Jumping Into The World Of Online Games
Are you interested in playing online games? Have you been on Counterstrike or World of Warcraft for most of your online gaming world, but feel like doing something different? There are a lot of games out there, each with their own feel, communities, and evolution depending on how long they've been around. Before jumping through a list of titles or looking for something similar to your own experience, here's some information about different types of online games.
Massively Multiplayer Online Roleplaying Games (MMORPG)
The MMORPG community is becoming bigger by the day, and the term RPG isn't nearly as limited as it used to be. Core features of RPGs surrounding character development, with added statistics such as strength, accuracy, or intellect have become a big part of all games.
This is because many gamers want more than just a basic character who is the same all of the time. Whether it's a personally created character or pre-built part of a structured story, the feeling of getting stronger, more powerful, or more knowledgeable through adding stats (statistic points), getting equipment, and learning new abilities can be a rush.
Many MMORPGs approach this style in different ways. The current most popular MMO World of Warcraft and its previous title holder Everquest are both fantasy adventures where players complete quests, get items to make themselves more powerful, craft items, challenge dungeons, and even battle other players in player versus player (PVP) combat.
The Focus On Features
MMORPGs have been around for decades, and there are even games with a bigger focus on specific features. Many gamers love the relaxation and market complexity of gathering items and crafting, so some games completely remove the ability to buy from non-player characters and instead require everything to be made and sold from player characters—or at least with a central auction house to act as brokers for players instead of direct players.
The most popular RPGs are not the best for PVP, and some of the greatest PVP games which World of Warcraft and Everquest gained their PVP features from are unfortunately less popular. This is simply because fewer players are interested in the deeper aspect of PVP.
There are PVP games out there that are all about taking territory. Some games have provinces whose economic earnings (any shop or auction purchases) are taxed and given to a guild/group of players, while others have castles that can be conquered on a scheduled basis. Many PVP games weigh the option of Player Killing Loot (PK Loot), which allows the full or partial taking of items from a player.
Shooters, Crafters, And Real Estate
Most popular and feature-filled shooters are also RPGs. Some allow you access to better weapons and gear, while others simply rank you up or provide a payment system for your persistent world (a continuing world that doesn't just start over). There are even hybrid FPS RPGs where a few shooting abilities are added in with spells and melee attacks.
The survival genre of online games adds a gritty spin on crafting, as players usually need to start from trees and rocks to protect themselves and build greater things—if you've seen Minecraft, there's games like it with better graphics and cooler stuff—some crafting games can even be about just building and no combat.
There are also games about claiming territory that aren't just sieges. Many games have houses to decorate or build from scratch—and even have land rushes to claim good spots such as Shroud of the Avatar or Archeage.
Contact a video games seller to find an online game community to expand your online horizons.