for their equipment and life in outer space and meet the native races on the planet) as well as working as separate entities.
Hmm, that would be fun, I must admit.

Between these two types of MMO games, another one that cannot be described either as fantasy or futuristic has been developed. Few years ago, Linden Lab proudly presented a new form of massive multiplayer online game - Second Life.
Second Life is the game that goes in other extreme. It is transfer of real- life with all its aspects into virtual environment. Serious gamers often consider putting Second Life into same box with WoW or Guild Wars, as an act of pure blasphemy.
Those who are opposed often say it has nothing to do with RPG. It's just about fooling around, meeting new people, earning that 'L' cash...
Well, I think they're wrong.
Socialization segments incorporated into this popular virtual world are nothing but tasks and quests. So, finding a virtual girl/boyfriend or a place for relaxation or band to play with in Second Life can be compared to raids and P2P 'meetings' in fantasy based MMOGs.
Taking into consideration that every one of us has different measures for excitement, building a toon can be as equally interesting to someone as building a relationship to someone else.

Personally, I'm a fond of integration of various elements and making a well crafted mixture that will attract diversity of players.

Only that guarantees that game will have long term prosperity in the future.