Check out this great article about the use of the term “massively” (as opposed to simply multiplayer) from Joystiq last year. It was a fun read.
The Think Tank: How do you define massive?](http://massively.joystiq.com/2013/09/12/the-think-tank-how-do-you-define-massive/)
Some highlights:
BEAU: A “real” MMO is defined by a good number of people (enough to make a large neighborhood, but that’s up for debate) interacting and leaving a lasting imprint on a virtual world…
BREE: To me the term massive is about how big the game feels population-wise rather than how many people are actually around… A game that lets me trade, roleplay, PvP, and otherwise interact with people on the other side of the world simply feels more massive than a huge game with loads of people but empty zones and no reason to interact with anyone…
JUSTIN: …But for me, it’s kind of a much more subjective feeling. Some MMOs feel massive and some don’t, and sometimes that has little to do with the actual numbers around me. I mean, I could be playing a game with a million people, but if most of them are in endgame zones and I’m all alone in the beginning zone, it won’t feel massive. Sometimes just the larger community surrounding the game can make an impact in making it feel massive…
SHAWN: …I’d call “massive” anything that feels massive. This usually means a persistent world with other people running around. It means a world where you can run over and join your friends without worrying about what instance or server they’re on. It means a world with little or no restrictions on group play. I’m kinda tired of studios putting the “massive” label on games with four- or six-person team limits.
TERILYNN: I always thought of the term as being “maybe more than you can shake a stick at, but definitely more than can be played with in a typical console game.”…