Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games

Online Role Playing Game, or sometimes refereed to as Computer Role Playing Game, are a wide range of games that requires the player to build a hero or a character based on his preferences and fancy. These are types of game where one interacts with other players in the virtual world( usually in groups).

As the games advances, the player’ s character should beable to acquire experience as he or she will beneeding this in order to succeed with other rounds or quests. The character must be able to become powerful and should be able to obtain new advance abilities.

Electronic role playing game is a broad genre under the video game category. These were the early beginnings of inline role playing game. These game were originally from Dungeons and Dragons, a traditional role playing games which had been the basis for advance online role playing game nowadays. The games mechanics and the settings of the game were formatted from this games.

Interactions in online role playing game are done in the virtual world using the internet. These may be done individually (single player game) or with a group of friends or team mates (multiplayer game). Computer role playing game offer almost identical features with online role playing game.

Avatar

Online role playing game revolves on making or building your own character. These characters are also called avatars. More than players find it fun and put effort in choosing their avatar. There are different abilities that your avatar can excel on the profile. However, the abilities and powers of the characters depend on the progression of the games.

The characters represent the skills and abilities of the himself. It shows how he or she decide or control the games outcomes. A status screen, display the attributes of the player and his character. It uses numerical values instead of meters, bars, and other simple abstract graphical representation that the usual video game utilize.

Fantasy Setting

A fictional and high fantasy setting is another feature of online role playing game (and other RPGs in general). This settings come from science fiction or space opera themes. Actually, some online RPGs also utilize historical settings and backgrounds.

Exceptions to these trends are online role playing game such as Bloodlines (gothic punk), Arcanum (steam punk), Darklands (a combination of medieval German legend and history), Fallout (post- apocalyptic), and Mount and Blade (Medieval Europe with no magic or fantasy).

Quests

Team members or a group of characters( usually called a party) join forces to complete their missions (usually call "quest"). However, a single player may also do this by himself with the help of other players. These quests are usually fantasy fiction inspired. But classical mythology and science fictions are used basis for the missions.

These missions comprise different adventures along the way. Some challengers defeat the evil boss, rescuing a princess, or clearing dungeon of monsters. Some game require the character to talk to a Non Player Character( NPC) to know and receive his or her mission or quest.

Fetch quest, locational puzzles (like opening locked doors by means of a hidden lever or a key), or engaging in dialogues some of the requirements to proceed to the next level or challenge.

Majority of the online role playing game are played as a linear narrative. Meaning, one plays the games in a predetermined sequence. They just have to compatible with the requirements for the next level to complete the mission.

Massively multiplayer online role- playing games( MMORPG) is a computer role- playing games where a large number of players meet and play with each other in a virtual world. Richard Garriott coined the term MMORPG. He is the creator of Ultimate Games Online, the game which popularized MMORPG.

As in most role- playing game, players take roles in a fictional fantasy world. In the virtual world, the player takes control of the character and his abilities. In every games there are different characters with different traits and abilities.

Most MMORPG characters are categorized into melee, ranged, and magic users. Players have the option to choose from this variety characters to match their personality with the avatar. MMORPG’s Difference From The Average Computer Role Playing game.

MMORPG can be distinguished from normal computer role- playing game by the number of players and the virtual world where the games is situated. While single- player computer role playing game is limited to one player, MMORPG can host thousands of players at a time.

Another difference between the two is the world that surrounds the games. Computer role- playing game are situated in a setting which is repetitive and constant. Each time the player plays the games, the same event is repeated since the games was programmed that way. On the other hand, the MMORPG’ s environment continues to evolve whether the player is online or away from the games.

Cost of Online Role-Playing Games

Since MMORPG has become very popular in the world, revenues have risen dramatically over the years to keep up with the demand of online gamers world wide. In 2005, they can receive half a billion US dollars have been allotted to MMORPG and about one billion dollars have been allotted to the western revenues alone.

Economics on MMORPG

Most online role- playing game feature living economies. Virtual items and currency have to be gained while playing the games and have definite value for the players. Look likes a virtual economy can be analyzed and has value in economic research and can even have a dramatic impact on the economies of the real world.

Edward Castro, one of the early researchers of MMORPGs, demonstrated that there is an existing supply and demand market for virtual items, even crossing over with the real world. Some of the crossover requirements are the following:

The player’ s ability to sell in- game items for virtual currency, trading of items which have the similar value, the purchase of games items with real money.

The Idea of Exchange

The idea of exchanging real currency virtual currency or in- game items has had a significant effect on both the players and games industries. Some people even make a living out of the virtual economies. These people are termed as" gold farmers" and can be employed through the games shops or private forums.

Games publishers usually prohibit the exchange of real currencies with in- game items or virtual money however, these exchanges are hard to control and due to the necessity of an item or virtual money, many of the players offer real money exchange.

Closing

There are some online game which offer a direct link between virtual economy and real- world economy. A perfect example is the games" Entropia Universe". In this online games, real money can be deposited for games money and vice versa.