Massively multiplayer online game

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The term massively multiplayer online game ( MMOG or MMO ), in German also mass online community game , describes a type of computer game that offers players a virtual persistent world and can be played by many (often several thousand) players ( multiplayer ) simultaneously via the Internet can be played.

Typically, the players interact and communicate with one another and thus shape progress in the virtual world together.

Genres and Development

MMOGs became fashionable in the mid-1990s. One of the first multiplayer games to garner a larger following was Neverwinter Nights , released in 1991 and originally operated by AOL . At the beginning, up to 50 players per AOL server could compete against each other, later the capacities increased to up to 500 players per server.

Role play
The oldest MMOGs emerged as online role-playing games in the early 1990s . Here, a fictional game character is created in a virtual world, which develops through interaction (conversation / trade / fight) with other players or through computer-generated tasks. The aim of the games, in addition to further developing the characters and learning new skills, is usually to collect experience points. With the publication of the multiplayer online game “Planetarion” in 2000 at the latest, this game genre has reached a critical mass of game fans. At that time the game had around 175,000 players, which should not only be seen as a respectable success. Because over time, the number of MMO fans has increased many times over. Today the most successful games have millions of players around the world and most of the games are translated into multiple languages, making it a global business like the old economy of computer and console games.
Build-up and strategy games
The most common browser games are build-up and strategy games. The players take control of z. B. over a soccer team, a city, a state or entire planets, these must be managed skillfully and be successful against other players. Often it is a matter of working out certain resources (money / iron / manpower, etc.), converting them into active playing figures (buying field players / building buildings / building war equipment), and using these to damage or damage opposing figures (computer-generated or those of other players) fend off. The first game of this kind was the German and English language SOL , developed in Hamburg , which started in October 1995. Other early games in this category were the English language games Hattrick (1997) and the Planetarion, launched in 2000 , which had more than 175,000 players over time. The first German-language game with more than 10,000 players was Galaxywars , which had an estimated 60,000-80,000 players at its heyday. The exact number could not be determined due to the large number of multi-accounts .
Virtual battlefield
MMOFPS is a mixture of classic first person / first person shooters and the principle of the MMOG. Here the view and control of first-person shooters are linked with the large game world and number of players of MMOGs and the associated strategic elements. This development is relatively new in comparison to classic MMOGs, because the greater dynamics (simulation of projectiles, fast player movements, etc.) place higher performance demands on the hardware. Well-known representatives are u. a. Battleground Europe , PlanetSide and Neocron .

Community

In contrast to single player games - and in continuation of the considerations on multiplayer modes - the interaction of as many players as possible with one another is one of the central themes and goals of MMOGs. The games are therefore designed in such a way that some goals can (almost) only be achieved with coordinated actions. Many players therefore join forces in groups (e.g. as clans / tribes / alliances / guilds / parties or squads), which in turn support or fight each other. This can result in extremely complex organizational structures and hierarchies. In order to maintain such an organization, intensive communication between the players is of particular importance. In connection with the sometimes very time-consuming game events, this creates strong and independent online communities .

Cheating

As with other computer games, the use of cheats also plays a major role. In addition to fraud with technical possibilities (cheat programs for client-based games / scripts for browser-based games / exploiting program errors and cracks ), there are also so-called multi-accounts . By registering anonymously, one person can control several "players" at the same time and thereby gain unfair advantages. With the support of several “multinationals”, an account can gain a gaming advantage that would not arise from normal interaction with real people. In addition, these accounts are often used for spying on opposing groups, as their own account would be noticed there. Operators are increasingly trying to counteract this problem by setting up and controlling access rules (e.g. only one player per computer / internet connection).

Exceptions to cheating for multi-accounts

However, playing with multiple accounts and creating multiple characters on different sites is partially accepted or even supported.

Cheating through software and hardware - a matter of interpretation

The question of whether the use of certain hardware or software constitutes a cheat is, however, controversial. In first-person shooters such as Counter-Strike , programs with the help of which a player can see through walls or with which he can recognize the position of other players in a way that is not intended in the game are specifically recognized as cheats .

However, there are also cases (especially with hardware) in which it is controversial whether or not there is a case of cheating. There are now a number of input devices with which the user can store certain key sequences on a key (so-called macros) in order to simplify operation. Since players can be banned from the game for cheating, the discussion as to whether this is cheating is by no means as insignificant as it appears at first glance. In that case, the player should not use this hardware and might have to uninstall drivers installed for the hardware in order to avoid terminating his account.

Time expenditure and potential for addiction

Due to the large number of players who play the game at different times, a full game usually takes several months, sometimes years. Many games even have no fixed end. The average time required varies between one hour a week (e.g. a turn-based soccer game with two “games” per week) up to several hours a day. Since it is about interaction with other players, it happens that some actions have to be monitored late into the night, sometimes even into the early morning, which often makes a regular daily routine - in scene jargon real life - impossible can. In addition, it is closely related to the problem of internet addiction . Due to the intensely cultivated contacts with other online players in the course of the game, there may be shifts in priorities, which are often at the expense of the local social environment. Here, however, science is still at an early stage with corresponding studies.

technology

browser-based games
These games only require internet access and a web browser , offering great flexibility when playing. On the client side , games that are solely based on HTML have the greatest platform independence , where the game content is mostly read from databases (e.g. MySQL on an Apache server ) and displayed as dynamic websites with Perl , PHP , JSP or Microsoft's ASP.NET . Rich media technologies such as Flash are also used for multimedia design, but these can no longer be played on every (publicly accessible) computer.
The oldest games in this category were created in open forums (forum games).
client based games
An additional program ( client ) is installed and started on the computer for these games . This means that the game can be implemented in a much more interactive and media-demanding manner; however, playability is limited to computers and platforms that support the program
Communication between players
Many MMOGs provide different communication options within the game, such as personal messages, forums and chat systems. However, since these are often very rudimentary, external systems are often used. The bandwidth ranges from an external forum to instant messaging and chat clients ( ICQ , MSN , IRC , XMPP ) to personal conversation by phone or VoIP ( TeamSpeak , Ventrilo , Skype ) and " real-life meetings".

Legal problems

A common phenomenon in MMOGs, especially in massively multiplayer online role-playing games, is the so-called " real money trade ". H. the sale and purchase of virtual objects in MMOGs for real money. However , this is prohibited in most of the game providers' general terms and conditions. This is legally controversial and requires a differentiated consideration of the traded virtual objects between avatar (or the player's account) and the game-internal virtual objects. It is precisely through the individual creative performance of the player on the avatar that an ideal and economic added value is created compared to the online game, so that this can definitely be assigned to the player. At the same time, however, it must be noted that a transfer of the avatar or account (which can consist of several avatars) is dependent on the consent of the operator, as he must be given a primary interest in the selection and control of the game participants and content. In the case of virtual objects, the result is clearer, since there is no creative effort by the player towards the manufacturer. Therefore, they may not be transferred without the operator's permission.

From an economic point of view, however, virtual objects should be equated with real (private) goods due to their similar characteristics. In addition, trading can add value to the player. It should be noted here, however, that due to the anonymity of the players, building a reputation is very important and fraud or abuse (exploiting the good reputation of a purchased avatar) can reduce the fun of other users.

See also

literature

  • Eike J. Schuster: Online games. Basics, success factors, case studies, outlook . VDM-Verlag Müller, Saarbrücken 2006, ISBN 978-3-86550-484-5 .

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ http://www.online-spiele.me/die-entwicklung-des-mmog
  2. ↑ ibid.
  3. ↑ a b Bartholomae, Florian; Koch, Pamela (2009). The economic evaluation of legal protection issues relating to virtual objects on online platforms, especially MMORPGs. Schmollers Jahrbuch 129 (4): 539-569.