Research Paper : The Nature of Socialization in MMORPG and Its Impact on The Users

                                                                    

THE NATURE OF SOCIALIZATION IN MMORPG

AND IT’S IMPACT ON THE USERS

A Research Paper Presented to

The English Resource Center

School of Multimedia Arts

Asia Pacific College

Magallanes, Makati

In Partial Fulfillment

Of the Requirement for the Course

RESWRIT – Research Writing

Bianca Parido

April 2014

Chapter 1

INTRODUCTION

A. Background of the Study

People of these days find gaming as an essential form of entertainment in our life. Given the idea of game development in the early nineties, it lead into different genres and sub-genres of games. Each and every genre has its own qualities and reasons to make gamers hooked into it. And one of it is Massively Multi-Player Online Roleplaying Game or what we call MMORPG.

MMORPG is one of the most widespread and popular gaming genre of the century. Unlike other genres, MMORPG is classified as one of the so-called “play to all” games. With its unique gameplay and built, people are lured to play it for hours and hours. In addition to that, it is massive and huge amount of people are playing simultaneously thus leading to a broad range of communication. 

Niels Van Hellemont tackled about MMORPG and the reason why it is massive. “In today’s world, MMOs have become a large part of people’s life. MMOs bring people from different cultures, religions, countries and ethnicity together in one big world where they can play, learn and enjoy themselves” (http://grumbleltd.wordpress.com/2011/03/08/mmorpgs-why-are-they-so-massive/).

Whether players are different from each other, MMORPG brings them in one big society they all can enjoy and relate. This idea of gaming makes this socialization as exciting as real life interaction. 

MMORP games are played by different types of people from different walks of life. From the gender and status of the users, gamer ranges aren’t precise and specific. It is a game that all people enjoy and find interesting. The one primal reason: it is a role-playing game. Playing MMORPG is like reading a book and be on the first-person POV of this book. You play the part of your character and be whoever that character is. 

Nicholas Yee discussed the atmosphere of the MMORPG in his article, "Unmasking the Avatar: The Demographics of MMO Player Motivations, In-Game Preferences, and Attrition." He says, “... MMORPGs are a very unique environment, in that you would almost never, in real life, find high-school students, housewives, retirees and early adult professionals together in any sort of collaborative decision-making task. And yet in MMORPGs, most ad-hoc combat or adventure groups are probably an interesting assortment of people from very different real-life roles and positions” (http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/130552/unmasking_the_avatar_the_.php?print=1).

What this means is that the MMORPG contains a broad spectrum of people. It has no specific demographic becayse MMORPG players have different backgrounds. The people who play this game range from students to housewives.

Finally this concludes to the heart of this paper… making MMORPG a medium of socialization in the cyberworld. In-game chatting and social interaction is a lot interesting and appealing to the users. This is because it includes an additional pinch of mystery to the users you are interacting it. 

The blog Tereasa mentioned why socialization is vital in MMORPG's.  “Although MMORPGs may not exist able to boast the vastness or graphical enumerate of their single-player RPG counterparts, they raise up for it with the increased possibility of interactions and the unpredictable gameplay this creates is more rewarding, hence more popular” (http://blotergo.blogspot.com/2012/10/why-are-mmorpgs-so-popular.html).

This means that interactive gaming is always a plus point to the gamers. As stated, this type of gaming leads to broad ranges of different relationships, whether so called friendship, rivalry or even lead to romantic-interest.

How does a specific gaming genre, MMORPG, became so called popular in terms of communication? It is hard to say and conclude to the researcher without making collective information from different users in the cyberworld. However the researcher observes in his/ her experience that socialization between people/players in MMORPG can lead to deeper connections and ties. Whether it is real or not, socialization in a role-playing game is highly spice things up to a normal friendly talk. According to Cole, Griffiths MD, “MMORPGs were found to be highly socially interactive environments providing the opportunity to create strong friendships and emotional relationships. The study demonstrated that the social interactions in online gaming form a considerable element in the enjoyment of playing"(http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17711367).

The problem that the researcher foresees is that not all social interaction involved in MMORPGs are not true but rather a fragmented one. The researcher also observed the pros and cons of this type of socialization. Nevertheless the pros, cons of this research imply that the players in MMORPG get attached to their avatars and get tendencies to conceal who they really are. According to Marko Siitonen from University of Jyväskylä, “Forming images of the other members can be quick in a technologically mediated environment. Still, reputation based on long-term social interaction does have real significance in online multiplayer communities. “

The purpose of this paper is to determine the nature of social interactions in MMORPGs and its impact to the players. How does this type of genre a magnet to gamers and what makes this game deceiving in forms of social interaction. The researcher would like to have an observation on how this gaming genre affects the gamers individually.

B. Statement of the Problem

            This paper aims to answer this question:

            1. What is the nature of social interactions in MMORPGs and its impact to the users?

C. Significance of the Study

Psychology Courses. This research paper aims to help psychology students understand the way of communication within the game world. Psychology students will find this paper a lot beneficial because this paper focuses on the social communications of an individual inside and outside the cyberworld. The researcher wants to tell these courses the significance of this paper to their studies, and lead them into a deeper analyzation of social interactions happening in MMORPGs.

Multimedia  Arts and Gaming Industry. Multimedia arts students, especially to those who are taking up game development major will get an ample benefit about the study. This would help the gaming industry an overview of how their work affects their target market thus making them somehow aware of the MMORPG’s capabilities.

Casual Gamers and Internet Users. The researcher strongly seeks to impart this paper’s content to the users, especially to those who find gaming as their second life. This paper would guide them in their social interactions in the game, making them decision wise and prepared to whatever the game might bring to them.

Future Researchers. Due to the limited resources of this study, this research will be a great contribution to the future researchers. As time pass by, with the internet and computer literacy increasing, directing to a larger artificial social interactions and broader communication. Future research about artificial communication needs basis on its evolution, thus making this paper a basis to their research.

D. Scope and Delimitation

           

The scope of this paper is mainly on the social interactions at this type of gaming genre and how it affects the users. Since the boom of the first MMORPG in the late nineties, this also led to a different type of communication and social interaction.

This study focuses on the nature of socialization in MMORPGs and its impact to the users, nothing more and nothing less. This paper will discuss few factual examples provided the sources gathered in the world wide web. The emphasis would be the difference of gaming socialization to real-life socialization and what are the socialization trigger keys within this type of game. Due to time constraints, the researcher will no longer discuss the sociological state of the MMORPG world but rather he will discuss the sources from individual examples. Moreover, this research will only be on this subject and will no longer discuss the other subjects like game development, origin, and reviews. This is due to the lack of resources and those particular topics are farther to my subject.

E. Materials and Methods

           

The information used in this paper is mainly articles and blog entries gathered in the world wide web. The researcher will also use self-related experiences of gamers from the internet and use them as examples in the paper. Aside from that, few psychology-related archives will also be added as analysis on the gathered information.

The researcher will present the facts in form of listing down the evidences and making an educated guess on what is the nature of this evidence. After each evidence, the researcher will also present a result of that evidence. Provided all information, a conclusion will also be made by the researcher by the end of the presentation of evidences.

F. Definition of Terms

1. Avatar - The usual term used in the customizable representation of you in the game.

2. Character - Another term used to the representation of yourself in the game, but the only difference is that this is pre-made.

3. Chat - One of the mediums of communication in the internet.

4. Cyberworld - The internet world.

5. EXP -  An acronym for the word Experience/Experience Points. Experience or experience points is the unit of measurement in a game which tells the advancement of your character’s level/rank.

6. IGN - An acronym for In Game Name.

7. Gamers - “A person who plays games, especially computer or video games.” (http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/gamers)

8. GM - An acronym for Game Masters/Moderators. Game masters/moderators are the administrators of the game.

9. Guild - A group of gamers in an organized association created in the game. A guild aims to help out each other in any means in the game. Usually led by the Guild Master.

10. Guild Master - The founder and / or president of a guild.

11. Guildmate - A co-gamer in the guild.

12. MMORPG - An acronym for Massively Multiplayer Online Role-playing Game. The genre created by combining two different gaming genres, namely role-playing video games and massively multiplayer online games.

13. Party - An informal group of gamers who have joined together in the game they are playing. Whether for a specific reason and cause, usual reason is to help each other out in gaining EXPs.

14. Stats -  A computation of your character’s statistics. This displays the strengths and weaknesses of your character by showing the different factors (ex Attack, Defense, Vitality, and Dexterity) of the computation.

Chapter 2

DISCUSSION

 I. MMORPG Defined

                MMORPG is a union of 2 genres of gaming, namely Massively Multi-Player Online and Role-playing games. This is described to be one of the most successful and most popular gaming genres of the century. MMORPGs can be web-browser type, or downloaded with or without subscription rates. The common identification of this type of games includes a huge number of users interacting simultaneously. Most MMORPG’s promote a level type of progression which requires players to get EXP (Experience Points) in order to advance. This leads to different socialization keys provided within the game like adding a friend, signing up for guilds, joining parties, and to some cases, marrying. These types of interaction within the game make a MMORPG appealing and addicting to the users.

                Another unique feature this genre is popular of is the character customization. Players are obligated to give a unique IGN on their avatar and this will be the identification medium a user has. The avatar’s looks can be customized to the user’s desire. Whilst other games promote a uniform avatar in MMORPGs, the equipment or the clothing, accessories and weapons used by the avatar can be changed. Aside from the physicality of the avatar, MMORPG’s also promotes the adjustments of your avatar’s stats. This will define the strength and capabilities of the avatar and there are different ways to manipulate it.

In article entitled Relationship Formation, the ratios and survey results gathered about the different factors in game interactions was discussed. It also talks about few of the differences between real life social interaction and the construction of making friends and romantic interests within MMORPGs.

                According to Nicholas Yee, “While it may seem strange that strong relationships can develop in these worlds where everyone is pretending to be someone else, the architecture of these environments actually facilitates these relationships.” (http://www.nickyee.com/daedalus/gateway_relationships.html)

                This means that all interactions within a game have possibilities to develop and get deeper. The difference it has on reality though and the idea that it is opposite to it, quite captures the users on its fantasy-based environment. It also says that users are portraying the role of their avatar and what they see in a game is not all real. Nevertheless, it was greatly appreciated though it is artificial and fragmented.

                The world of MMORPG depends upon the setting of the game. Most of these types of games are in a magical, ancient or even sometimes futuristic setting. Nevertheless the setting, the form of interaction between the players and the game varies from how the game system is weaved. Like in reality, the players can buy and sell goods in the game. They can also transport from places to places and travel at ease. But the most thrilling and exciting part of this world is the killing or hunting system it inhibits. Most MMORPG’s story revolved on killing and hunting out in their world. Players are ought to slay between the in game monsters, or even to their co-players. Player to player slaying is called PVP and this is the challenging part of a game.

                In a research done in the site gamestudies.org, virtual reality is firmly discussed to its extent. From how it differs from reality and the different factors to compare from the reality. The paper is critically detailed about the topic and includes ideas from different researches.

Dr. Vili Lehdonvirta, the author of the research, stated his ideas about MMO world. “… MMOs are painted as separate worlds, located outside “the real world”, in many ways mirroring it like a synthetic double, but carrying on independently of it like a distant planet. Marketers and mainstream media are fond of this way of viewing MMOs, as it evokes powerful images of parallel worlds from science fiction turned into reality.” (http://gamestudies.org/1001/articles/lehdonvirta).

                This states that the idea of virtual worlds of games is connected to the idea of the real world. To make things simpler, the idea of this world is based upon the idea of what reality is but only made better and a lot appealing to the users. The beautiful picture it inclines to the users is strikingly alluring. That’s the reason why users see that “virtual reality is the reality.”

With the given ideas about MMORPG, these thus give the clues on how does socialization is triggered and nurtured within the game. 

II. How does it work?

               

General information about this gaming genre is gathered and thus the question still remains… How a social interaction in MMORPG does is triggered? By following the usual and common flow of entering the MMORPG world, we can see how a user is inclined to their co-players. Take note that this is an example driven by the researcher and interaction varies from the users only.

                The usual starting point in joining in a MMORPG, users are ought to sign-up and create their avatar first. The user must make a unique IGN to their avatar, the identity of the user in the cyberworld. It is rare to see users who use their real names in their avatars and mostly they use appealing and “cool” ones. The focal point of creating your IGN is to capture the other users just be seeing the name of the avatar. Since it is a virtual world, meeting up in games is not like meeting up in reality. Users don’t see the facial features of the persons they are meeting up online and thus what they see is the IGN and the graphical form of their avatars.

                Once users are captivated upon seeing an appealing avatar in the game, this leads to asking how to and where to get those fancy items or maybe because of boredom it caused an idle chit-chat with a random stranger in the game. Reasons vary but what this means is that in a simple send of message is the start of getting attachments to other people. Once gone deeper and deeper to the point of making a back and forth communication, the socialization keys are the results of these actions.

III. The Socialization Keys

1.  Adding A Friend

Friendship within gamers is something an MMORPG gives. Whether users know them online or in reality, everybody knows the feeling it gets when they are gaining friends within a game. This makes MMORPG a lot more convenient to players who are having trust issues. It is easier to say because users are hiding within the mask of their avatars. It is also easier to be kept because nobody knows who they really are within a game.

2. Party

Party is a form of teaming up of players while wandering the game world together. It is practically teaming up to achieve a specific goal. By this teaming up, trust for each party a member is the ideal ingredient in doing so. Party members are dependent to one another and the success rate of their goal depends upon how they support one another. Like in the case in MMORPG, if an avatar is good at defence and heal, they are classified as the support. To make it simpler, make advantage of what their skills are and so as make advantage of what the party member’s advantages too and vice versa. This could increase the social interactions they have and thus leading to closer ties to their comrades.

3. Guilds

As result of deeper ties, long-term commitment and loyalty to comrades… this leads to joining or creating a guild. Guilds are the formal way of doing it so. This is led by a Guild Master. The guild master/s sets rules for the members to obey and make the priorities of a guild. Usually guilds are in type of recruitments when it comes to adding up members. As a result, meeting up people and more interactions. Guilds are the gateways to strong bonds of brotherhood in game. A guild tests the trust the members have for their comrades. Examples of trust testing scenarios are guild wars. Given the idea of having comrades in battle, they are ought to protect one another in the case of life and death situations. By doing this so, they are bound to one another whether it is a game, the loyalty they have for one another is tested.

4. Rivalries

Fights and misunderstandings also happen within a game. Things that trigger these are mostly PVP and offensive acts of the users. It may sound odd but negative vibes of interaction within a game also has an effect on the users, like in the cases of cyber bullying. A user who is dependent within a game and fined gaming as an essential part of their life degrades their self-esteems whenever they encounter bullying in the cyberworld. On the case of the plaintiffs, bullying is their way of escapism to reality. The concept of superiority even in an artificial world makes the users more dependent on it and this leads to an abnormal case of dependence upon the game

5. Marrying

In some MMORPGs, player to player marriage is possible and widely accepted as another form of romance. This form of relationship sometimes is supported within a game. Like in some MMORPGs, there is a system that allows a vow or even makes wedding ceremonies similar to how reality weddings and marriage are. Regardless the system, players sometimes make commitments to other players informally. This is called online dating, which sometimes does not only occur in MMORPGs but also in other forms of social media.

IV. The Impact to the Players

                Now that we know MMORPG users get to be inclined socially to other users in the cyberworld, what profit does it make? Clearly this paper is certain that there is an interaction present in this game and that interaction leads to the different keys, but how do these interactions impact its users?

 In a blog entry on the site www.weflyspitfires.com, Gordon talked about the knitted friendships and happy memories of being an MMORPG player. It also talks about the trust gained and given to co-players of an MMORPG user. Guilds were also talked in the article and how it greatly affected interactions within a game.

According to Gordon, “Although some disagree, for me one of the strongest sides of a MMORPG is the socialising aspect and the people we meet and friends we make. It’s quite amazing really, when you think about it, playing with folk from all over the world and all being united towards a common goal and sharing a common experience.” (http://blog.weflyspitfires.com/2009/06/26/making-online-friends-through-mmorpgs/).

What this means that some users see MMORPG socialization is a big factor to consider. Also that in MMORPGs users can meet someone who is compatible to them in any case, even though they are in miles and miles away.

Guilds are one of the socialization keys stated, and a column entitled "Guilds:How to Make Friends and Influence People" on the site www.mmorpg.com shows the significance of guilds and how to make it successful. The column mainly talks about how to manage guilds and the pros and cons of creating so.

Lisa Jonte, writer of the said column, discussed few concepts on how to become a good guild master. “Whatever your ultimate goal for your guild, (tightly coordinated, regularly scheduled raids, or large numbers for ‘round the clock, on-call back-up) as guild master, you need to be there to see it through. As with growing viable crops or raising considerate kids, success takes time and effort. So, if you aren’t willing to make that commitment, your guild is doomed before it starts.” (http://www.mmorpg.com/showFeature.cfm/loadFeature/8042/Guilds-How-to-Make-Friends-and-Influence-People.html).

This implies that in MMORPG guilds, decision making, planning, strategy and leadership skills are tested. Guilds make use of those concepts. Interactions to other guild members make use of these ideas and nurture the gifts of being leaders. Also that makes the user quite beneficial on their real lives. The researcher foresees that these skills acquired within the game are applicable also to the user’s life.

Another example of impacts of MMORPG socialization is finding romantic interest. In an article entitled "What the gift of a Savory Delight can lead to… The story of a Hunter and her Priest" on the site www.mmocouples.wordpress.com , a story of finding romance and compatibility between two strangers within an MMORPG. It also talks about the facts about dating whether online or in real.

According to Gabigirl’s story, “We ended up talking just about the game and silly things. He made me laugh. I also cannot pinpoint the exact moment our relationship took a turn towards the more personal side. I do know I had been intrigued by him since the very first time we ever talked. And then, when I started having romantic-ish feelings for this guy I had never met before…” (http://mmocouples.wordpress.com/2009/12/13/what-the-gift-of-a-savory-delight-can-lead-to-the-story-of-a-hunter-and-her-priest/).

Eventhough MMORPGs are virtual, romance do blossom in these types of social interactions. Captivity upon the way the user talks within the game is the primal thing when it comes to online flirting. What this means is that though the users don’t see the persons who are they talking to, some people still find comfort to these people they talk to online. The reason could be the warmth of their talk or the way they’ve made it through their talks. This only means that feelings are present in socializing in MMORPGs.

These are only 3 of the many social experiences of players in MMORPG. Though all are in the positive vibes of the box, the researcher still believes that there is another side of the picture. But regardless of it, the purpose and problem stated within the paper is answered through the help of the listed examples.

Chapter 3

SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS

AND RECOMMENDATIONS

SUMMARY

                This research tried to ascertain the nature of socialization in MMORPG and its impact on the users.

                The research design used in this study is the descriptive design method wherein the researcher answered the common questions about the topic by collecting data and information through the World Wide Web. Therefore, here are the findings:

1. There are 5 different socialization keys that trigger interactions between users of MMORPGs: adding a friend, party, guild, rivalry and marriage. All of these make up the social interactions of the players in the game.

2. Though that MMORPG is a virtual reality, it is seen by most people as the “reality” because of its appealing demographics and because it is the ideal world to the majority.

3.  An avatar is the identity of the user in the cyberworld. It is alterable according to the user’s desire and it portrays the role of the user in the game.

CONCLUSIONS

         Based on the findings of this study, the following conclusions are drawn:

    1. Social interactions without actuality could lead to altering ideas and lies. Not all social interactions in MMORPG are fragmented, some are and some is. It is a mixture of truth and lies and the reason is because it is role-playing.
     
     2.  MMORPG is a great influence to the sociology and psychology of the human mind. The impact of different forms of socialization within MMORPGs is great and could cause direct changes to the user’s life.

RECOMMENDATIONS

    After making the conclusions of the study, the researcher therefore suggests recommendations:

1. In interacting within MMORPG or even in any forms at the World Wide Web, consider the alterations and fragmented ideas about it and accept it. Though internet is used as a form of escapism to the users, the bright side of it is that real life interactions are much more appreciated.

2. Future researcher should make a demographic study about this topic and make use of larger scale examples as a stronger proof in this study.

References:

A.     Electronic Media

“Fair Game: Guilds, How to Make Friends and Influence People.” Retrieved April 9, 2014   from http://www.mmorpg.com/showFeature.cfm/loadFeature/8042/Guilds-How-to-Make-Friends-and-Influence-People.html.

“Making Online Friends Through MMORPGs.” Retrieved April 10,2014 from http://blog.weflyspitfires.com/2009/06/26/making-online-friends-through-mmorpgs/.

“MMORPG's - why are they so massive?” Retrieved April 5, 2014 from http://grumbleltd.wordpress.com/2011/03/08/mmorpgs-why-are-they-so-massive/.

“Relationship Formation.” Retrieved April 1, 2014 from http://www.nickyee.com/daedalus/gateway_relationships.html.

“Social interactions in massively multiplayer online role-playing gamers.” Retrieved March 30, 2014 from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17711367.

“Unmasking the Avatar: The Demographics of MMO Player Motivations, In-Game Preferences, and Attrition.” Retrieved April 6, 2014 from http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/130552/unmasking_the_avatar_the_.php?print=1.

“Virtual Worlds Don't Exist: Questioning the Dichotomous Approach in MMO Studies.” Retrieved April 10, 2014 from http://gamestudies.org/1001/articles/lehdonvirta.

“What the gift of a Savory Delight can lead to… The story of a Hunter and her Priest.” Retrieved April 10, 2014 from http://mmocouples.wordpress.com/2009/12/13/what-the-gift-of-a-savory-delight-can-lead-to-the-story-of-a-hunter-and-her-priest/.

“Why Are MMORPGs So Popular?” Retrieved March 29, 2014 from http://blotergo.blogspot.com/2012/10/why-are-mmorpgs-so-popular.html.

Blogpost 8: Grand Chase: A Game Review

               MMORPG is my favourite gaming genre. I like the way of how an actual MMORPG story is weaved through and the part I play in my character’s role. I notice too that most MMORPG games have a very fascinating story, involves medieval scenarios that I personally love. I played almost at least 10 different MMO’s and this is one of the best games I played so far.

 Grand Chase is one of the many MMORPG games I played. With its 2 Dimensional side scrolling interface, it was one of the most unique MMO I played. Grand Chase features a total of 19 playable characters as to date. Five of them are already yours for free while the remaining 14 acquires a quest completion. Most MMORPG has an avatar type of system wherein you will create your character; Grand Chase is the only game I know that doesn’t do this type of system. Aside from that, this game also features also features a unique way of interface.  It promotes a room system wherein your character will enter a room and play. Players will play in two different modes, whether dungeon or PVP (Player versus Player). Dungeon is a storyline attached gameplay that allows 1-4 players in one room while in PVP total number of players that can play at a single room is 6. In my opinion, though this type of system makes a secluded gameplay of players, it is somehow organized and makes the flow of the game easier.  When I was a newbie gamer, I didn’t found it hard to play this game. With its arcade style of controls, it is very easy to level and gain experience.  Plus this game is free to play so no need for those crazy subscription payments! According to the article “Best Free MMORPGs” by Brandon Widder, “Free-to-play gaming is a young concept, but it’s an alluring one. Whereas big-name titles like World of Warcraft and the upcoming Elder Scrolls Online still require monthly subscriptions, many publishers and developers opt to create titles that are readily accessible on PC (and other platforms) at absolutely no cost to consumers.”

                From my previous blog, I said that one way to classify a good game is by its graphics and visual effects. This game, contrary to most MMORPG, promotes chibi-style characters. Through the first years of the game, graphics is not as astonishing as of today. I encountered gamers that hate cartoonish characters. But to those who likes a cute, bubbly anime ones I suggest playing this game. It may be cartoonish but the visual and digital effects of the game pulls off the quality. According to the article “Cartoony vs. Realism?” by Sophie Linney, “Cartoon games which are praised and valued for battling gaming conventions (Journey, Limbo) are often short in length, quite abstract and open to interpretation, more like an interactive work of art rather than an extensive experience of a story, but perhaps it does hint at a future for a deeper experience of games that are also in this style.”

                Each game has its own pros and cons but we all have this unique taste for whatever we play. I would accept the criticism about my favourite game because not all of us can appreciate anything. But we all have this passion and dedication on whatever we like.

Blogpost 7: The Future of MMORPG

                 Massively multi-player role-playing games never failed us in giving an alternate world of what we want. Like what I’ve said in my previous entries, we play the part our avatars portray. It is simply a game of playing your role, only which you have a dummy perfect avatar of you. But what if this kind of MMORP gaming has gone to a different level? What if MMORPG’s is not just on your laptop screens and gone through our own grasps and reality?

                The gaming industry nowadays is levelling up that fast. MMORP games on the other hand, has also gone through drastic changes since the creation of the first MMORPG back in 1990’s. What I have in my mind is that if this kind of gaming genre, or even in the other gaming genres, has gone through the psychology and mind of the players and created a realistic gaming using our minds. Apparently this idea is from an anime Sword Art Online, which portrays a virtual reality type of MMO. Basically it is real but the thing is it runs through our mind when we sleep, just like dreaming. If this kind of gaming has gone through our world, what would happen? In my opinion, this would be a loud boom to the cyberworld. Imagine a world where you can do the things your character does in the game, like slashing monsters and performing magic. It would be a real hit for all gamers out there. According to the article “The Future of Online Games” by William Murphy, of the site http://www.mmorpg.com/, “Whether or not we see the results anytime soon, the MMO is changing: both in terms of size and scope, and in terms of gameplay and ideals.”

                Sword Art Online, for those who are not familiar with, involves the systems of a real MMORPG like missions, levelling up, trading materials and even marriage. Since you are living in a virtual reality, life is like you are the main character in an adventure novel. This is like playing Sims + Everquest +doing real life activities at the same time.  But what is different about this game is that if players are killed within the game, they also die in reality. Sounds cruel to be in the real world, right?

                Sad to say this type of gaming is far from possible to happen. Listed the ideas of that anime, it would be a great conflict to the technical, financial and ethical values of our world. Also ideas about this type of MMORPG are far from the current status of science and technology. According to the article “Sword Art Online: An Idealistic View of MMORPG” of the site wwwpolychromium.wordpress.com, “A game like Sword Art Online is just a distant dream.”

                The thing I am pointing out here is what if and only what if MMORPG in the future is like this? Sooner or later, our world’s technology might be unreachable and could link to the era of virtual reality.  This isn’t something good entirely, but more of a bad idea. It would make the human race battle against the rights of this world. But I cannot lie that if this thing has come to reality, I would probably submerge myself into it. 

Blogpost 6: Creating Your World

Massively Multi-player Online Role-Playing Game is the most widespread and most common gaming genre of the century. As of today, MMORPG subscription rates are more than half a billion dollars. It is one of the most common source of income to graphic designers, programmers, digital artists and all multimedia arts people. Unlike others, this type of businesses involves in the rendered services of the said professionals, thus requiring a great amount of labour.  Aside from that, capital and material resources are also factors to consider.  But how is an MMORP game created? What are the factors needed to do so?

                Since Role-playing games commonly involves a 1^st and 2^nd person point of view, the first step in making your MMORPG is writing an outline of your story. Most gamers are about the story itself, on how the main character of the game battles through the odds of the game. For me, the story is one of the two main points in classifying a good game. But in order to make a story, somewhat make a slogan slash tagline of your game. A tagline or slogan is a two to three sentence summary of what the game is about.  Also make brief descriptions of your characters, the setting, the idea of the game and the scope it has. This is really going to cost you headaches and migraines but hardwork always pays off. According to the article “How To Write A Brief Game Outline” by Aaron Callahan of the site makeyourownmmorpg.com, “Make sure that your game concept excites you as you will be putting a lot of time and effort into this game; therefore it should be interesting and motivating to you for the long-haul.”  The story also makes the game interesting in a way. Most MMORPG games I played either have a good story or a good gameplay.  

Gameplay on the other hand, is the greatest factor to consider in creating your game. What is the gameplay of your game?  What will the players do in your game? Is it a 3 Dimensional classic platformer, or a simple 2D side-scroll? Apparently if the gameplay is complicated and has a lot of methods, this will also say what software you are going to use.  Last year we had a project of creating our own game using a programing software Unity and to be honest it is hard. But all efforts in creating and coding our game might be profitable in the end. If you are a newbie at programing, try to study each functions in the system and make simple games. But if you are a prodigy and can produce stunning cause and after-effects in different programing softwares, this might be a big shot.  This is the hardest and toughest part of making the game but also the most important necessity in doing so. According to the article “Make Your Own MMO!” by Lore Hound (name of the team), of the site www.lorehound.com, “While the big games may be fun and exciting, it really is the indy games that live through the community.”

              After creating the story and making the game itself, visuals is another factor to consider. Nowadays people only appreciate what their eyes see and looks can be deceiving. If your game has a stunning art, it probably would catch the attention of the users right away.  From the character designs to the background layout, it all counts. Remember that good art will captivate the users to play your game. It is one way of faking the game itself. If you see deceiving advertisements of different MMORP games on the World Wide Web and it turns out the game sucks, this is somehow a way of drawing the users to play your game.

                These are only 3 of the many things an MMORPG development needs.  Imagine the time and effort a game needs in order to be successful. Whilst you got addicted to a game, try to appreciate it in a different way. You don’t know the blood and sweat the multimedia people gave to it and you might become part of this world as well.

Blogpost 5: PVP Bullying

      

   PVP or player versus player is a special feature online games promote, especially MMORPG's. Nevertheless the genre of your game, PVP between your friends is always the seasoning of your gaming life. In this system, players can kill their co-players without causing any real physical harm. But the thing that PVP gives to gamers is more than their avatar's pain, sometimes it spreads through the gamer itself and turns into an act of cyber bullying. How to classify if you are bullied? How to know if you are bullying somebody online? PVP is fun but here are the factors to consider.

           According to the article “What is Cyber Bullying?” by Michelle New PhD, “Cyberbullying is the use of technology to harass, threaten, embarrass, or target another person. By definition, it occurs among young people. When an adult is involved, it may meet the definition of cyber-harassment or cyber-stalking, a crime that can have legal consequences and involve jail time.” This electronically inclined topic boomed when social media became popular. Little did us know, cyber bullying also aired in the depths of the gaming world. Most of us gamers start by being the “noob” or “newbie” in playing, thus making us look like little ants crawling to the strong players. I'm not saying that all high-level players are bullies but some of them tend to overpower other players by means of Pking or player killing mercilessly. Some games allow Pking to low level players, some not. But regardless the level and power of your character, the most grieving part is that the “trash talk” and harassment they do. There was this MMORPG I used to play long before, and Pking is one hobby of the higher level players. One way to know if you are bullied online is when your avatar is being killed by another avatar for no apparent reason. Also add the fact that they are broadcasting online words that punctures like different types of curses and blames.

              Those are the signs of being bullied, but what are the signs of bullying?

           According to Meghan Casserly's article “Are You A Bully And Don't Even Know it?” of the site www.forbes.com, “In social systems with a pecking order it’s natural for higher-ups to exert power over subordinates. That behavior, he says, however unpleasant it may be for assistants round the world, is normal.” If you are actually bossy around your guildmates, and make them do things against their will is probably signs of being a bully. Although the article says that it is natural to the superior to overcome the weak, harassment is a different situation. In gaming, trash talking is one example of overboard superiority or bullying. Sometimes when the heat is on, PVP battle against your mates and suddenly you typed out words like “You call that skill? Probably the weakest one I saw!” or words like “F*ck You.” Sometimes, aggression towards killing your co-players is also another kind of bullying. Some MMORPG games promote killing sprees, thus making your character kill anyone and as may as you want.

             Though this is not reality, words can hurt somebody's feelings. It is sad to hear that in social media teens who have been cyber bullied came to the point of killing themselves. This scenario most likely would happen in the world of gaming pretty soon. Now that the era of world wide web and internet is becoming essential to our life, restrictions and prohibitions to bullying online could get harder to manage. 

 

Blogpost 4: Addicted to Gaming

Did you ever find gaming as your life and submerged yourself in tons of hours of playing? Did you ever play so long that you forgot to eat, sleep and even take a bath? Or been addicted to a game that you spent real life money on top-ups, novelty items and pro-gaming events? These are the signs of being strongly addicted to playing virtual games.

Online game addiction is just like any form of worldly addiction like gambling and drugs. Studies say that all types of addiction push the person to do something they cannot withdraw easily and see it as essential as eating and sleeping. More than 2 hours of gaming can be classified as addiction. Also studies say that gaming addicts are most commonly men than women, with the ratio 6:10. I experienced gaming addiction when I was in High School. Most of my gaming budies are men and we like to spend 3-4 hours in internet cafes. This addiction has led to many physical and psychological effects. There are different ways to classify a computer addict. According the article “The Mental and Physical Side Effects of Computer Game Addiction” by Seymour Jacklin, “A game clicks over from being an entertaining diversion to being an addiction when the player begins to neglect other normal functions of life in order to keep on playing or finds that they experience withdrawal symptoms such as irritability when they have not had a fix. Risk behaviours such as getting into debt, ignoring responsibility or depriving oneself of sleep are also characteristic of addictions.”

Physical effects include migraines, back aches, inability to eat and take proper hygiene and carpal tunnel syndrome. Excessive amount of sitting and radiation of hardware electronics on the other hand can lead to many other physical ailments like weakening of one’s immune system.

Psychological Effects includes dependence upon the game you are playing. Socialization in MMORPG are sometimes altered, so does the name says (Role-Playing). It affects the way we behave in the real world by being free of changing your identity.  On the article “Video Games: Are They Really a Source of Addiction?” Kristi A. Dename says that,” Massive Multi-user Online Role-playing Games (MMORPGs) are the fastest-growing forms of Internet gaming addiction. This is because they combine customizable characters in a virtual world alongside other live players. This socialization with online characters that others around the world control replaces socialization within the real world. With those who have low self-esteem, social anxieties, or other insecurities, they will find comfort in a new identity.”

If we include the fact that you are addicted to playing online games, it can lead to tendencies like lesser social interaction to your family, friends and loved ones. If so, teens this days will soon neglect reality and be dependent on this artificial world. This can lead to the worst case scenario, raising an introvert community.