Massive multiplayer online role-playing games Armen Galstyan April 24, 2010 CS 575

What is MMORPG Genre of computer role-playing games Large number of players interact with each another Played within a virtual game world The development of the player's character is a primary goal The game world continues to exist and evolve even while the player is away from the game

History MMORPG was coined by Richard Garriott, creator of Ultima Online, 1997 First graphical multi-user RPG was Neverwinter Nights, published by America Online in 1991 Ultima Online, 1997, popularizing MMORPG the genre Everquest, 1999, made the genre mainstream in America

System Architecture Most MMORPGs are deployed using a client–server system architecture The software that generates and persists the "world" runs continuously on a server Players connect to it via client software Increasing trend using pre-existing "thin" clients, such as a web browser

Development Commercial MMORPG title often exceeds $10 million to develop Required disciplines: 3D modeling, 2D art, animation, user interfaces, client/server engineering, database architecture, and network infrastructure Client Side: 3D engines, real-time shader techniques and physics simulation Server Side: client/server architecture, network protocols, security, and relational database design

Human Psyche – Sherry Turkle Professor of the Social Studies of Science and Technology, MIT Assuming different personal identities in a MMORPG may be therapeutic Underage children present themselves as adult above the age of 18  adults having relationships with children posing as adults Changing attitudes about human life and concepts about what it means for something to be alive

Human Psyche – Nick Yee Research scientist at the Palo Alto Research Center (PARC) in California Surveyed 40,000 players Personal Spaces People are willing to do tedious, complex tasks within games Routine real-world responsibilities assigned to a custom online game

Social Interactions Anonymity: Players choose what type of character they want to play and design their appearance Virtual Relationships: 15.7% of males and 5.1% of females dated someone they met in an MMORPG

Anonymity Positive side effect: difficulty in stereotyping, all players have equal ability to design themselves Identity tourism: player to appropriately role-play his character in the desired fashion  without being rejected by the community Players feel safe and immune to physical or emotional attack

Virtual Relationships Player’s avatar may or may not characterize actual appearance Users may select an avatar that represents their ideal self, what they aspires to look like Receiver may perceive attractiveness through the appearance of one's avatar Lack of nonverbal cues may facilitate romantic relationships

EverCrack Very time-consuming for many people Renowned and berated for its addictive qualities Suicide of Shawn Woolley

World of Warcraft South Korean man collapsed to the floor after playing WoW at an Internet café for 50 hours straight Chinese man killed a fellow player who had stolen his virtual sword Young girl died after playing World of Warcraft for several consecutive days

Thank You Enjoy the video clip  Hope no one is offended by South Park End.