The huge online multiplayer games where players can live a second life
By Raymond Garrett // ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ The Social contributor // 21 September 2021
Picture this; after a long day of work and possibly an even longer commute, you come home, have dinner then turn on the computer to play your favourite MMORPG. Maybe you want to be a mighty warrior, kill giant insects, or maybe you want to explore vast colourful lands filled with monsters.
Perhaps you want to take to the skies on your winged steed! Or maybe you just want to stand around all day yelling at people. This is a little look at the ever expanding genre of games, the MMO.
MMORPGs - What Makes Them So Popular?
Raymond looks into the history of MMORPGs and explores what makes them tick.
Massive Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games are open world games and the player-base can range from one hundred to one hundred thousand people at any given time. You create an avatar to help you explore the world and you can either play solo or work with strangers to defeat bosses - or you could rob other players for their loot.
As you progress through the game, you acquire more skills to help you defeat enemies faster, as well as other players. From a simple little fireball, or casting a spell that outshines the sun - the feeling of roasting someone running from you never gets old.
These types of games were not exactly huge in the mainstream gaming world initially and it wasn’t until 2004 when World of Warcraft arrived that the genre started to pick up interest from the general public.
While the game received very positive reviews on its release, there were a few criticisms such as an overabundance of players killing everything too fast, or the dungeons being too hard for new players to understand.
One main event that really caught the public's attention with World of Warcraft, aside from the South Park episode, was the "corrupted blood incident" in 2005. Players experienced an online pandemic with a spell from a dungeon boss that could drain your health in seconds and was easily transferred.
Cities were abandoned and people fled to the countryside as they tried to avoid the other players intentionally infecting others. It was such a surprise that the Center for Disease Control and Prevention contacted the makers of the game, Blizzard, to request statistics.
While World of Warcraft may be the first name that people think of when they hear the term "MMO" there are others out there that are just as popular. The list includes Elder Scrolls Online, Lord of the Rings, Phantasy Star, Star Wars, The Old Republic, EVE Online and not one, but TWO Final Fantasy online games.
While there may be a lot of these types of games, they're not without their controversies. EVE Online is set in space and players can pilot ships costing not only thousands in the game's currency, but thousands in real life currency too. One example was a space battle so intense that it not only made the Guinness World Records for the most destructive video game battle, but also the most expensive with the total damage being roughly $37800.
It is important to note, the fans are at the heart of what makes these games great. You can play solo and not interact with anyone, or you can spend hours making friends. Some people play these games like it’s a second life, and even have full time job playing MMOs, whether it’s cooking for your group or exploring dungeons. It’s also one of the many reasons I enjoy these kinds of games.
They can be a way to relax at the end of a day, and while real life might be a little bit chaotic at times, you can always find peace in slaying dragons or dancing for no reason dressed as a giant chicken.
