Overview
Online games are video games that are played over the Internet. They are usually played on a computer but now are becoming available on consoles and cell phones as well. They are normally known by the acronym, MMOs, or Massively Multiplayer Online Games. As the name suggests they are games where many players can go online and play the same game together.
Check out the Ten Ton Hammer Guide to MMO Terminology for an explanation of terms used in Massively Multiplayer Online Games.
Role Playing Games
Many but not all MMOs are also Role Playing Games or RPGs for short. Role Playing Games are focused on viewing the game from the eye of a single character that the player creates. As the character progresses in the game they normally get increased stats and abilities. A player can then decide on how they want to spend their stats and abilities points to customize a character for play. These points are also important in the choice of skills for a character. Unlike first person shooters, role playing games rely on this customization of the character for optimum play. First person shooters rely on player reflexes and eye hand coordination with the controller to take out targets. First person shooters are usually played in the first person view so that you can see more details. Role Playing Games are usually played in the third person view to allow for more peripheral vision. In RPGs it’s the player’s choice of skills used for combat that makes their character unique. There are many types of skill builds for different types of play. Choices in equipment may also play a unique factor but at some point throughout the game players can get access to most of the same equipment whether through killing monsters, purchases from vendors, or through quests.
Servers
Many of the more traditional online games will have a player choose a server or “shard,” to load their characters on. More recently some MMOs such as Guild Wars and Hellgate London will let a player move onto any server because the game is primarily instanced. An instance is when an individual or group go into their own copy of a game zone. No other players may enter into your copy of the instance once you have entered the zone. You can meet other players in towns between instanced zones. Hellgate London is unique in that it will have a single player option for the user to play on their computer alone and also have a multiplayer option available online.
Payment Options
There are many types of payment plans that are available for online games. In the United States most MMOs are Pay-to-Play or P2P. A player will purchase the game either from a retailer such as Gamestop or Best Buy, or an e-tailer such as GoGamer.com or Amazon.com, and then play a monthly fee to access updated content. This is usually around $14.95 a month. Examples of P2P MMOs are: World of Warcraft, Lord of the Rings Online, Eve Online, Age of Conan, Final Fantasy XI, City of Heroes/City of Villains, Pirates of the Burning Sea, Dark Age of Camelot, Tabula Rasa, Dungeons & Dragons Online, and Warhammer Online .
In Asia many MMOs are Free-to-Play or F2P. They recover their costs for the game by offering premium play plans to access special abilities or items such as faster experience gain, healing potions, or unique clothing. Examples of this type of service are Nine Dragons, Silk Road Online, Tales of Pirates, and Metin2. Some games will offer F2P service but if you want to access the highest level content or the best weapons you’ll have to pay a monthly fee. Dungeon Runners is an example of this F2P service. With Guild Wars and Sword of the New World the player pays for the game and then has no online monthly fee after product purchase. Hellgate London offers another twist for those that want access to online multiplayer options in that you pay for the game but you can play for free online. But if you want access to content updates you’ll have to pay a monthly fee. Both Hellgate London and Lord of the Rings Online offer lifetime subscription plans. So there are all sorts of payment options that are floating around now with MMOs. Other popular Free MMOs are RuneScape, Maple Story, Perfect World, FlyFF, and Rappelz.
Web Based Online Games
Web Based Online Games are video games that come over the Internet and can be played in your web browser with no software installation. Some require Java, Shockwave or Flash to play. Most are free-to-play. Many casual games and RPG’s are web based applications. This makes them easy to access from anywhere, including public computers. Examples include: RuneScape, Adventure Quest, WarOnline.Net, BattleMaster, ImperiaOnline, Renaissance Kingdoms, Bulfleet, Pirate Quest, and Maid Marian. Several portal sites offer many casual games for web based play. These include: PopCap Games, Funbrain.com, AOL Games, King.com, Pogo.com, Big Fish Games, Cafe.com, PlayFirst, and RealArcade.
