Documente Academic
Documente Profesional
Documente Cultură
1-4
ISSN: 2222-2510
2012 WAP journal. www.waprogramming.com
Ronak Karimi
Kermanshah University of
Medical Sciences,
Kermanshah, Iran
minibigs_m@yahoo.co.uk
Kermanshah University of
Medical Sciences,
Kermanshah, Iran
rk_respina_67@yahoo.com
Abstract: Online games are developed every day-to-day. Producing the games has become one of the most
beneficial jobs for game studios. Different types of games with various aims are produced. But, among all of
them, multiplayer games have a special place. A multiplayer video game is one which more than one person
can play in the same game environment at the same time. In other hands, online games found the popularity
between users. It provided an excellent opportunity for producing multiplayer online games.
This paper will get into the general trends in multiplayer online games. So, the basic notions of gaming are
talked as the first step. Then, Different general genres are introduced. Various types and impressive features
of the genres are investigated in details, too. This paper tries to give a top level view to multiplayer online
games to readers.
Keyword: Online games, Massively multiplayer online game, Multiplayer online role-playing game,
Multiplayer online battle arena
I.
INTRODUCTION
An online game is a video game played over some form of computer network, using a personal computer or video
game console [2].
There are many ways for users to play games online. This includes free games found on the internet, games on mobile
phones and handheld consoles, as well as downloadable and boxed games on PCs and consoles such as the
PlayStation, Nintendo Wii or Xbox. Some of the most common devices on which online games are consoles, PC
games, web games and applications, mobile games, and handheld games [1].
Online gaming is a technology rather than a genre, a mechanism for connecting players together rather than a
particular pattern of game play [3].
Online games are played over computer networks as well as Internet. It has two advantages:
1.
2.
Ability to connect to multiplayer games, although single-player online games are quite common as well
A great percentage of games dont require payment
A multiplayer video game is one which more than one person can play in the same game environment at the same
time. Unlike most other games, computer and video games are often single-player activities that put the player against
preprogrammed challenges and/or AI-controlled opponents, which often lack the flexibility and ingenuity of regular
human thinking.
Multiplayer components allow players to enjoy interaction with other individuals, be it in the form of partnership,
competition or rivalry, and provide them with a form of social communication that is almost always missing in singleplayer oriented games.
II.
Online games have different genres. Video game genres are used to categorize video games based on their gameplay
interaction rather than visual or narrative differences [4]. A video game genre is defined by a set of gameplay
challenges. They are classified independent of their setting or game-world content, unlike other works of fiction such
Masoud Nosrati et al., World Applied Programming, Vol (3), No (1), January 2013.
as films or books. For example, an action game is still an action game, regardless of whether it takes place in a fantasy
world or outer space [5].
There are 3 general genres in online gaming: massively multiplayer online game, massively multiplayer online roleplaying game, and Multiplayer online battle arena. In this section, they will be talked in details.
Role-playing
Bulletin board role-playing games
First-person shooter
Real-time strategy
Real-time strategy
Simulations
Sports
Racing
Casual
Music/Rhythm
Social
Masoud Nosrati et al., World Applied Programming, Vol (3), No (1), January 2013.
particularly common in Korean MMORPGs such as MapleStory, Rohan: Blood Feud, and Atlantica Online. Also,
there are some free-to-play games, such as RuneScape & Tibia, where the game is free, but one would have to pay
monthly to play the game with more features. Guild Wars is an exception. It avoids some degree of competition with
other MMORPGs by only requiring the initial purchase of the game to play [12].
As in all RPGs, players assume the role of a character (often in a fantasy world) and take control over many of that
character's actions. MMORPGs are distinguished from single-player or small multi-player RPGs by the number of
players, and by the game's persistent world (usually hosted by the game's publisher), which continues to exist and
evolve while the player is offline and away from the game.
MMORPGs are played throughout the world. Worldwide revenues for MMORPGs exceeded half a billion dollars in
2005 and Western revenues exceeded US$1 billion in 2006. In 2008, Western consumer spending on subscription
MMOGs grew to $1.4 billion. World of Warcraft, a popular MMORPG, has more than 10 million subscribers as of
February 2012. Star Wars: The Old Republic, released in 2011, became the world's 'Fastest-Growing MMO Ever' after
gaining 1 million subscribers within the first three days of its launch.
Although modern MMORPGs sometimes differ dramatically from their antecedents, many of them share some basic
characteristics. These include several common features: persistent game environment, some form of progression,
social interaction within the game, in-game culture, system architecture, membership in a group, and character
customization.
Most impressive features of MMORPG are:
Progression
Social Interaction
Roleplaying
Culture
System architecture
Masoud Nosrati et al., World Applied Programming, Vol (3), No (1), January 2013.
Members of the genre do not feature several other elements traditionally found in real-time strategy games, notably
base management, resource collection, and army building. The RPG genre has a much closer resemblance to the
gameplay, only limited to an arena.
III.
CONCLUSION
This paper had a survey on multiplayer online games. Due to this, basic notions of gaming were talked. Then, different
general genres were introduced. They were: Massively multiplayer online game, massively multiplayer online roleplaying game, and multiplayer online battle arena. Also, various types and features of them were investigated
separately in details.
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