MMORPG

Patrick Sobera
MMORPG’s popular trend
MMORPG’s have become increasingly popular in demand over the last decade and have dominated the video game industry. MMORPG stands for Massively multiplayer online role-playing game. Such games like World of Warcraft and Runescape are popular role-playing games on the computer. These types of games take place online where players can communicate and work together. The recent popularity in MMORPG’s is a symptom of technological advancements, online communication, achievement and addictiveness.

Over the past couple of decades technology has been steadily improving and becoming more effective overall. This has also had a negative effect on how much social interaction people have on a day-to-day basis. Technology is making it so people can communicate through online devices such as cell phones, social media websites, and online multiplayer games which causes people to have less interpersonal communication. With these technological advances many young teenagers and adults have started to communicate through online video games like MMORPG’s. In one study conducted by Mark Griffiths “Social Interactions In Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Gamers” Cyberpsychology & Behavior, Griffiths found that many people feel more comfortable expressing themselves through online communication (Griffiths 577). This shows that technology has made it so people can express themselves and fulfill their interpersonal needs through online communication, which is one cause for the increase in massively multiplayer online role-playing games.

MMORPG’s are not only popular because of the gameplay itself but also because of the online social aspect of the game too. According too Mark Griffiths, social interaction is a major contributor to the enjoyment received from online video games (Griffith 578). There has been many times where gamers have made long lasting friendship with another person through online communication. More females have started playing MMORPG’s due to the social interaction aspect of the game. Page 582 of Mark Griffiths Cyberpsychology & behavior says that, “More and more females are increasingly playing MMORPG’s due to the social interaction and it also allows a person to take on multiple identity roles” (Griffths 582). Online communication and social interaction is a major cause of why MMORPG’s are becoming increasingly popular.

Another cause for the increase in popularity of MMORPG’s is the broad and diverse target market for these types of games. In a study conducted by Nick Yee "The Demographics, Motivations, And Derived Experiences Of Users Of Massively Multi-User Online Graphical Environments." Presence: Teleoperators & Virtual Environments, “MMORPG’s have a very broad appeal toward to a diverse demographic. People ranging from 10 to 69 communicate and work with each other to achieve a goal”(Yee). A very diverse group of people enjoy playing these games which is a predominate reason for the recent success of these games. Yee also states, “MMORPG users under the age of eighteen said that they have made stronger and longer lasting relationships through MMORPG’s than in real life.” This is interesting because it shows younger people are more comfortable communicating online than in real life, which shows that are culture and generation has been taken over by technological andvancements.

Another reason MMORPG’s are steadily trending is it helps a young adult or teenager alleviate negative feeling they may have when playing the game. Many people who play these types of game use it as escapism from everyday life struggles they may be having. Many people with social interaction problems use MMORPG’s because it is easier to express yourself online than it is in real life. These types of problems can lead to addiction to online video games and can end up ruining a person’s life. An online gamers attachment to his player can seem fun at first, but this can become increasingly overwhelming and demanding to keep up with after a certain point. On page 715 of David Smahels article "Playing Mmorpgs: Connections Between Addiction And Identifying With A Character" Cyberpsychology & Behavior, He states that younger males under the age of twenty-seven are more prone to addiction than older males. This is due to younger males having a lower stage of development (Smahel 715). The addiction to MMORPG’s can become so overwhelming that people invest almost all of their time toward the video game, which takes time from school and work.

To show how serious the addiction aspect is, dike van de mheen, et al. "Video Game Addiction And Social Responsibility." Addiction Research & Theory, compares online multiplayer games to gambling and how they both are equally addictive (Van de Mheen) Addiction to anything comes down to self-responsibility. Van de Mheen states, “behavioral problems in video games have a direct resemblance to pathological problems of gambling such as salience, mood modification and withdrawal” (Van de Mheen). The research conducted by Van de Mheen shows how serious addiction to online multiplayer games can be, and that it’s as serious of a problem as gambling is today. Van de Mheen states that “if there is government regulation on gambling then there should be regulations on online multiplayer games as well” (Van de Mheen).

Another cause of the trend in MMORPG’s is the self-fulfillment of achievement. People who play these games start off as a beginner and slowly work their way up unlocking achievements and gaining more experience. Having the feeling of achieving something gives you sense of pride, but it also makes you want to keep playing until you have reached the top level. This can cause players to invest a lot of time into the game. The need for achievement in the players is the key in what drives them to keep playing the game. The need for achievement is also one of the reasons why these types of games can lead to addiction.
According to Hussain Zaheer and Mark Griffiths there are six main themes to why MMORPG’s are trending. “The Attitudes, Feelings, And Experiences Of Online Gamers: A Qualitative Analysis." Cyberpsychology & Behavior, “Online gaming in everyday life; online gaming and excessive playing; addiction; psychosocial impacts; online gaming and time loss; and online gaming and alleviation of negative feelings”(Zaheer and Griffiths). Out of the six main themes Zaheer and Griffiths found, Alleviation of negative feeling was the leading reason to the popularity of MMORPG’s. The alleviation of negative feeling goes back to the addictiveness aspect of these types of video games. Many young adults are becoming addicted to these games due to their lower stage of personality development, which is becoming a more and more of a problem with MMORPG’s.

If MMORPG’s keep trending and becoming popular like they are now, then people will be less willing to communicate face to face which will have a negative on social interaction in young adults and teens. It will make it harder for young adults and teens to get jobs and internships if their social interaction skills are not where they need to be. Also if teens and young adults keep investing the amount of time they are into these games then there will be a negative of effect on education and work. If young adults and teens aren’t spending the necessary amount of time in school, then that could lead to higher dropout rates and lower job employment.

Works Cited
Cole, Helena, and Mark D. Griffiths. "Social Interactions In Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Gamers." Cyberpsychology & Behavior 10.4 (2007): 575-583. Web. 13 Mar. 2013
DIKE VAN DE MHEEN, et al. "Video Game Addiction And Social Responsibility." Addiction Research & Theory 18.5 (2010): 489-493. 13 Mar. 2013.
Hussain, Zaheer, and Mark D. Griffiths. "The Attitudes, Feelings, And Experiences Of Online Gamers: A Qualitative Analysis." Cyberpsychology & Behavior 12.6 (2009): 747-753. Web. 18 Mar. 2013.
Smahel, David, Lukas Blinka, and Ondrej Ledabyl. "Playing Mmorpgs: Connections Between Addiction And Identifying With A Character." Cyberpsychology & Behavior 11.6 (2008): 715-718. Web. 13 Mar. 2013.
Yee, Nick. "The Demographics, Motivations, And Derived Experiences Of Users Of Massively Multi-User Online Graphical Environments." Presence: Teleoperators & Virtual Environments 15.3 (2006): 309-329. Web. 13 Mar. 2013

Cited: Cole, Helena, and Mark D. Griffiths. "Social Interactions In Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Gamers." Cyberpsychology & Behavior 10.4 (2007): 575-583. Web. 13 Mar. 2013 DIKE VAN DE MHEEN, et al. "Video Game Addiction And Social Responsibility." Addiction Research & Theory 18.5 (2010): 489-493. 13 Mar. 2013. Hussain, Zaheer, and Mark D. Griffiths. "The Attitudes, Feelings, And Experiences Of Online Gamers: A Qualitative Analysis." Cyberpsychology & Behavior 12.6 (2009): 747-753. Web. 18 Mar. 2013. Smahel, David, Lukas Blinka, and Ondrej Ledabyl. "Playing Mmorpgs: Connections Between Addiction And Identifying With A Character." Cyberpsychology & Behavior 11.6 (2008): 715-718. Web. 13 Mar. 2013. Yee, Nick. "The Demographics, Motivations, And Derived Experiences Of Users Of Massively Multi-User Online Graphical Environments." Presence: Teleoperators & Virtual Environments 15.3 (2006): 309-329. Web. 13 Mar. 2013