Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games
The People, the Addiction and the Playing Experience
$29.95
About the Book
This book is about the fastest growing form of electronic game in the world—the Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game (MMORPG). The evolution of these self-contained three-dimensional virtual worlds, often inhabited by thousands of players, is described here. This work also delves into the psychology of the people who inhabit the game universe and explores the development of the unique cultures, economies, moral codes, and slang in these virtual communities. It explains how the games are built, the spin-offs that players create to enhance their game lives, and peeks at the future of MMORPGs as they evolve from a form of amusement to an educational, scientific, and business tool.
Based on hundreds of interviews over a three-year period, the work explores reasons people are attracted to and addicted to these games. It also surveys many existing and upcoming games, identifying their unique features and attractions. Two appendices list online addiction organizations and MMORPG information sites.
About the Author(s)
R.V. Kelly 2 is the former head of Virtual Reality, Artificial Life, and Distance Learning Application Development at Digital Equipment Corporation and has been building synthetic worlds (for immersive biology, language development, and knowledge engineering) for 20 years. He currently works for Hong Kong Academy building worlds for the teaching of Chinese. He lives in Medfield, Massachusetts.
Bibliographic Details
R.V. Kelly 2
Format: softcover (6 x 9)
Pages: 207
Bibliographic Info: photos, appendices, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2004
pISBN: 978-0-7864-1915-9
eISBN: 978-0-7864-5528-7
Imprint: McFarland
Table of Contents
Introduction: The Appeal of the Unreal 1
1. Out of the MUD: The Evolution of Synthetic Worlds 13
The Deep Past 18
D&D and MUDs 19
2. MMORPG Culture 24
A Quick Primer 25
Failsafe 28
Quests: Frodo, Take This Ring to Mordor 30
Guilds: The Three Thousand Musketeers 34
Game Economies: Greed as a Creed 36
Killer Be Killed 40
3. The Psychology of MMORPG Players 46
4. Attraction and Addiction 62
5. Sampling the Games 100
6. The Private World of MMORPGs 151
Spawned Enterprises: Go Forth and Multiply 151
Macros and Bots and Scripts, Oh My 156
Slang: Who You Callin’ a Twinked Noob 159
7. Making a MMORPG 166
Game Design 167
Art 168
Animation 170
Programming 171
Databases and Servers 172
Story, Sound, and Music 173
Final Touches 174
8. The Future of MMORPGs 177
Appendix 193
Bibliography 194
Index 197
Book Reviews & Awards
“valuable…a solid introduction to the on-goings of the MMORPG world”—Against the Grain.