Role Playing Games - And The Fan Base Grows

Players or participants of Role Laying Games assume the role of different fictional characters, more popularly known as avatars, and try to make these characters victorious with each challenge it faces.

These avatars can be customized and built according to the preferences of the player. They may determine where their character may excel. However, as the game progresses, the character may built up more strength and powers or otherwise.

Online role playing games also have guidelines and a formal system of rules and mechanics that needs to be met. Working around these rules, participants can shape the outcome and direction of their games.

Background

It was in the mid 1970s when it all started. Online role playing games was developed from its traditional counterparts (computer role playing games and video games). In this year, the earliest multi user games started to appear. In 1980, Rogue, a very famous dungeon crawler was released. It was quite different back then because monsters, items, and settings were represented by letters. Form then, development of a new genre of similar clones.

One of the most influential games among all online role playing games is Dungeons and Dragons. It has a big effect in the development of online RPGs. The success of Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest console games divided the genre of role playing games into two : the console role playing games and the computer role playing games. Cultural differences are the reason behind this classification. Game consoles are produced primarily for personal computers in Japan and role playing games in the Western World.

When it was introduced, Online Role Playing Games began as single player games. However the arrival of the internet and the virtual world made developments in online role playing games. After that, players from all over the world began to enjoy the games in this genre. They were able to participate in multiplayer games with players from all parts of the globe.

These games have grown to be an online gamer sensation that RPG companies discover ways to make it better. These improvements led multiplayer gaming into massively multiplayer online role playing games (MMORPGs) that continued to make online gaming more popular each year.

Challenges

These games are centered on stories which are more often than not, adventure and fictional in type. There are also centered on fantasy and mythological genres. Players have to reach a certain goal or complete a mission in order to advance further into the game. These missions and challenges are often called "quests".

Some of these involve chasing off dragons, fighting evil wizards and masters, and saving damsels in distress. The outcomes of these games are dependent on the characters strengths, characteristic, and skills.

Little More About the Avatars

As stated, players have the power to customize their characters according to their preferences. However, the improvement of there characters are highly dependent on the course of the game. Enhancing their character’s skills, attributes, equipment, and special abilities are important so as to achieve the goal of the game.

Improvements and achievements are often given as rewards for accomplishing their quests and overcoming obstacles. In short, these rewards have to be earned.

Multiplayer Modes

Among the online role playing games, Diablo was the first to come up with multiplayer options. Multiplayer modes became popularity during the mid1990s. Then after, they became massively multiplayer online role playing games (MMORPGs) because of its popularity.

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The Internet and Online Role Playing Games (ORPG) - Pros And Cons

With the advent of the Internet, online games have been played over computer networks. Over the year, the online gaming has expanded and provided a large influence to the overall expansion computer networks from the popular growth of Internet access itself and the local networks to the Internet.

These online games can vary from games that are text based to complex graphical and virtual games which are simultaneously populated by many players all over the world. Nowadays online gaming has become a social activity because of the online communities incorporated into the recent online games.

The rising popularity of flash and java and internet revolution made video streaming, audio streaming, and a whole new set of user interactivity possible. When Microsoft began including flash players as a pre-installed component of "internet explorer", the Internet shift from a data/information source to also offer on-demand entertainment.

Flash Players

When flash players were included into the internet explorers, it gave way for web sites to offer games to the web surfers. World of Warcraft, Final Fantasy XI and Lineage II are among the most popular online games to date.

These games charge monthly fees to their subscribers so that they may be able to access the services and avail the services they need. However, games such as Guild Wars, do not charge monthly fees to their subscribers.

Massive Multiplayer Online Games (MMOG’s)

With the advent of broadband internet access, massive multiplayer online games were made possible especially in developing countries. Using the internet, MMOGs became very popular to children, teens, and young adults because the internet allows thousands of players to play and participate in the same game at the same time.

Massive multiplayer online role-playing game (World of Warcraft), Massive multiplayer online real-time strategy (Mankind), and Massive multiplayer online first-person shooter (Dark Fall) are one of the most popular styles of MMOG’s.

Pros and Cons of Online Games

Because of the growing access to broadband internet,gamers can play there favorite online role playing games from the comfort of their own home while interacting with the other gamers even without meeting them yet.

Here are some advantages and disadvantages of playing online games at home :

Pros

Online games provide privacy. Online gaming can be played at home rather than go to internet cafés with other people lining up just to play the same game.

Online games are cheaper. Because you can play from the comfort of your own home, you can play for as long as you can without paying for large amounts in the internet cafés.

Online games are safe. Online gamers need not to go out of their homes so as to guarantee safety. You also need not to reveal your true identity to other players while maintaining interaction with them.

Cons

Online games are time consuming. These games are quite competitive and one needs time to think of strategies and accomplishing their goals. They also need to spend large amounts of time to keep up with other players.

Online games lessen social interaction. Because of the large amount of time players spend in front of the computer and interacting with other gamers mostly through chat, they become impersonal in dealing with people. They would rather spend the entire day interacting through chat than actually meeting and talking to individuals in person.

Online games can cause eye strain and head ache. While most online games are fun to play with, they can become very addictive to the majority of players. Spending large amounts of time in front of the monitor not only prove to be eye straining but can cause prolonged head ache even if they stop playing the game.

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Computer Role Playing Games

Online Role Playing Games, or sometimes refereed to as Computer Role Playing Games, are a wide range of games that requires the player to build a hero or a character based on his preferences and fancy. These are types of games where one interacts with other players in the virtual world (usually in groups).

Image by sean dreilinger via Flickr

As the game advances, the player’s character should be able to acquire experience as he or she will be needing this in order to succeed with other rounds or quests. The character must be able to become more powerful and should be able to obtain new and advanced abilities.

Electronic role playing games is a broad genre under the video games category. These were the early beginnings of inline role playing games. These games were originally from Dungeons and Dragons, a traditional role playing game which had been the basis for advance online role playing games nowadays. The game mechanics and the settings of the games were formatted from this game.

Interactions in online role playing games are done in the virtual world using the internet. These may be done individually (single player games) or with a group of friends or team mates (multiplayer games). Computer role playing games offer almost identical features with online role playing games.

Avatar

Online role playing games revolves on making or building your own character. These characters are also called avatars. More often, players find it fun and put effort in choosing their avatars. There are different abilities that your avatar can excel on. However, the abilities and powers of the characters depend on the progression of the game.

The characters represent the skills and abilities of the player himself. It shows how he or she decide or control the game outcomes. A status screen displays the attributes of the player and his character. It uses numerical values instead of meters, bars, and other simple abstract graphical representation that the usual video games utilize.

Fantasy Setting

A fictional and high fantasy setting is another feature of online role playing games (and other RPGs in general). These settings come from science fiction or space opera themes. However, some online RPGs also utilize historical settings and backgrounds.

Exceptions to these trends are online role playing games such as Bloodlines ("gothic punk), Arcanum (steam punk), Darklands (a combination of medieval German legend and history), Fallout (post-apocalyptic), and Mount and Blade (Medieval Europe with no magic or fantasy).

Quests

Team members or a group of characters (usually called a party) join forces to complete their missions (usually called "quest"). However, a single player may also do this by himself with the help of other players. These quests are usually fantasy fiction inspired. But classical mythology and science fictions are also used as basis for the missions.

These missions comprise different adventures along the way. Some challenges are defeating the evil boss, rescuing a princess, or clearing a dungeon of monsters. Some games require the character to talk to a Non Player Character (NPC) to know and receive his or her mission or quest.

Fetch quest, locational puzzles (such as opening locked doors by means of a hidden lever or a key), or engaging in dialogues are some of the requirements to proceed to the next level or challenge.

Majority of the online role playing games are played as a linear narrative. Meaning, one plays the game in a predetermined sequence. They just have to comply with the requirements for the next level to complete the entire mission.

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