MMORPG

From Ultimatewiki

MMORPGs (Massive Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game) is a genre of online computer role-playing games (RPGs) in which a large number of players interact with one another in a virtual world. MUDs are also MMORPGs. As in all RPGs, players assume the role of a fictional character (most commonly in a fantasy setting) 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 away from the game.

MMORPGs are very popular throughout the world, with combined global memberships in subscription and non-subscription games exceeding 15 million as of 2006. Overall, revenues for MMORPGs exceeded half a billion dollars in 2005 and are expected to reach over a billion dollars by 2009.

Common features

Though MMORPGs have evolved considerably, many of them share some basic characteristics.

A majority of MMORPGs are based off traditional Dungeons & Dragons style gameplay, including quests, monsters, and loot. Like in Dungeons & Dragons, there is usually the ability to develop your character after they have reached certain levels which occurs after gaining enough experience points to do so. Often there are Game Moderators or Game Masters (frequently abbreviated to GM), which are sometimes-compensated individuals who attempt to supervise the world.

MMORPGs usually involve large communities of players and social networks, some having support for the creating of Guilds or clans, which are organizations of players. The "world" that players visit tends to be persistent ones where a client-server model is employed, in which the "world" software runs continuously on a server, and players connect to it via client software. MMORPGs usually have a virtual economy, based on the trade of items such as weapons and armor, and a regular currency.

The majority of popular MMORPGs require players to either purchase the client software for a one-time fee or pay a monthly subscription to play. Most major MMORPGs require players to do both. By nature, "massively multiplayer" games are always online, and require some sort of continuous revenue (such as monthly subscriptions and advertisements) for maintenance and development. Games that feature massively-multiplayer functionality, but do not include roleplaying elements, are referred to as MMOGs.

Common MMORPGs

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