MMORPGs: The Basics
Prior to the advent of the Internet, many video games were played alone or with just a friend or two, with limits imposed on the user due to simple matters of the right technology being invented yet. In modern times, though, the Internet and fast network connections make networking gamers together a snap, with MMORPGs, which stands for Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games, representing the pinnacle of this ability to play with large groups of people. What makes MMORPGs so fun and what can you do in them? Let’s explore this genre of games more closely.
A Persistent World To Explore
The forerunners of MMORPGs came in text-based form, where text was used to describe fantasy environments where people could pretend to kill monsters, fight with enemy players, or just explore a new environment. The addition of other users meant that something was always going on in these games. Now, with crisp graphics possible, MMORPGs such as the new release Lord of the Rings Online allows people to create detailed fantasy realms. In the aforementioned example, however, players can explore environments designed in homage to the lands from Tolkein’s famous books.
Cooperative Play
Other than adding its own life to a world, the different players in MMORPGs allow for cooperative play. Rather than explore a world on your own, players can team up with other players in groups of two or more. Some MMORPGs, such as the current winner for most popular MMORPG, World Of Warcraft, allow up to 40 players to band together to achieve goals in the game, or form large social groups known as guilds to enhance cooperation and create a social environment in the game. Part of the fun of these games is the social aspect, sharing the fun with others.
Creating Conflicts
One dynamic that’s popular in MMORPGs is the ability to enter into conflict with other players, known as PVP or Player Versus Player gaming. Most MMORPGs help to create an environment for this by separating players into several different factions. One game, however, City Of Heroes accomplished this with a release of a sequel to their original game, calling it City Of Villians. In the former game, players took on the persona of superheroes in an urban environment, in contrast with the usual fantasy environments of other MMORPGs. As the title suggests, the sequel allowed players to create villain characters that can battle with the heroes. So, whether your desire is to cooperate with other players or try to kill them, to run through fantasy environments or control a superhero running through a city, MMORPGs offer plenty for the modern gamer.
