RP in games like WoW

I'm just going to come forward and say that I haven't really experienced Roleplaying in an online capacity that much. I did experiment with it some in Pardus. There was a chat channel dedicated to RP, but I didn't make use of it really. And in a MOBA like LoL, RP does not exist even in the slightest capacity. There's lore about the characters, but nobody gets "in character", and if they tried to, they'd likely be yelled at by a bunch of 14 year olds.

In the capacity of a lot of single player RPG's, roleplaying is a non-issue. Since you aren't interacting with anyone else, you don't have to worry about communicating in a specific way. In something like D&D, though, it can be a very large part of the game.

Single player games immerse you, but limit your participation in the narrative; like a book.

There are a few different ways to play D&D, and they involve varying levels of roleplaying. This does a pretty good job of telling the difference in how a specific group sets up a game. Usually our group was more Kick In The Door style - we alternated DM's between different members, played different campaigns sometimes, etc. Sometimes it was more of a mix. I hope to try Deep-Immersion Storytelling eventually, though.

In WoW (from what I've read again, and what I've heard), it's mostly the same as what you would try to do in person, playing something like D&D. For instance, you'll work out what your character's personality is like, what they wear and do (this is mostly covered by game mechanics, though), and a whole range of other things.

However, about WoW...well yeah, I've read some pretty graphic accounts of RP that I don't care to link to from this blog. Let it suffice that a lot of people who RP are interested mainly in adult content, speech, and actions. Not to say that there aren't legit non-pervy RPers in WoW, it's just that they're kind of infamous for their shenanigans; requiring GMs to police cities for overtly lewd speech out in the open, etc.

"Well and good, but how do they...do...anything?" you might ask.

Yep.

This could be a pretty good introduction of the basic ideas that surround it regular roleplaying on a dedicated RP server in WoW.

The point is to really get into your character and try to live sort of like a regular person in that actual world would live. Not to try to denigrate this style of play in any way, but I probably won't ever do it. It just doesn't seem like it would be something that I could "really" get into.

There are actually advantages to roleplaying online, though. Let's say that you sit down one night with some friends to play D&D and really get into the story with it. Everyone has drawn up their characters, rolled for stats, written elaborate backstories, etc. But if your 6' 2', 200lb guy friend insists that he's a female gnome, that's going to be a bit harder to take into consideration than if he decided to roll as a large human warrior. With online games, you can choose how your character looks, and other people can only really see the representation that you put forth with the game. So if this guy rolled as a gnome in WoW, for RP purposes, it would probably be a lot easier to swallow. (also means that that sexy elf chick might be a dude, but let's not go there...)

In the end, RP is basically just acting for fun or as part of a fantasy. The concept shouldn't be that foreign to anybody, but sometimes the goals are. There can be a lot of reasons that people like to RP; it's fun, it's a good storytelling medium, builds bonds between friends, etc. I probably couldn't enjoy playing RP all the time, and I'm not sure I would do it on an online game, but from the little I've done I know that it can be a great, fun experience, and the things that occur are going to be uniquely interesting!

PVE in games like WoW

PVE (player versus enemy) is of course the heart and soul of the traditional RPG. Since the 1970's with Dungeons and Dragons (and numerous other tabletop RPG's - there are a whole lot that aren't D&D too), nerds have gathered in the name of dungeon sacking, monster slaying, and loot grabbing. And if you think everyone who plays D&D is lame, take a look at this list and be wildly amazed at who plays and has played.

This is your graphics in WoW.

This is your graphics in D&D.

Source: Museum of Computer Adventure Game History 

The earliest MMOs, which were called Multi-User Dungeons, or MUDs for short. They were basically the evolutionary link between D&D and MMOs as we know them today. Most used D&D mechanics and D&D monsters. All of the early ones were text based, such as Zork - then there were also games like Nethack which were dungeon crawlers.

Running a dungeon in WoW.

Running a dungeon in D&D.

Source: www.tenkarstavern.com

All would be classified as unplayably punishingly hard if they were published today. The internet would explode with a bustle of irrational hatred like a hornet's nest being kicked, gamers would crawl out of the woodworks to shout their defiance at the design, and the developers probably wouldn't see any kind of commercial success. People think that newfangled games like Dark Souls are "that" hard. Not really. With the old games, there was really zero forgiveness. If you want to try these games today, do so at your own peril to your sanity. Really.

Running a dungeon in Zork!

 Source: www.browserrousers.com

*ahem* Anyway, in WoW, PVE has gotten very well developed over time. Well, Everquest and such games came before WoW, but they were much more basic in a lot of ways, even though they had rabidly loyal fanbases in most cases. These games had a lot of shortcomings though. As MMO's continued to become more sophisticated, trolls had to work harder to grief players, mischievous folk had a tougher time trying to break the game for fun, etc. You can see that from stories such as this from Reddit that early MMO's were pretty susceptible to things like exploitable errors in the game's engine.

Whereas the basic paradigm in PVP is a cycle between the basic archetypes of Warrior, Rogue, and Mage, PVE has the basic principles of Tank, Healer, and Damager. These are also from the early days of tabletop games. Not really present in the earliest single player adventure games since there was only 1 player, though. But the main idea is that the Tank will "taunt" monsters with a variety of skills, strategies, and straight damage. This is often quantified in computer games as Hate or Aggression (called Aggro, most commonly), points that determine who the monster attacks. The Damager (sometimes called DPS for short, as in damage per second) will attempt to get in as much damage as possible without pulling more "Aggro" than the Tank - the Tank specializes in defense, but the Damager usually will not be able to use much armor or defensive abilities, and usually is pretty "squishy" in comparison. The Healer has the basic task of keeping everyone in the group alive, and primarily heals the Tank, to give more survivability. They also tend to have a lot of utility abilities, primarily "buffs", which are abilities used to increase specific stats such as attack, armor, or speed; and others such as reviving fallen party members, and sometimes things like teleporting, or game specific abilities, although this is more par for the course for Wizard archetypes, and not necessarily Priests, but there can be a great deal of overlap, especially taken as a whole.

In WoW, for instanced dungeons that you can queue into from anywhere in the world, there are usually 3 damage spots, 1 tank spot, and 1 healer spot. Although I've yet to do a raid, I've read about them, and they can run up to 40+ people typically, and will take an entire guild (or several) cooperating for hours to reach the end.

PVE in its most basic form is just having fun with friends, killing monsters and taking the treasures that they drop. You could say that the Lord of the Rings and the Hobbit, and Tolkien's work at large, were the beginning roots of PVE, because D&D's main influence was Lotr.

Source: whoathisisheavy.blogspot.com

Think about the trolls from The Hobbit (movie or book, also mention in The Lord of the Rings). The adventuring party was in peril. Bilbo uses his quick thinking to trick the trolls into staying up until after dawn and turning to stone. They raid the trolls' cache of loot and get some badass swords and stuff. Classic PVE.

Source: lotr.wikia.com

Even for people who have just seen the first Hobbit movie, I mean, it's still pretty obvious who the boss is going to be. So that's PVE basically; working together to kill monsters and get loot and experience, in order to have more cool adventures, and to gather wealth and fame.

And, I mean, this is also really fun to do in a single player game, and I honestly couldn't say which is ultimately better in that regard. Stories and battles can be experience in both single and team capacities. Neither one is uniquely superior. Playing a game of D&D on a Friday night at a friend's house can be great fun, but reading a Tolkien book will put you into in the story more, so I guess that the basic difference is between immersion vs. camaraderie.

PVP in games like WoW

Player versus player combat obviously has a great deal among people who play modern video games. Being able to be matched against a human opponent is one of the oldest key features of gaming, regardless of medium or genre. Games like Call of Duty, Halo, etc. - first person shooters, whole not lacking complexity (I know this from experience from countless hours of Halo parties that took place at our house in high school), are entirely more straightforward than MMO's. Arguably, easy to learn, hard to master.

If you haven't had experience playing videos such as this one showcasing PVP strategies are probably going to be pretty alien. I myself can hardly make heads or tails of any videos that aren't about Warlocks, the class I've been playing. This video is about a macro which the rogue class can use to achieve 1 hit kills sometimes, under specific circumstances. A macro is simply a keyboard shortcut

Many people make their own videos of WoW using screen capture software (the program FRAPS is a good example of this) and upload them to sites to show their strategies, other cool things, etc. Popular musical used includes metal, alternative, and metal core. Videos are often timed with the music, overlayed text is almost always applied, and they're probably not really that fun to watch unless you know what you're seeing.

Games such as the popular League of Legends (that I play) also have some of the same aspects; videos are made of specific scenarios, but as a rule are more accessible to the average viewer than WoW videos are, simply because the game is less complex (not that it doesn't take as much skill, though).

With game such as WoW, you have the dynamic of multiple classes interacting with each other, which can likened to an elaborate game of rock-paper-scissors. Typically it goes like this: Warrior beats Rogue, Rogue beats Mage, and Mage beats Warrior. However, with WoW this is further expanded, because with the latest expansion Mists of Pandaria, there are 10 classes to choose from, depending on which race and faction you roll a character as (the term rolling being a holdover from games like Dungeons and Dragons, where you would roll dice to randomly choose your character's starting attributes).

Something like this would probably be a bit easier to follow than most WoW PVP videos. LoL has really taken of as an e-sport (yeah, that's a legitimate thing). This is a novel way of thinking about it.

source: http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2013/01/18

Personally, I cannot stand sports anything. Unless I am directly involved in the activity, it doesn't interest me unless it's a direct combat-style sport, like fencing, boxing, or mixed martial arts. Other than that - no sale, and I have less than zero interest discussing anything like soccer or football, ever. Even if it's a video game like FIFA, I would literally rather kick a ball around by myself. Seriously. I guess I just can't make the connection to that and fun.

 I also can't stop saying soccer when I'm outside of the U.S. It's always been soccer to me!

I would assume that online e-sports and PVP might be viewed similarly to people who haven't been into it. I actually don't like the e-sport aspect though. The game is still only really fun when I'm playing it. Watching videos might be a good way to find the best strategy, items set, skill order, or whatever, but unless it's at least a little original, playing seems pointless to me. You might when, but is it really fun?

I've been watching a series on Netflix that I've found called "The Guild" lately; it's about a group of six friends who are in an online Guild based around a game that is basically WoW. So far it's been pretty entertaining, but you really don't need to know a great deal about the game to get any of the story. They haven't so far (a few episodes in) even shown footage from the game, it's all RL action mostly. 

How I felt when I heard terms like QQ and Aggro, though.

Here's a link to The Guild on Netflix. 

I watched the South Park episode about World of Warcraft long before I actually played the game, and it's pretty great too. South Park, in general, is great comedy (unless you're easily offended, then I would stay away). But this episode is a must-see otherwise.

South Park: Make Love, Not Warcraft

After level 80, gaining experience has been painfully slow. I used to be able to gain like 5-10 levels in one sitting...not anymore. It's going to take awhile to get my character all the way to 90. The recruit-a-friend promotion spoiled me, and I just don't find leveling to be any sort of fun at the moment, and I don't even feel like doing the additional things in the game.

Warlock, as a class, has been pretty cool. I might pick another class to play eventually. In most games that I play (Elder Scrolls series, for example), I usually have a few different characters that have a different play style to them, just to change things up.

Family portrait.

These are some random screenshots from the back of a flying mount. Exploring different places can actually be pretty fun and interesting (even though there isn't a lot of gameplay advantage for doing so).

Outland.

Kalimdor; flight path, not mount.

Outland.

Kalimdor.

There are really so many aspects of the game that people can find appealing. I would invite you to read another Cracked article on how people can play it so much.

I would still say that there is still a pretty big stigma in today's world, when identifying as a person who plays MMO's, but it really is just a hobby, though. You've got people who are more into it and less into it; people who take it really seriously and people who just play for fun. The Guild illustrates this point quite well, in addition to a range of other topics, such as the stereotype of the lonely male nerd who plays MMO's (also hilariously present, though).

In my opinion, most people could have fun playing, or at least trying the game. There are huge amounts of different realms (servers) and guilds to choose from, so there really isn't a lack of people to talk to, if that's what you're looking for. People who are looking for lore friendly playing environments can join role playing RP servers, people who like player versus player combat can join PVP servers. The game caters to a vast variety of different tastes and gameplay tendencies.

This site can offer a glimpse of exactly how diverse the content is, and the sheer amount of it, as well. And, of course, there are other MMO's - but WoW is still the biggest one out there, and probably will be for quite some time.

I'll write more in detail about the separate aspects of the game soon, as I've already covered a lot of the basic overview.

So, after getting into WoW in a lot of ways, I can say that it has many great aspects. Even though I count myself as a player, I remain highly critical/skeptical of many things, however.

I read this article a long time ago, but it seems appropriate: 10 Ways Online Gaming Will Change the Future

Foremost amongst these aspects for me has been the ability to play with existing friends and make new friends. This is simply not possible in single player games (well, through game and genre specific forums, but not going there at the moment.) It comes with some catches, though.

Playing games is good, and friends are good, so why not mix the two? When it's something like a game that has quick matches, it isn't such an issue. But when in game success in an MMO hinges upon friends' participation, it becomes a social obligation.

For instance, a way that WoW encourages people to bring their friends into the game is a promotion called "Recruit A Friend". If someone mentions your account when they make theirs, they get a reward such as a mount (some people collect all kinds of mounts), and you both get triple experience when you quest and run dungeons together. (Quests are acquired through NPCs around the area and are visible on your map, dungeon groups are formed through a queue of people signing up for a dungeon. Once the group is full, the dungeon initiates). I've been using this promotion since I've started playing, and it provides a lot of incentive. Currently my character is only level 81 out of 90, however, so it still takes awhile to get up there, just to provide some reference.

I really don't know enough about the actual details of the game to fully detail how much friends are required to do specific things, but to far, it seems to be to a large degree.

WoW is already pretty infamous for its time devouring qualities already, to the point of mentioning online gaming in everyday conversation is seen as strange by many.

When people play mulitplayer games, I would like to see them come together for fun and socialization, not just because the game mandates it. When you make a new character on a server, you will most likely be barraged with guild invites. Guilds provide perks to players (such as bonus XP), and players are needed by guilds to reach specific goals. This can be a good way to meet some new people, but at its worse, its just incorporating you into the game as a number. I have experience with this myself, in Pardus, to a lesser degree. Either way, though, the guild will probably have at least a small group of friends who communicate constantly with each other.

To me, interacting with people online in a fun setting, such as a game, is fantastic. There are so many opportunities to broaden your horizons and open your mind to new ways of thinking. I just don't think that in game social obligation gets in the way.

So, a quick introduction - I'm basically an RPG (role-playing game) fan who has never gotten into a "modern" MMO game, with some friends who are now getting me into World of Warcraft.

I know, as far most gamers, you'd think everyone would have at least tried WoW before this, but I have not. I have listened to my brother and his friends use WoW jargon to describe the intricacies of the game almost incessantly. I was a big fan of Warcraft III, the game that preceded the story to WoW, so I've got a pretty good starting point as far as lore goes (which, with my friends though, isn't usually very far).

I've played this MMO: http://www.pardus.at/

It prides itself on being L33T-free!

But it is very basic compared to most. However it did have a great community and a lot going for it, I just wouldn't call it a "real, modern MMO". I met my girlfriend playing it though, so I've got a huge soft spot for it.

As far as choosing WoW over other MMOs, it seems to me that it is, right now, the quintessential MMO experience. Trying to get into MMOs without trying WoW seems like getting into cookies without trying Chocolate Chip.

Alright, so far as relative experiences go, I actually have a lot more than most new players...I think.

I have played The Elder Scrolls series since the early days of Morrowind. When you get down to it, these games are pretty much like offline MMOs. This, however, is nothing compared to how MMO-like Final Fantasy XII was. It had everything but an internet connection (which worked for me, since I only had a crappy internet connection at the time).

*Warning* - Gaming and/or unfunny humor:  http://qkme.me/3ti9mt
(I also like chocobos and airships as much as the next guy, but you can't tell me that that story followed through)

So, I mean, yeah, I'm ready to play WoW - let's do this.

"Okay...what now?"

First character, Blood Elf rogue, just playing around with different things and trying different classes, seeing what I want to continue playing as. Eventually I came to realize that Warlock was by far the most metal class, and I chose Orc because they have the highest damage potential (seemingly from what I've heard). Commanding demons, calling hellfire from the skies, and inflicting debilitating plagues upon thine enemies? The only thing missing was horns and an electric guitar.

And one of those came with time.

So far the experience has been pretty fun. Running dungeons was a bit tricky at first (my minion kept getting us into trouble, too). Had a PVP battleground match that was "Capture The Flag", we won that (take that, Alliance!) :D

(Note: I've made Horde jewelry so I'm literally obligated to play Horde anyway)

The other is my take on the Tree of Gondor from LOTR.

Horde symbol reference:

Source: http://kamros.deviantart.com/

I probably will focus more on PVP (player versus player) than PVE (player versus enemy) eventually. It just seems more fun to me. (and having played MOBA games like DotA and LoL, more of what I'm used to, but those are actually much, much different anyway). I also plan on trying to branch out from my "Real Life" friends in the game and trying to make my own experiences with it, which seems like something I should really try to do, to get the full experience.

So hopefully I'll have some more cool experiences worth sharing as I discover more interesting things! And hopefully will reach some real, enlightening conclusions on what it's like to live and play in a parallel world.

More posts to come soon!