Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games: The People, the Addiction and the Playing Experience

by R.V. Kelly 2

Overview

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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780786419159
Publisher:	McFarland & Company, Incorporated Publishers
Publication date:	09/06/2004
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	207
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.42(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

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.

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

Introduction: The Appeal of the Unreal     

1. Out of the MUD: The Evolution of Synthetic Worlds     
The Deep Past     
D&D and MUDs     

2. MMORPG Culture     
A Quick Primer     
Failsafe     
Quests: Frodo, Take This Ring to Mordor     
Guilds: The Three Thousand Musketeers     
Game Economies: Greed as a Creed     
Killer Be Killed     

3. The Psychology of MMORPG Players     

4. Attraction and Addiction     

5. Sampling the Games     

6. The Private World of MMORPGs     
Spawned Enterprises: Go Forth and Multiply     
Macros and Bots and Scripts, Oh My     
Slang: Who You Callin’ a Twinked Noob     

7. Making a MMORPG     
Game Design     
Art     
Animation     
Programming     
Databases and Servers     
Story, Sound, and Music     
Final Touches     

8. The Future of MMORPGs     

Appendix     
Bibliography     
Index     

Editorial Reviews

valuable...a solid introduction to the on-goings of the MMORPG world”—Against the Grain.

From the Publisher

valuable...a solid introduction to the on-goings of the MMORPG world

Against the Grain