MMORPG, as defined by Wikipedia; “MMORPG (Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game) is a genre of online computer role-playing games (RPGs) in which large numbers of players interact with each other in a virtual world. As in all role-playing games, Players take on the role of a fictional character (most commonly in a fantasy setting) and take control of many of that character’s actions. MMORPGs are distinguished from single-player or small multiplayer role-playing games by the number of players and by the persistent world of the game, usually hosted by the game publisher, which continues to exist and evolve while the player is out of the game.
MMORPGs are very popular around the world, with combined global memberships in subscription and non-subscription games topping 15 million in 2006. Overall, MMORPG revenue exceeded $ 500 million in 2005 and is expected to reach over a billion dollars in 2009. “(From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)
If ever there was one thing that has truly become a unique innovation in video games, it would be online gaming and its ability to offer multiplayer games. Now, online multiplayer games are nothing new, having been around for eight years, having debuted with DOOM in 1998. However, online multiplayer games were not instantly popular across the spectrum of PC gamers. It took a while for the ball to roll, but when it finally started to gain momentum, the next thing that unfolded seemingly exceeded even the most optimistic expectations of the early days.
Definition of online multiplayer games
For those unfamiliar with the term, multiplayer online games imply that multiple players can participate in an online game at the same time. They can work as a team in front of the computer or they can play against each other. It has been said that multiplayer games of this nature were the first change from computer games where a human faces an artificial intelligence to where humans play against other humans. In a way, this phase that online gaming has entered seems to be a throwback in terms of offering the same purpose as the games of yesteryear.
The old times
Parker Brothers didn’t make a dime selling all those board games because the games were fascinating to play. (Most of the games were extremely straightforward, but they benefited from excellent marketing campaigns.) Part of the reason people and families loved playing these games was because they were social events where people could get together and have lots of fun interacting. Yes, there were competitive people who sometimes took board games too seriously, but generally people liked spending time together and having fun with these classic games.
As video games became increasingly popular, games took a lengthy approach to developing single-player games. This ended up killing a large part of the benefits of social interaction. With the advent of online multiplayer games, video games and computer games have joined the realm of social interaction filling the seeming void previously held by board games. (Board games, however, remain popular and sell well)
Multiplayer PC games serve an excellent purpose in increasing the social lines of communication between people around the world and will likely continue to expand in volume and popularity.