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Massivelymultiplayeronlineroleplayinggame
FromWikipedia,thefreeencyclopedia

Massivelymultiplayeronlineroleplayinggames(MMORPGs)blendthegenresofroleplaying
videogamesandmassivelymultiplayeronlinegames,potentiallyintheformofwebbrowserbased
games,inwhichaverylargenumberofplayersinteractwithoneanotherwithinaworld.
AsinallRPGs,theplayerassumetheroleofacharacter(ofteninafantasyworldorsciencefiction
world)andtakescontrolovermanyofthatcharacter'sactions.MMORPGsaredistinguishedfrom
singleplayerorsmallmultiplayeronlineRPGsbythenumberofplayersabletointeracttogether,and
bythegame'spersistentworld(usuallyhostedbythegame'spublisher),whichcontinuestoexistand
evolvewhiletheplayerisofflineandawayfromthegame.
MMORPGsareplayedthroughouttheworld.WorldwiderevenuesforMMORPGsexceededhalfa
billiondollarsin2005,[1]andWesternrevenuesexceededUS$1billionin2006.[2]In2008,Western
consumerspendingonsubscriptionMMOGsgrewto$1.4billion.[3]WorldofWarcraft,apopular
MMORPG,hadover10millionsubscribersasofNovember2014.[4]WorldofWarcraft'stotalrevenue
was$1.04billionUSdollarsin2014.[5]StarWars:TheOldRepublic,releasedin2011,becamethe
world's'FastestGrowingMMOEver'aftergaining1millionsubscriberswithinthefirstthreedaysofits
launch.[6][7]

Contents
1 Commonfeatures
1.1 Themes
1.2 Progression
1.3 Socialinteraction
1.4 Roleplaying
1.5 Culture
1.6 Systemarchitecture
2 History
3 Development
3.1 Noncorporatedevelopment
4 Trends
4.1 Instancedungeons
4.2 Playercreatedcontent
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4.3 Useoflicenses
4.4 ConsolebasedMMORPGs
4.5 BrowserbasedMMORPGs
4.6 SmartphonebasedMMORPGs
5 Insocietyandculture
5.1 Psychologicaleffects
5.2 Economics
6 Seealso
7 References
8 Furtherreading
9 Externallinks

Commonfeatures
AlthoughmodernMMORPGssometimesdifferdramaticallyfromtheirantecedents,manyofthemshare
somebasiccharacteristics.Theseincludeseveralcommonfeatures:persistentgameenvironment,some
formofprogression,socialinteractionwithinthegame,ingameculture,systemarchitecture,
membershipinagroup,andcharactercustomization.

Themes
ThemajorityofpopularMMORPGsarebasedontraditionalfantasythemes,oftenoccurringinanin
gameuniversecomparabletothatofDungeons&Dragons.Someemployhybridthemesthateither
mergeorsubstitutefantasyelementswiththoseofsciencefiction,swordandsorcery,orcrimefiction.
StillothersdrawthematicmaterialfromAmericancomicbooks,theoccult,andothergenres.Often
theseelementsaredevelopedusingsimilartasksandscenariosinvolvingquests,monsters,andloot.

Progression
InnearlyallMMORPGs,thedevelopmentoftheplayer'scharacterisaprimarygoal.Nearlyall
MMORPGsfeatureacharacterprogressionsysteminwhichplayersearnexperiencepointsfortheir
actionsandusethosepointstoreachcharacter"levels",whichmakesthembetteratwhatevertheydo.[8]
Traditionally,combatwithmonstersandcompletingquestsfornonplayercharacters,eitheraloneorin
groups,aretheprimarywaystoearnexperiencepoints.Theaccumulationofwealth(includingcombat
usefulitems)isalsoawaytoprogressinmanyMMORPGs,andagain,thisistraditionallybest
accomplishedviacombat.Thecycleproducedbytheseconditions,combatleadingtonewitems
allowingformorecombatwithnochangeingameplay,issometimespejorativelyreferredtoasthelevel
treadmill,or"grinding".TheroleplayinggameProgressQuestwascreatedasaparodyofthistrend.
EveOnlinetrainsskillsinrealtimeratherthanusingexperiencepointsasameterofprogression.
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InsomeMMORPGs,thereisnolimittoaplayerslevel,allowingthegrindingexperiencetocontinue
indefinitely.MMORPGsthatusethismodeloftenglorifytoprankedplayersbydisplayingtheiravatars
onthegameswebsiteorpostingtheirstatsonahighscorescreen.Anothercommonpracticeisto
enforceamaximumreachablelevelforallplayers,oftenreferredtoasacap.Oncereached,the
definitionofaplayersprogressionchanges.Insteadofbeingawardedprimarilywithexperiencefor
completingquestsanddungeons,collectingmoneyandequipmentwillreplacetheplayersmotivation
tocontinueplaying.
Often,thewidenedrangeofequipmentavailableatthemaximumlevelwillhaveincreasedaesthetic
valuetodistinguishhighrankingplayersingame.Colloquiallyknownasendgamegear,thissetof
empoweredweaponsandarmoraddsacompetitiveedgetobothscriptedbossencountersaswellas
playervs.playercombat.Playermotivationtooutperformothersisfueledbyacquiringsuchitemsandis
asignificantdeterminingfactorintheirsuccessorfailureincombatrelatedsituations.
Also,traditionalinthegenreistheeventualdemandonplayerstoteamupwithothersinorderto
progressattheoptimalrate.Thissometimesforcesplayerstochangetheirrealworldschedulesinorder
to"keepup"withinthegameworld.Agoodexampleofthisistheneedtotradeitemstoachievecertain
goals,orteaminguptokillapowerfulenemy.

Socialinteraction
MMORPGsalmostalwayshavetoolstofacilitatecommunicationbetweenplayers.ManyMMORPGs
offersupportforingameguildsorclans(thoughthesewillusuallyformwhetherthegamesupports
themornot).
Inaddition,mostMMOsrequiresomedegreeofteamworkforpartsofthegame.Thesetasksusually
requireplayerstotakeonrolesinthegroup,suchasthoseprotectingotherplayersfromdamage(called
tanking),"healing"damagedonetootherplayersordamagingenemies.
MMORPGsgenerallyhaveGameModeratorsorGameMasters(frequentlyabbreviatedtoGM),who
maybepaidemployeesorunpaidvolunteerswhoattempttosupervisetheworld.SomeGMsmayhave
additionalaccesstofeaturesandinformationrelatedtothegamethatarenotavailabletootherplayers
androles.[9]RelationshipsformedinMMORPGscanoftenbejustasintenseasrelationshipsformed
betweenfriendsorpartnersmetoutsidethegame,andofteninvolveelementsofcollaborationandtrust
betweenplayers.[10]

Roleplaying
MostMMORPGsprovidedifferenttypesofclassesthatplayerscanchoose.Amongthoseclasses,a
smallportionofplayerschoosetoroleplaytheircharacters,andtherearerulesthatprovidefunctionality
andcontenttothisend.Communityresourcessuchasforumsandguidesexistinsupportofthisplay
style.
Forexample,ifaplayerwantstoplayapriestroleinhisMMORPGworld,hemightbuyacopefroma
shopandlearnpriestlyskills,proceedingtospeak,act,andinteractwithothersastheircharacterwould.
Thismayormaynotincludepursuingothergoalssuchaswealthorexperience.Guildsorsimilargroups
withafocusonroleplayingmaydevelopextendedindepthnarrativesusingthesettingandresourcesof
thegameworld.[11]

Culture
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Overtime,theMMORPGcommunityhasdevelopedasubculturewithitsownslangandmetaphor,as
wellasanunwrittenlistofsocialrulesandtaboos.Playerswilloftencomplainabout'grind'(aslang
termforanyrepetitive,timeconsumingactivityinanMMORPG),ortalkabout'buffs'and'nerfs'
(respectivelyanupgradeordowngradeofaparticulargamemechanic).Socialrulesexistforsuchthings
asinvitationstojoinanadventuringparty,theproperdivisionoftreasure,andhowaplayerisexpected
tobehavewhilegroupedwithotherplayers.[11]
Debateragesinvariousgamingmediaoverthelongtermimpactofvideogameoveruse.TheOnLine
GamersAnonymousforumsarefilledwithstoriesofplayersthathaveneglectedsocial,employment
and/orfamilyresponsibilitiesinfavoroftheir'virtuallives'.

Systemarchitecture
MostMMORPGsaredeployedusingaclientserversystemarchitecture.Theserversoftwaregenerates
apersistentinstanceofthevirtualworldthatrunscontinuously,andplayersconnecttoitviaclient
software.Theclientsoftwaremayprovideaccesstotheentireplayingworld,orfurther'expansions'may
berequiredtobepurchasedtoallowaccesstocertainareasofthegame.EverQuestandGuildWarsare
twoexamplesofgamesthatusesuchaformat.Playersgenerallymustpurchasetheclientsoftwarefora
onetimefee,althoughanincreasingtrendisforMMORPGstoworkusingpreexisting"thin"clients,
suchasawebbrowser.
SomeMMORPGsrequirepaymentofamonthlysubscriptiontoplay.Bydefinition,"massively
multiplayer"gamesarealwaysonline,andmostrequiresomesortofcontinuousrevenue(suchas
monthlysubscriptionsandadvertisements)formaintenanceanddevelopment.Somegames,suchas
GuildWarshavedisposedofthe'monthlyfee'modelentirely,andrecovercostsdirectlythroughsalesof
thesoftwareandassociatedexpansionpacks.Stillothersadoptamicropaymentmodelwherethecore
contentisfree,butplayersaregiventheoptiontopurchaseadditionalcontent,suchasequipment,
aestheticitems,orpets.GamesthatmakeuseofthismodeloftenhaveoriginatedinKorea,suchasFlyff
andMapleStory.Thisbusinessmodelisalternatelycalled"payforperks"or"freemium",andgames
usingitoftendescribethemselveswiththeterm"freetoplay".
Dependingonthenumberofplayersandthesystemarchitecture,anMMORPGmightactuallyberunon
multipleseparateservers,eachrepresentinganindependentworld,whereplayersfromoneservercannot
interactwiththosefromanotherWorldofWarcraftisaprominentexample,witheachseparateserver
housingseveralthousandplayers.InmanyMMORPGsthenumberofplayersinoneworldisoften
limitedtoaroundafewthousand,butanotableexampleoftheoppositeisEVEOnlinewhich
accommodatesseveralhundredthousandplayersonthesameserver,withover60,000playing
simultaneously(June2010[12])atcertaintimes.Somegamesallowcharacterstoappearonanyworld,
butnotsimultaneously(suchasSealOnline:Evolution),otherslimiteachcharactertotheworldin
whichitwascreated.WorldofWarcrafthasexperimentedwith"crossrealm"(i.e.crossserver)
interactioninPvP"battlegrounds",usingserverclustersor"battlegroups"tocoordinateplayerslooking
toparticipateinstructuredPvPcontentsuchastheWarsongGulchorAlteracValleybattlegrounds.[13]
Additionally,patch3.3,releasedonDecember8,2009,introducedacrossrealm"lookingforgroup"
systemtohelpplayersformgroupsforinstancedcontent(thoughnotforopenworldquesting)froma
largerpoolofcharactersthantheirhomeservercannecessarilyprovide.[14]

History

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MMORPGisatermcoinedbyRichard
Garriotttorefertomassivemultiplayer
onlineroleplayinggamesandtheirsocial
communities.[11]ThelinkbetweenGarriott
andtheMMORPGtermhasbeenrecognised
bymanyscholars.[15]Previoustothisand
relatedcoinages,thesegamesweregenerally
calledgraphicalMUDsthehistoryof
MMORPGstracesbackdirectlythroughthe
MUDgenre.[16][17]Throughthisconnection,
MUD1,anearlymultiusergame
MMORPGscanbeseentohaverootsinthe
earliestmultiusergamessuchasMazewar
(1974)andMUD1(1978).1985sawthereleaseofaroguelike(pseudographical)MUDcalledIslandof
KesmaionCompuServe[18]andLucasfilm'sgraphicalMUDHabitat.Thefirstfullygraphicalmultiuser
RPGwasNeverwinterNights,whichwasdeliveredthroughAmericaOnlinein1991andwaspersonally
championedbyAOLPresidentSteveCase.[19]OtherearlyproprietarygraphicalonlineRPGsinclude
threeonTheSierraNetwork:TheShadowofYserbiusin1992,TheFatesofTwinionin1993,andThe
RuinsofCawdorin1995.Anothermilestonecamein1995asNSFNETrestrictionswerelifted,opening
theInternetupforgamedevelopers,whichallowedforthefirsttruly"massively"scopedtitles.Finally,
MMORPGsasdefinedtodaybeganwithMeridian59in1996,innovativebothinitsscopeandin
offeringfirstperson3Dgraphics,withTheRealmOnlineappearingnearlysimultaneously.[19]Ultima
Online,releasedin1997,isoftencreditedwithfirstpopularizingthegenre,[19]thoughmoremainstream
attentionwasgarneredby1999'sEverQuestandAsheron'sCallintheWest[19]and1996'sNexus:The
KingdomoftheWindsinSouthKorea.
Theseearlytitles'financialsuccesshasensuredcompetitioninthegenresincethattime.MMORPG
titlesnowexistonconsolesandinnewsettings.ThecurrentmarketforMMORPGshasBlizzard
Entertainment'sWorldofWarcraftdominatingasthelargestMMORPG,[20]alongsideothertitlessuch
asFinalFantasyXIVandGuildWars2,thoughanadditionalmarketexistsforfreetoplayMMORPGs,
whicharesupportedbyadvertisingandpurchasesofingameitems.Thisfreetoplaymodelis
particularlycommoninSouthKoreanMMORPGssuchasMapleStory,Rohan:BloodFeud,and
AtlanticaOnline.Also,therearesomefreetoplaygames,suchasRuneScape&Tibia,wherethegame
isfree,butonewouldhavetopaymonthlytoplaythegamewithmorefeatures.GuildWars,andits
successor,GuildWars2,avoidsomedegreeofcompetitionwithotherMMORPGsbyonlyrequiringthe
initialpurchaseofthegametoplay.

Development
ThecostofdevelopingacompetitivecommercialMMORPGtitleoftenexceeded$10millionby
2003.[21]Theseprojectsrequiremultipledisciplineswithingamedesignanddevelopmentsuchas3D
modeling,2Dart,animation,userinterfaces,client/serverengineering,databasearchitecture,and
networkinfrastructure.[22]
Thefrontend(orclient)componentofacommercial,modernMMORPGfeatures3Dgraphics.Aswith
othermodern3Dgames,thefrontendrequiresexpertisewithimplementing3Dengines,realtime
shadertechniquesandphysicssimulation.Theactualvisualcontent(areas,creatures,characters,
weapons,spaceshipsandsoforth)isdevelopedbyartistswhotypicallybeginwithtwodimensional
conceptart,andlaterconverttheseconceptsintoanimated3Dscenes,modelsandtexturemaps.[23]
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DevelopinganMMOGserverrequiresexpertisewith
client/serverarchitecture,networkprotocols,security,and
databasedesign.MMORPGsincludereliablesystemsfora
numberofvitaltasks.Theservermustbeabletohandleand
verifyalargenumberofconnections,preventcheating,and
applychanges(bugfixesoraddedcontent)tothegame.A
systemforrecordingthegame'sdataatregularintervals,without
stoppingthegame,isalsoimportant.[24]
Maintenancerequiressufficientserversandbandwidth,anda
PlayersinteractinginArgentum
dedicatedsupportstaff.Insufficientresourcesformaintenance
Online,anMMORPG
leadtolagandfrustrationfortheplayers,andcanseverely
damagethereputationofagame,especiallyatlaunch.Caremust
alsobetakentoensurethatplayerpopulationremainsatanacceptablelevelbyaddingorremoving
servers.PeertopeerMMORPGscouldtheoreticallyworkcheaplyandefficientlyinregulatingserver
load,butpracticalissuessuchasasymmetricalnetworkbandwidth,CPUhungryrenderingengines,
unreliabilityofindividualnodes,andinherentlackofsecurity(openingfertilenewgroundsforcheating)
makethemadifficultproposition.ThehostedinfrastructureforacommercialgradeMMORPGrequires
thedeploymentofhundreds(oreventhousands)ofservers.Developinganaffordableinfrastructurefor
anonlinegamerequiresdeveloperstoscaletolargenumbersofplayerswithlesshardwareandnetwork
investment.[25]
Inaddition,thedevelopmentteamwillneedtohaveexpertisewiththefundamentalsofgamedesign:
worldbuilding,loreandgamemechanics,[26]aswellaswhatmakesgamesfun.[27]

Noncorporatedevelopment
ThoughthevastmajorityofMMORPGsareproducedby
companies,manysmallteamsofprogrammersandartistshave
contributedtothegenre.Asshownabove,theaverage
MMORPGdevelopmentprojectrequiresenormousinvestments
oftimeandmoney,andrunningthegamecanbealongterm
commitment.Asaresult,noncorporate(orindependent,or
"indie")developmentofMMORPGsislesscommoncompared
withothergenres.Still,manyindependentMMORPGsdoexist,
representingawidespectrumofgenres,gameplaytypes,and
revenuesystems.

Screenshotofaneventinthe
MMORPGRyzom,anopensource
andfreecontentgame(2014). [28][29]

SomeindependentMMORPGprojectsarecompletelyopen
source,whileothersfeatureproprietarycontentmadewithanopensourcegameengine.The
WorldForgeprojecthasbeenactivesince1998andformedacommunityofindependentdeveloperswho
areworkingoncreatingframeworkforanumberofopensourceMMORPGs.[30]TheMultiverse
FoundationhasalsocreatedaplatformspecificallyforindependentMMOGdevelopers.[31]

Trends
Asthereareanumberofwildlydifferenttitleswithinthegenre,andsincethegenredevelopssorapidly,
itisdifficulttodefinitivelystatethatthegenreisheadinginonedirectionoranother.Still,therearea
fewobviousdevelopments.Oneofthesedevelopmentsistheraidgroupquest,or"raid",[32]whichisan
adventuredesignedforlargegroupsofplayers(oftentwentyormore).
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Instancedungeons
Instancedungeons,sometimesshortenedto"instances",aregameareasthatare"copied"forindividual
playersorgroups,whichkeepsthoseintheinstanceseparatedfromtherestofthegameworld.This
reducescompetition,whilealsoreducingtheamountofdatathatneedstobesenttoandfromtheserver,
reducinglag.TheRealmOnlinewasthefirstMMORPGtobegintousearudimentaryformofthis
techniqueandAnarchyOnlinewoulddevelopitfurther,usinginstancesasakeyelementofgameplay.
Sincethen,instancinghasbecomeincreasinglycommon.The"raids",asmentionedabove,ofteninvolve
instancedungeons.ExamplesofgameswhichfeatureinstancesareWorldofWarcraft,TheLordofthe
RingsOnline,EverQuest,EverQuestII,Aion,FinalFantasyXIV,GuildWars,Rift,RuneScape,Star
TrekOnlineandDCUniverseOnline.

Playercreatedcontent
Increasedamountsof"playercreatedcontent"maybeanothertrend.[33]

Useoflicenses
Theuseofintellectualpropertylicensing,commoninothervideogamegenres,hasalsoappearedin
MMORPGs.2007sawthereleaseofTheLordoftheRingsOnline,basedonJ.R.R.Tolkien'sMiddle
earth.OtherlicensedMMORPGsincludeTheMatrixOnline,basedontheMatrixtrilogyoffilms,
WarhammerOnline:AgeofReckoning,basedonGamesWorkshop'stabletopgame,StarWars
Galaxies,StarWarsTheOldRepublic,ChampionsOnlineandAgeofConan.
Additionally,severallicensesfromtelevisionhavebeenoptionedforMMORPGs,forexampleStarTrek
OnlineandStargateWorlds(whichwascanceled).

ConsolebasedMMORPGs
ThefirstconsolebasedMMORPGwasPhantasyStarOnlinefortheSegaDreamcast.Thefirstconsole
basedopenworldMMORPGwasFinalFantasyXIfortheSonyPlayStation2.EverQuestOnline
Adventures,alsoonthePlayStation2,wasthefirstconsoleMMORPGinNorthAmerica.Although
consolebasedMMORPGsareconsideredmoredifficulttoproduce,[34]theplatformisgainingmore
attention.

BrowserbasedMMORPGs
WiththepopularizationofFacebookandmicrotransactionshascomeanewwaveofFlashandHTML5
basedMMORPGsthatusethefreetoplaymodel.Theyrequirenodownloadoutsideofabrowserand
usuallyhaveheavilyintegratedsocialmediasharingfeatures.Anexampleofabrowserbased
MMORPGisFreewar.

SmartphonebasedMMORPGs
SmartphoneswiththeirGPScapabilities(amongstothers)enableaugmentedrealitygamessuchas
IngressandtheupcomingPokmonGO.

Insocietyandculture
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Psychologicaleffects
SincetheinteractionsbetweenMMORPGplayersarereal,eveniftheenvironmentsarevirtual,
psychologistsandsociologistsareabletouseMMORPGsastoolsforacademicresearch.SherryTurkle,
aclinicalpsychologist,hasconductedinterviewswithcomputerusersincludinggameplayers.Turkle
foundthatmanypeoplehaveexpandedtheiremotionalrangebyexploringthemanydifferentroles
(includinggenderidentities)thatMMORPGsallowapersontoexplore.[35]
NickYeehassurveyedmorethan35,000MMORPGplayersoverthepastseveralyears,focusingon
psychologicalandsociologicalaspectsofthesegames.Recentfindingsincludedthat15%ofplayers
becomeaguildleaderatonetimeoranother,butmostgenerallyfindthejobtoughandthankless[36]
andthatplayersspendaconsiderableamountoftime(oftenathirdoftheirtotaltimeinvestment)doing
thingsthatareexternaltogameplaybutpartofthemetagame.[37]
ManyplayersreportthattheemotionstheyfeelwhileplayinganMMORPGareverystrong,tothe
extentthat8.7%ofmaleand23.2%offemaleplayersinastatisticalstudyhavehadanonline
wedding.[38]Otherresearchershavefoundthattheenjoymentofagameisdirectlyrelatedtothesocial
organizationofagame,rangingfrombriefencountersbetweenplayerstohighlyorganizedplayin
structuredgroups.[39]
InastudybyZaheerHussainandMarkD.Griffiths,itwasfoundthatjustoveroneinfivegamers(21%)
saidtheypreferredsocializingonlinetooffline.Significantlymoremalegamersthanfemalegamerssaid
thattheyfounditeasiertoconverseonlinethanoffline.Itwasalsofoundthat57%ofgamershad
createdacharacteroftheoppositegender,anditissuggestedthattheonlinefemalepersonahasa
numberofpositivesocialattributes.[40]
AGermanfMRTstudyconductedbyresearchersoftheCentralInstituteofMentalHealthpoints
towardsimpairmentsinsocial,emotionalandphysicalaspectsoftheselfconceptandahigherdegreein
avataridentificationinaddictedMMORPGplayerscomparedtononaddictedandnaive
(nonexperienced)people.[41]ThesefindingsgenerallysupportDavis'cognitivebehavioralmodelof
Internetaddiction,whichpostulatesthatdysfunctionalselfrelatedcognitionsrepresentcentralfactors
contributingtowardsthedevelopmentandmaintenanceofMMORPGaddiction.[42]Thehighdegreeof
avataridentificationfoundbyLemnageretal.intheaddictedgroupofthisstudyindicatesthat
MMORPGplayingmayrepresentanattempttocompensateforimpairmentsinselfconcept.
Psychotherapeuticinterventionsshouldthereforefocusonthedevelopmentofcopingstrategiesforreal
lifesituationsinwhichaddictedplayerstendtoexperiencethemselvesasincompetentandinferior.[41]
RichardBartle,authorofDesigningVirtualWorlds,classifiedmultiplayerRPGplayersintofour
primarypsychologicalgroups.HisclassificationswerethenexpandeduponbyErwinAndreasen,who
developedtheconceptintothethirtyquestionBartleTestthathelpsplayersdeterminewhichcategory
theyareassociatedwith.Withover650,000testresponsesasof2011,thisisperhapsthelargestongoing
surveyofmultiplayergameplayers.[43]BasedonBartleandYee'sresearch,JonRadoffhaspublishedan
updatedmodelofplayermotivationthatfocusesonimmersion,competition,cooperationand
achievement.[44][45]TheseelementsmaybefoundnotonlyinMMORPGs,butmanyothertypesof
gamesandwithintheemergingfieldofgamification.
InWorldofWarcraft,atemporarydesignglitchattractedtheattentionofpsychologistsand
epidemiologistsacrossNorthAmerica,whenthe"CorruptedBlood"diseaseofamonsterbeganto
spreadunintentionallyanduncontrollablyintothewidergameworld.TheCentersforDisease
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Controlusedtheincidentasaresearchmodeltochartboththeprogressionofadisease,andthepotential
humanresponsetolargescaleepidemicinfection.[46]

Economics
ManyMMORPGsfeaturelivingeconomies.Virtualitems
andcurrencyhavetobegainedthroughplayandhave
definitevalueforplayers.[47]Suchavirtualeconomycan
beanalyzed(usingdataloggedbythegame)[47]andhas
valueineconomicresearchmoresignificantly,these
"virtual"economiescanhaveanimpactontheeconomies
oftherealworld.
OneoftheearlyresearchersofMMORPGswasEdward
Castronova,whodemonstratedthatasupplyanddemand
marketexistsforvirtualitemsandthatitcrossesoverwith
therealworld.[48]Thiscrossoverhassomerequirementsof
thegame:

Auserbrowsingthemarketforitemsin
EveOnline

Theabilityforplayerstosellanitemtoeachother
foringame(virtual)currency.
Barteringforitemsbetweenplayersforitemsofsimilarvalue.
Thepurchaseofingameitemsforrealworldcurrency.
Exchangesofrealworldcurrenciesforvirtualcurrencies.
TheinventionofusercreatedmetacurrenciessuchasDragonkillpointstodistributeingame
rewards.[49]
Theideaofattachingrealworldvalueto"virtual"itemshashadaprofoundeffectonplayersandthe
gameindustry,andeventhecourts.[50]ThevirtualcurrencysellingpioneerIGEreceivedalawsuitfrom
aWorldofWarcraftplayerforinterferingintheeconomicsandintendeduseofthegamebyselling
wowgold.[51]Castronova'sfirststudyin2002foundthatahighlyliquid(ifillegal)currencymarket
existed,withthevalueofEverquest'singamecurrencyexceedingthatoftheJapaneseyen.[52]Some
peopleevenmakealivingbyworkingthesevirtualeconomiesthesepeopleareoftenreferredtoasgold
farmers,andmaybeemployedingamesweatshops.[53]
Gamepublishersusuallyprohibittheexchangeofrealworldmoneyforvirtualgoods,butothers
activelypromotetheideaoflinking(anddirectlyprofitingfrom)anexchange.InSecondLifeand
EntropiaUniverse,thevirtualeconomyandtherealworldeconomyaredirectlylinked.Thismeansthat
realmoneycanbedepositedforgamemoneyandviceversa.Realworlditemshavealsobeensoldfor
gamemoneyinEntropia,andsomeplayersofSecondLifehavegeneratedrevenuesinexcessof
$100,000.[54]
Someoftheissuesconfrontingonlineeconomiesinclude:
Theuseof"bots"orautomatedprograms,thatassistsomeplayersinaccumulatingingamewealth
tothedisadvantageofotherplayers.[55]
Theuseofunsanctionedauctionsites,whichhasledpublisherstoseeklegalremediestoprevent
theirusebasedonintellectualpropertyclaims.[56]
Theemergenceofvirtualcrime,whichcantaketheformofbothfraudagainsttheplayeror
publisherofanonlinegame,andevenreallifeactsofviolencestemmingfromingame
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transactions.[57]
LinkingrealworldandvirtualeconomiesisrareinMMORPGs,asitisgenerallybelievedtobe
detrimentaltogameplay.Ifrealworldwealthcanbeusedtoobtaingreater,moreimmediaterewards
thanskillfulgameplay,theincentiveforstrategicroleplayandrealgameinvolvementisdiminished.It
couldalsoeasilyleadtoaskewedhierarchywherericherplayersgainbetteritems,allowingthemto
takeonstrongeropponentsandlevelupmorequicklythanlesswealthybutmorecommittedplayers.[58]

Seealso
ChronologyofMUDs
Comparisonofmassivelymultiplayeronlineroleplayinggames
Digitalcurrency
Listoffreemassivelymultiplayeronlinegames
Listofmassivelymultiplayeronlineroleplayinggames
ListoftextbasedMMORPGs
Serveremulator
Virtualeconomy
Virtualgood
Virtualworld

References
1. ParksAssociates(2005)."OnlineGamingRevenuestoTripleby2009".Retrieved20070502.
2. HardingRolls,Piers(2006).WesternWorldMMOGMarket:2006ReviewandForecaststo2011(PDF).
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Furtherreading
Jn,A.Asbjrn(2010)."TheDevelopmentofMMORPGCultureandTheGuild".Australian
Folklore:AYearlyJournalofFolkloreStudies25:97112.
DyerWitheford,NickdePeuter,Greig(2009).Gamesofempire:Globalcapitalismandvideo
games.UniversityofMinnesotaPress.
Jenkins,Henry(2004).GameDesignasNarrativeArchitecture.FirstPerson:NewMediaas
Story,Performance,andGame(MITPress).pp.11830.
Tekinba,KatieSalenZimmerman,Eric(2006).Thegamedesignreader:aRulesofplay
anthology.MITPress.

Externallinks
TheDaedalusProject(http://www.nickyee.com/daedalus)NickYee'songoingsurveystudyof
MMORPGplayers.Demographics,narrativesandessays.
Massivelymultiplayeronlineroleplayinggame
(https://www.dmoz.org/Games/Video_Games/Roleplaying/Massive_Multiplayer_Online)at
DMOZ
Retrievedfrom"https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Massively_multiplayer_online_role
playing_game&oldid=697034436"
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