The Daily Grind: Would a wild west MMO work?

Whenever the topic of alternative MMO genres comes up, my mind almost always shoots straight to the wild, wild west. Westerns have experienced a little bit of a renaissance in Hollywood these past few years (True Grit, Django Unchained, 3:10 to Yuma), and even video games (Red Dead Redemption) have not been immune to the allure of the rough-and-tumble frontier.

But here's the thing: Would it work as an MMO?

If it could, I think it'd be an awesome game with plenty of evocative elements. At the same time, the devs would certainly have to deal with the not-so-politically correct aspects of the era, including the treatment of slaves, minorities, and indigenous peoples. Throwing that at a community that isn't always best-known for being respectful toward others seems like a bad idea to me.

So what would need to happen to make a western MMO work? Would it have to be sent into space, a la WildStar, or into the post-apocalyptic future, a la Fallen Earth?

Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!