The Rule

Online and PC gaming are among the topmost multimillion dollar industries in the world. With such recognition, it’s no surprise that they keep introducing various games for both children and adults. These games can fall into different categories. Out of these, role playing games (RPG) and massive multiplayer (MMP) games are very popular. Role playing games are sub-divided as single player and multiplayer versions. The massive multiplayer games don’t have any single player versions at all.

When you take part in a Role Playing Game, you will take on a new character and persona, a role you will play in the game. There will be rules in each game within which you have to function, but within those rules, you can choose your actions and your actions will decide the direction the game takes. This can make a very interesting hobby and pastime because of the freedom it gives.

The best part about RPG is that it is a lot of fun – more than competing with somebody, like other games, such as arcades and puzzles, in these role playing games, there are mostly times when you have to interact and form impromptu teams.

You can play a Role Playing Game against other people, other player who are in the network, or you can play against characters already programmed in the computer. Either way, these games progress, like a television show does through episodes – you have to play through sessions, which might take anywhere from weeks to months to complete.

These role playing games always have specific characters and a developing plot, usually spanning over all the related sessions. New characters can be introduced as you go to higher levels in the game and the play intensity will grow too. Some RPG are based on creative imagination, such as Dungeons & Dragons, while others are sophisticated simulations of real-world happenings, such as Call of Duty.

You can choose what character you would like to be, but each character has certain predefined abilities and general characteristics. For example, with X-Men, the different characters will be very similar to the ones in the comic, with the same special abilities.

Compared to RPG games, Massive Multi-Player Games (MMP) need hundreds and thousands of players to achieve the game objectives. Complex and highly challenging, these MMP games are definitely not for individuals or two players.

MMP is played in a much bigger scale than RPG. You have to be connected to the net to play it, and you can only play if you pay the monthly subscription. You also need a whole lot more people on your network to play it – take, for example, one of the most popular of MMP (also called MMORPG or Massively Multi-Player Online Role Playing Games), EverQuest – it usually has up to thousands of players in its fantasy world, set in another universe.

Filed under: Computers