Is There Role Playing in MMORPGs?
We all know that MMO is short for MMORPG, which is a pretty spectacular thing. When you consider the amount of effort, scope, time and money that goes with it, they are truly the giants of the gaming industry. What a pity, nowadays, many MMOs are lacking in the RPG part. Someone explains it in this way: People don’t wanna make really big storylines because everyone would want to do something different at any point of the game, not to mention that in an MMORPG there is no end to the story so what you do really amounts to nothing. So the developers feature the leveling and the stats, but nothing of the large sense of place and storyline that the genre hails as its namesake.
Many MMOs succeed in being MMOs, but fail in being a RPG. For example in EVE Online, a game in which everyone exists in a single galaxy, the breadth and scale of the game world is breathtaking. The interactivity and socializing featured in the universe is brilliant. However, some feel it poorly implements the roleplaying part of the game, and the roots of the term do define what most MMORPGs are fundamentally aiming at: being an RPG with massive players. It seems that the developer try to prove it is an RPG because you can level up, instead of filling a role in a story.
Roleplaying games means you are playing a role, acting as yourself or a game character, and fulfill quests, which should be interesting or meaningful in and of itself, not only just another way to get phat lootz. But many MMORPGs just allow you the simple choice of picking a race and class and those choices decide which way you will go. A real Roleplaying game, such as those in the Never Winter Night series, has an epic storyline, which you have to read carefully to learn what will happen and what to do next. Yes, these games have many choices which may lead to different endings, but it is too difficult to be applied in MMORPGs, so I am not that critical.
I just learn that the new expansion of Eudemons Online, Demon Rising, will release its new quests following The Vengeance of Alamut. The story of Almaut: It starts with unavoidable consequences of undoable mistakes. Once he was a knight of the Holy See, but his fame bred jealousy and tried to send him to hell. A nefarious plan was hatched to kill his beloved wife … That`s why Alamut returned as a demon and launched this attack towards his motherland.
BENEATH THE LAND OF THE DIVINE KINGDOM
A PLACE WHERE ALL DEMONIC SPIRITS ARE HELD
A DEMONIC HELL THAT HAS BEEN SEALED FOR HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF YEARS
NOW THE DEVILS HAVE AWAKENED
SOME HAVE EVEN ESCAPED THEIR FIREY PRISON
TO ANSWER THE CALL OF THEIR VICIOUS LORD
DETERMINED TO CORRUPT THE MORTAL WORLD
Re: Is There Role Playing in MMORPGs?
An MMO is not the same as an MMORPG.
Re: Is There Role Playing in MMORPGs?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
grindfinest
Roleplaying games means you are playing a role, acting as yourself or a game character, and fulfill quests, which should be interesting or meaningful in and of itself, not only just another way to get phat lootz.
I completely disagree.
Roleplaying, is as it says: playing a role.
Playing a role does not have to do anything with quests; it is something so simple as playing as your own character. Yes, a role can be some big part in an epic adventure; but it can also just be something as basic acting as a tank for your party.
Re: Is There Role Playing in MMORPGs?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Sion12
Playing a role does not have to do anything with quests; it is something so simple as playing as your own character. Yes, a role can be some big part in an epic adventure; but it can also just be something as basic acting as a tank for your party.
That's well said, and I'd like to emphasize playing as vs. controlling a character. There's one thing that often bugs me, and so kind of sets the standard for me to what can (not) be considered role-playing: Someone asking you how old you are or where you're from. That's always such a blow to immersion; when I'm in the zone and do not want to deal with the real world (hey isn't that why people love games, anyway), I don't want to be reminded there's 1001 things left to do for today after I stop playing. But of course that depends on whether I felt like role-playing in the first place.
Re: Is There Role Playing in MMORPGs?
Re: Is There Role Playing in MMORPGs?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
ElMarshal
That was pretty obvious (nobody writes a full article on a forum - not this one, anyway), but it's still a good topic.
Re: Is There Role Playing in MMORPGs?
It's effectively spam...he's just advertising that game. I've noticed this a lot recently on various forums, it's obviously the new phase of spamming.
Re: Is There Role Playing in MMORPGs?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Tai
It's effectively spam...he's just advertising that game. I've noticed this a lot recently on various forums, it's obviously the new phase of spamming.
Oh, I guess my advertisement filter is better than I had thought, I didn't even notice the advertisement part of the post. :)
Yeah, you're right though.
Re: Is There Role Playing in MMORPGs?
Yep advertising spam, im actually suprised to see this topic hasnt been deleted yet.
