MMORPG

Massive(ly) Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games or MMORPGs, are virtual persistent worlds located on the Internet in which players interact with each other through cybernetic avatars, that is, graphical representations of the characters they play.

MMORPGs are computer games that trace their roots to non-graphical online MUD games, to text-based computer games such as Adventure and Zork, and to pen and paper role-playing games like Dungeons & Dragons.

In MMORPGs, players are able to access the virtual persistent world an MMORPG consists of at any moment with the avatar of their choosing, and engage in multiple types of activities with other players accessing the same way from any part of the world. MMORPG developers are in charge of supervising the virtual world and offering the users a constantly updated set of new activities and enhancements to guarantee the interest of players.

MMORPGs are generally commercial, meaning that a wishing user must pay for the obtainment of the software an MMORPG is based on. In addition, most MMORPGs might not only require an initial payment for its software, but also a monthly fee, in order to continually access the virtual world of that MMORPG. Still, some totally free-of-charge MMORPGs may be found on the internet, although their quality is generally lower compared with commercial MMORPGs. Some of the most popular commercial MMORPGs are Ultima Online (1997), EverQuest (1999), Asheron's Call (1999), Anarchy Online (2001) and Star Wars Galaxies (2003). Of all MMORPGs, Lineage has the most subscribers and is the most popular in Korea. There are also several projects in development to create high-quality free MMORPGs, such as PlaneShift, or a free game engine for MMORPGs, such as Arianne.

MMORPGs have begun to attract significant academic attention, for example in economics.

Table of contents

1 Genre Challenges
2 External Links
3 Links to popular MMORPGs

Genre Challenges

MMORPG developers face many challenges:

It is impossible for one player to realistically affect the overall state of the world. In a normal RPG, the player or party is the hero and single-handedly saves the world. In an MMORPG, every player can't save the world.
Inflation. In many MMORPGs, the economy becomes imbalanced. This is primarily due to the gradual accumulation of wealth and power within the RPG. Essentially detroying any meaningful interaction between players of varying power ranges. (i.e. noobies and ye olde tymers). Some RPG's have addressed this with varying degrees of success. Asherons Call for example uses a guild system where lower level characters swear allegiance to higher level players, and generate additional experience points for them. The theory being that it is in the higher level players interest to assist the lower players and thus increase the reward they recieve. Ultima Online has items wear out gradually, so that there is a more or less constant demand for crafting resources, which new characters can acquire and sell to the higher level characters. Diablo 2, while not a MMORPG, has similar problems in Softcore but not in Hardcore play where death is permanent. This is due to the constant recycling of players, creating an active market for all levels of equipment.
Bots. In many MMORPGs, you can set up scripts to play the game, performing the same task over and over again, and reap huge rewards. This lets you build up a powerful character just by letting your computer run unattended. This flaw is built into almost the very essence of a RPG "leveling", that your character becomes more powerful primarily by repeatedly killing things. These macros are forbidden in many of these games, and developers are now fighting back by working on automation detection systems.
Player Killing (PKing). In order for a world to be realistic, players should be able to kill anything, even other players. However, this is very discouraging to new players, who are slaughtered by experienced player killers.
Time Commitment. A character's power represents how much time is invested in playing, rather than skill. Again this is due to the "leveling" aspect of the game. Being killed is discouraging for casual players, who are interested in 1-3 hours a week without dedicated their entire life to the game. This also leads to the problem that powerful characters and items being sold on eBay.
Pay to play, Pay even more to win. Due to the problems just mentioned, one can receive a great advantage in game by buying another persons' already powerful character. It is also possible to buy memberships or special items such as those offered by games such as Runescape and Elysaria.
Rude Players. There also is a problem of rudeness by other players. Some MMORPGs discipline nasty players by ensuring that responsible moderators or admins are online at all times.
Scamming. Scamming can also be a problem in many of these games, as players try to break the rules to further enhance their characters. Typically this occurs by manipulating bugs in the game code, or by taking advantage of new players' lack of familiarity with the details of game mechanics.
Clans. Often these games bring players together in clans where they can make allegiences and enemies, enhancing the game itself and the roleplay within it.
Lag. Perhaps the most popular annoying factor for MMORPG players, as there is a wide amount of data that needs to be sent and received from and to many parts of the world at all moments, players, especially those with low-bandwith connections to the internet, experience a series of events in the game due to which disrupt the gaming experience, such as avatar freezing in the virtual world, late response to commands and between players, and total disconnection from the game world, due to the low speed of sending and retrieval of data concerning the MMORPG. This effect, known as lag, ruins the overall MMORPG experience for many, and is the main reason for many players to complain and keeps them from enjoying MMORPGs correctly.