This study examines the usability challenges faced by new players of massively multiplayer online roleplaying games (MMORPGs), one of the fastest-growing segments of the video game industry. Played in completely online worlds, these games allow players to communicate with one another, form groups and communities, and compete in a variety of fantasy environments. Nineteen subjects participated in an exploratory usability study of four games, three MMORPGs and a similar single-player game used as a control. Results reveal that many people not usually considered as potential players of these games may be interested in them, but a wide variety of usability issues present serious problems for players inexperienced with the genre. Based on an analysis of the usability data and player feedback, specific recommendations are made to improve the experience of these games for new players. These results further demonstrate the applicability and importance of usability testing to video games. These results were first published in the proceedings of CHI 2004. This paper provides an expanded context for the study, with a more detailed discussion of the genre and its market position. Additional information is provided about the study design and rationale, more detailed usability recommendations are given for the problems uncovered by this testing, and further comparisons are made with the game usability heuristics developed by Federoff (2002).