What is multiplayer online gaming?
Multiplayer online gaming is a type of a role play game that is played online. The game can facilitate a large number of players at any one time and allows players from anywhere around the world to interact with each other using a virtual world to do so. Users are usually charged a fee which can be by the hour or a monthly fee to interact in this way and play the games of their choice.
Multiplayer online gaming can be abbreviated to "MMORPG" which means "massively multiplayer online role-playing game"; many experts in this area will only ever refer to their world as the MMORPG. This term seemed to originate over 10 years ago, in 1996 when it was used to describe the first 3D MMORPG. The games have developed a great deal over the past few years, however the roots of the first MMORPG seem to date back to the early 1970's when developers were running games on private servers. These games were typically being played at universities and colleges and were very similar in style to the Dungeon and Dragons game as we know it today. The main aim of the game was to get players to enter a fictional world of dungeons and take on evil monsters and in the process try and gain as much loot as possible.
MMORPG developed further during the 1980's and early 1990's with the technological evolvement of the internet. Although, during the early 90's limits were set in place for specific usage of the internet and developers had to rely on proprietary services for distribution to the market. As internet restrictions were being reduced, gaming companies saw that their games could be marketed through this service. With the internet becoming so popular so quickly, gaming companies saw the potential of reaching out to a truly worldwide audience. Gaming companies were able to build a global play base and members of their world grew in such large numbers that these companies were able to make large profits in a very short space of time.
It would appear that during the past few years, games have been taken to a completely new level and one of the most popular MMORPG at the moment is Blizzard Entertainment's "World of Witchcraft" along with the more traditional MMORPG of Dungeons and Dragons. To be able to enter into this game, players must first sign up to pay a subscription, this is usually payable as a monthly flat fee; however this is dependent on which game is being played.
The basic style of game play involved with MMORPG is to go through a series of tasks whereby the player or a group of players has to undertake a set number of tasks in order to gain some type of reward. These tasks can be known as quests and they usually involve having to kill creatures or having to collect a set number of objects in a difficult setting. Once the quest has been completed, the player is rewarded with loot, tools or power and depending on the game; these rewards can be traded with other players, therefore giving the players extra incentives. The players can also be awarded experience points when they have completed the relevant quest. These points can be used in some games to enhance characters' attributes.
MMORPG can develop a clan or a guild; this is where players that regularly play together form a bond and develop their playing relationship. These memberships can start from as little as 5 people but can quickly reach large numbers. To enter into a clan or guild, players may be tested for their ability and some clans may impose strict guidelines as to what level a player must be at to be allowed into a clan.
MMORPG is a continually developing area and players who take part in this type of gaming are very serious and passionate about what they do. This is clearly demonstrated by the millions of people worldwide who partake in this form of gaming.
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