What is a MMOG?
MMOGs give power to the player.
Massive Multiplayer Online Games are just what the name sounds like — a massive number of players together online in a virtual game world. Players take on the role of fictional characters. Often players can customize the appearance and skills of their character. Players play against and/or in cooperation with one another in order to achieve the challenges or “quests” within the game.
Here is a brief look at what characters in World of Warcraft may look like.
World of Warcraft and Blizzard Entertainment are trademarks or registered trademarks of Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries
Unlike board games, MMOGs do not have the printed rules telling players what to do. MMOGs have different quests depending where the player goes in the world and depending on what "level" they have achieved.
Players find current quests by communicating with Non-Player Characters, or NPCs. NPCs look like player characters, but they are artificial characters programmed by the game designers to advance the story. NPCs may offer helpful hints and directions. NPCs may also be obstacles — monsters to defeat. The MMOG is populated by a mix of NPCs and player characters.
MMOGs offer a series of quests. The goal of a quest can range from delivering a package to defeating a boss in a well guarded dungeon. While some quests can be completed without the help of other players, many quests require cooperation among players in order to achieve a goal.
Players can communicate with one another through a chat room interface. To humanize communication, some MMOGs allow the usage of “emotes,” special key combinations that cause the player's character to portray a particular gesture or emotion. In World of Warcraft (or WoW), players can taunt, laugh, cry, point, wave, and do other behaviors that enrich communication in the world.
MMOGs establish a virtual yet life-like world.
Part of what makes a MMOG appealing is the ability of a player to encounter, interact, and travel (virtually) with other players in the game. Some MMOGs are set in medieval times or are inspired by mythology, while others take place in space, futuristic or other fictional settings. Because other characters in the game are played by real people, the fictional world feels quite real.
MMOG worlds are complex. Tens of thousands of players can be logged in simultaneously. The worlds are vast, including many locations. Game play length is indefinite, perhaps infinite. Players can play for hours, days, or weeks.
The virtual worlds of MMOGs are typically very diverse in design, in order to maintain replay value. For example, players may be able to choose from doing quests in areas that could be tropical, dry, snowy, hot, or swampy. In World of Warcraft, each race of player (Tauren, Orc, Undead, Troll, Night Elf, Human, Dwarf, Gnome, Goblin) inhabits their own style of architecture and has special influence over various parts of the world.
The locations within an MMOG world are diverse.
World of Warcraft and Blizzard Entertainment are trademarks or registered trademarks of Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries Other aspects of the game add richness, emotion and depth to the story. In WoW, there are various classes of characters: Warrior, Paladin, Shaman, Druid, Mage, Warlock, Hunter, and Priest. Each of these classes has its own set of abilities and handicaps, and with it their own story of what they must do to succeed. Some quests are specific to class and can give the player a better understanding of what makes their class unique. A druid, for example, has to speak with a bear spirit and complete a quest in order to turn into a bear. This ability is unique to the druid, and adds to the story of druids having a strong connection with nature.
Beyond the class definition, a character may also have a job, such as making armor, weapons or other useful items. Both a player’s class and job often require that he or she interact with other types of players in order to succeed.
MMOGs often have their own economy.
In a virtual world where items such as weapons, armor and various other things are traded or sold for virtual money, a virtual economy has been created. In the World of Warcraft, there is an Auction House located in a select set of locations within the world. At the auction house (often refered to as AH), players can auction or sell items. These items may fluctuate in value from day to day or over the course of a few hours due to sudden increases or decreases in demand. One advantage to this type of economy is that if more items or more money need to be created in order to regain a balance, it’s possible for the game designers to implement such changes in future updates to the game, which often come as part of the online service. Game designers make changes and additions to a MMOG while it is being played! MMOGs are dynamic (changing) worlds due to the behavior of live human players and actions by the game designers.
T he Auction House (AH) is available in certain cities and allows players to sell, auction, or check the prices on items.
World of Warcraft and Blizzard Entertainment are trademarks or registered trademarks of Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries