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Ahh…the MMORPG, a six-letter acronym that has taken Japan, the US and the UK by storm…. But what is an MMORPG I hear you cry? Well, it stands for Massively-Multiplayer-Online-Role-Playing-Game – a bit of a mouthful, but this genre of gaming has proved one of the most popular ever.
These games involve hundreds of thousands of gamers occupying the same realm simultaneously, where they can interact, build alliances, or even go to war with one-another – the possibilities are endless. The great thing about MMORPGs is they involve very minimal programming or maintenance, because the players turn the game into whatever they want it to be. Also, players feel a deeper sense of involvement, as if you fail, then you have let their whole team down, or if you make an idiot of yourself, there are people at the other end who can rip it out of you – an aspect not often found in console games, where it is generally you in a room playing a game, where if you make an idiot of yourself, you can put it right, cover it up, and no-one will be the wiser of your little blunder.
Originated in Japan a few years ago, the MMORPG has spawned some of the most ingenious and innovative games such as EverQuest (Sony’s answer to dungeons and dragons), Ultima Online, and Unreal Tournament to name but a few.
In fact, Sony’s EverQuest is the largest MMORPG in the Western Hemisphere, with over 433, 000 paying gamers included in it’s huge online environment. Last month, EverQuest broke the world record for most amount of people logged on to the game at one time, with over 120, 000 fanatics playing at once.
Apparently, more complex MMORPGs contain intricate, virtual economies, where players must upgrade their online character’s attributes or even buy them virtual properties that are improved, enhanced, and even sold on real-life auction websites such as eBay. This is not always a good thing, as recently a Japanese hacker was arrested for “stealing” someone’s online house and selling it on for 50, 000 yen (£270).
A huge advancement in the MMORPG gaming experience, is ‘Star Wars Galaxies’ – a new online game that is being tested for PC as we speak, and due to be released on Playstation2 and Xbox later this year. It involves controlling an online character (Jedi, Sith, Wookie, weird alien with green tentacles, etc.) and forming online alliances, unions, and federations, not to mention flying classic Star Wars ships from planet to planet, doing what you want, when you want, with no limits to your gaming experience.
So, what is the future for the highly acclaimed MMORPG? Well, Michel Cassius, the head of Xbox for Europe, said that Xbox are hoping to make online gaming more accessible, with games such as ‘Who wants to be a Millionaire’, where “everyone will be competing online, and there will be prizes, just like the real thing”. Also, Sony have expressed interests in creating an online 11-a-side football game, where ever player controls one player on the pitch, instead of switching players in the non-online version. All these new advances in MMORPG gaming technology mean that it is estimated that the European gaming market alone will be worth £265million!
If the thought of these online games is your thing, check out EverQuest, Ultima Online, Unreal Tournament, or my favourite: prophet’s song (a medieval MMORPG inspired by lord of the rings, where you can control elves, dwarves, men, orcs, trolls, or imps). Even if these games aren’t really for you, then you should still check out kingdomofloathing.com – a hilariously funny ‘mick-take’ of an MMORPG with stick people, and fights with noodles and rogue tomatoes.
MMORPGs are here to stay, and if the predictions for online gaming are correct, then the future is looking very fun-filled and action packed. If you haven’t got a modem for your console yet, get one soon, or prepare to miss out on a totally superior gaming phenomenon.
These games involve hundreds of thousands of gamers occupying the same realm simultaneously, where they can interact, build alliances, or even go to war with one-another – the possibilities are endless. The great thing about MMORPGs is they involve very minimal programming or maintenance, because the players turn the game into whatever they want it to be. Also, players feel a deeper sense of involvement, as if you fail, then you have let their whole team down, or if you make an idiot of yourself, there are people at the other end who can rip it out of you – an aspect not often found in console games, where it is generally you in a room playing a game, where if you make an idiot of yourself, you can put it right, cover it up, and no-one will be the wiser of your little blunder.
Originated in Japan a few years ago, the MMORPG has spawned some of the most ingenious and innovative games such as EverQuest (Sony’s answer to dungeons and dragons), Ultima Online, and Unreal Tournament to name but a few.
In fact, Sony’s EverQuest is the largest MMORPG in the Western Hemisphere, with over 433, 000 paying gamers included in it’s huge online environment. Last month, EverQuest broke the world record for most amount of people logged on to the game at one time, with over 120, 000 fanatics playing at once.
Apparently, more complex MMORPGs contain intricate, virtual economies, where players must upgrade their online character’s attributes or even buy them virtual properties that are improved, enhanced, and even sold on real-life auction websites such as eBay. This is not always a good thing, as recently a Japanese hacker was arrested for “stealing” someone’s online house and selling it on for 50, 000 yen (£270).
A huge advancement in the MMORPG gaming experience, is ‘Star Wars Galaxies’ – a new online game that is being tested for PC as we speak, and due to be released on Playstation2 and Xbox later this year. It involves controlling an online character (Jedi, Sith, Wookie, weird alien with green tentacles, etc.) and forming online alliances, unions, and federations, not to mention flying classic Star Wars ships from planet to planet, doing what you want, when you want, with no limits to your gaming experience.
So, what is the future for the highly acclaimed MMORPG? Well, Michel Cassius, the head of Xbox for Europe, said that Xbox are hoping to make online gaming more accessible, with games such as ‘Who wants to be a Millionaire’, where “everyone will be competing online, and there will be prizes, just like the real thing”. Also, Sony have expressed interests in creating an online 11-a-side football game, where ever player controls one player on the pitch, instead of switching players in the non-online version. All these new advances in MMORPG gaming technology mean that it is estimated that the European gaming market alone will be worth £265million!
If the thought of these online games is your thing, check out EverQuest, Ultima Online, Unreal Tournament, or my favourite: prophet’s song (a medieval MMORPG inspired by lord of the rings, where you can control elves, dwarves, men, orcs, trolls, or imps). Even if these games aren’t really for you, then you should still check out kingdomofloathing.com – a hilariously funny ‘mick-take’ of an MMORPG with stick people, and fights with noodles and rogue tomatoes.
MMORPGs are here to stay, and if the predictions for online gaming are correct, then the future is looking very fun-filled and action packed. If you haven’t got a modem for your console yet, get one soon, or prepare to miss out on a totally superior gaming phenomenon.
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At the risk of jumping on a bandwaggon, a post by someone who'd actually played an MMORPG would have been a little more interesting. Been there, done that though.
no.
*runs*
*runs*
Memorandum wrote:
> Supply us a link to this article then, to prove you only took some
> information from it.
Its an article from this week's "The Guardian newspaper" in the telly magiazine bit: and i used the info about EverQuest, the Japanese hacker, and Xbox's ideas for new online games, which is acceptable isnt it?
> Supply us a link to this article then, to prove you only took some
> information from it.
Its an article from this week's "The Guardian newspaper" in the telly magiazine bit: and i used the info about EverQuest, the Japanese hacker, and Xbox's ideas for new online games, which is acceptable isnt it?
jaffacakes wrote:
> acronym: noun. a pronounceable name made up of a series of initial
> letters or parts of a word. (Collins English Dictionary)
>
> isn't that what it means?
Yes. Which is exactly why MMORPG isn't an acronym. NATO is one, as are FIFA and RAM but MMORPG isn't because it is not a pronounceable word. The MMOR part sort of is but the 'PG' on the end spoils it. 'RPG' on it's own isn't a word it is?
> acronym: noun. a pronounceable name made up of a series of initial
> letters or parts of a word. (Collins English Dictionary)
>
> isn't that what it means?
Yes. Which is exactly why MMORPG isn't an acronym. NATO is one, as are FIFA and RAM but MMORPG isn't because it is not a pronounceable word. The MMOR part sort of is but the 'PG' on the end spoils it. 'RPG' on it's own isn't a word it is?
Supply us a link to this article then, to prove you only took some information from it. After all there will be some suspicion after your other copying incident yesterday...
jaffacakes wrote:
> Shadow Knight wrote:
> whats with the MMORPG plug?
>
> i read a good article about it and thought any decent gamer had the
> right to know. i think its a pretty cool concept anyways.
oh ok but after playing Everquest for a year and a half playing online isn't anything special.
> Shadow Knight wrote:
> whats with the MMORPG plug?
>
> i read a good article about it and thought any decent gamer had the
> right to know. i think its a pretty cool concept anyways.
oh ok but after playing Everquest for a year and a half playing online isn't anything special.
this may also be the reason froots thinks its copied: i used some statistics from an article but the writings all my own work :)
Shadow Knight wrote:
> whats with the MMORPG plug?
i read a good article about it and thought any decent gamer had the right to know. i think its a pretty cool concept anyways.
> whats with the MMORPG plug?
i read a good article about it and thought any decent gamer had the right to know. i think its a pretty cool concept anyways.
SmokedKipper wrote:
> If it was ripped off from somewhere then that the source obviously
> doesn't employ proper writers who know what an acronym is.
acronym: noun. a pronounceable name made up of a series of initial letters or parts of a word. (Collins English Dictionary)
isn't that what it means?
> If it was ripped off from somewhere then that the source obviously
> doesn't employ proper writers who know what an acronym is.
acronym: noun. a pronounceable name made up of a series of initial letters or parts of a word. (Collins English Dictionary)
isn't that what it means?
whats with the MMORPG plug?
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