MMORPGs

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Massive Multiplayer Online Roleplaying Games have been around for a while, only in the early days they were more textbased and much, much smaller. They were called MUDs then (Multi-User Dungeons) and typically players took on roles based on Dungeons and Dragons (fighter/thief/magic user) and explored dungeons, solved puzzles, adventured with others all in a text based online format.

Today MMORPGs are graphic, and they're huge. Why are people interested in these games?

A look at the types of rewards these games offer to players may prove instructive. The three main types of rewards are "experience points," "gold," and "loot." MMORPGs reward you using the following mechanisms:

1. Rewards for time spent in game. In the real world, if you do the same things over and over again you might get promotions and bonuses, but that doesn't mean you'll get to the top of your profession. However, in a MMORPG players are rewarded with experience points, gold and loot at a steady rate for completing tasks or slaying monsters
   
   
2. Rewards for risky behavior. Taking on dangerous tasks means you receive a bonus in experience, gold, and loot. So if it's easy for you to step on rats all day, you'd get a bonus for taking on 10 rats simultaneously, or even The Rat King. Risky adventures like these often reward in loot rather than experience to represent their trickier natures.
   
   
3. Rewards for social gaming, or even, "assembly line" gaming. Characters typically can do one thing well, or many things in an average way. The solution to that is to meet with other characters who complement your abilities and take on tougher challenge which leads to faster time rewards, and more risky behavior rewards.
   
   
4. Rewards for competitive gaming. By playing vs. other players (pvp), characters can earn additional rewards set up by a game that can not be earned any other way.
   
   
5. Character rewards. As you progress in the game, more abilities become available to your character.
   
   
6. Visual rewards. In some games, the best equipment and other forms of "bling" (such as armor, swords, and horses) is visible so that others can ooh, ahh, and seethe with envy.

 

Let's apply these types of rewards to the job of cleaning your house. Let's say you're a Level 1 Housekeeper, and your goal is to someday become a Level 50 Housekeeper. You can reach that goal by a variety of methods.

1. (The Time Reward) Clean lots of messes. This is the repetitive reward for time mechanism. Let's say that by cleaning lots of messes you could become Level 50 in about a year's worth of time. Along the way, you earn money, experience, and equipment such as additional cleansing products. It's repetitive, it gets boring, but in a MMORPG you know you can get there someday so you plug away at it.
   
   
2. (The Risk Reward) Look for tougher messes. Maybe you won't stick to single room households but move on to households with pets, children, and an endless supply of dishes. It's difficult, but working these difficult rooms earn you more pay, earn you the right to better equipment sooner (thus allowing you to clean even more difficult messes!), and will get you to Level 50 Housekeeper in about 9 months.
   
   
3. (The Social Reward) Team up with someone. Your job is to scrub floors, and their job is to dust and polish. Your time is cut in half, you can challenge even more difficult messes, and thus earn even greater rewards faster. If you add to your team wisely you can further decrease time spent levelling, and you reach Level 50 Housekeeper in just 6 months.
   
   
4. (Competitive Rewards) Your team suddenly challenges another team to see who can clean faster, better, or more. It's a head to head competition with the winning Team earning additional rewards that no one else can have which leads to becoming more capable cleaners. You reach Level 50 Housekeeper in 5 months.
   
   
5. (Character Rewards) Along the way you learn how to wax on, wax off. To reupholster furniture and hang wallpaper. You need these skills to challenge the final messes up to Level 50.
   
   
6. (Visual Rewards) For defeating 40 levels of Housekeeping, you earn a cool looking mop that not everyone has. Not only is it functional, but it makes you the envy of everyone who sees you (who uses a mop, that is).

"Wait a minute," you say, "where does skill come into the picture?"

In a MMORPG, skill is knowing the limits of your time, your risk, and your team, which is why these games take up so much of people's time to play. The challenges in the game are mostly "timesinks" that require you to spend lots of time in order to overcome. In this fashion, MMORPG designers keep players subscribing for long periods of time as they strive to overcome the challenges set by the game.

And don't overlook the social aspect of MMORPGs. Many people start playing MMORPGs because a friend invites them to play. MMORPGs even have "recruit a friend" incentives that encourage players to join them on servers in imaginary worlds.

If you have any specific questions email me at felixnation@gmail.com and I'll try to address them personally, direct you personally, or post answers directly beneath this section.

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