How is role-playing done in MMORPGs?

How is role-playing done in MMORPGs?

Visuals:

Traditional, text based role-playing requires much imagination. Massive Multiplayer Online games take the game master’s role when the players role-play in them. In a MMORPG, the player is allowed to customize a character, while the atmosphere, theme and background is already set. A MMORPG can be considered a stage, where each character is an actor. Role-playing in a MMORPG can thus be compared to watching a movie where the player contributes to the plot along the way.

The player-controlled character can perform several basic actions, such as running, walking, sitting and laying down, depending on the MMORPG. Some MMORPGS offer a more detailed character creation sheet and include more character actions than others. In most MMORPGs, characters can also display emotions by for example laughing, crying, provoking or begging.

Character actions are limited in MMORPGs too; so much is still left to the imagination. For instance, a character cannot carry another character or show subtle emotions such as disappointment, sarcasm or envy. Those who role-play in MMORPGS use therefore a combination between text-based role-playing and readymade emotes.

MMORPGS provide great surroundings for roleplay sessions. For example, in World of Warcraft, there are cities, taverns, empty houses, forests and even ships where the players can role-play. Other MMORPGs are much more limited; the characters cannot enter buildings or climb hills.



There are several MMORPG genres on the market today. Most MMORPGs are either high fantasy or science fiction themed, but there is horror, crime fiction and modern time based MMORPGs as well. Technically, there should be something for every taste on the market today, but the most prominent role-playing communities are still found within “The big hits” such as World of Warcraft, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, Everquest II and Lord of the Rings Online.



Character creation:

As with all other forms for RP, the player has to adjust their character’s knowledge and background to the setting, atmosphere and lore of the MMORPG. Upon start, the player will have to create a character. When creating a character, the player chooses gender and a name, and adjusts the character’s appearance. In MMORPGs, players also have to either choose a class, a profession or pick some form for skill points for their character. The classes and professions vary greatly; some MMORPGs have very many to choose between, others only have a few. Generally, the classes are based on different fighting styles found in the MMORPGs: melee combat (offensive/defensive), ranged combat, stealth-based combat, magic-based combat and healing. Some MMORPGs also offer classes based on crafting and trade.

Keep the character’s personality and background in mind during this process. Is it necessary to go through tons of pages to learn the lore when you start playing? No. Knowing a bit of the game lore is very beneficial when creating a character, but most often, it is enough to have a general overview to create a decent character biography. Be aware of the game genre and the main conflict of the game. Many role-players choose class and profession based on their character’s personality, but there is no rule saying it is necessary. Be original – create an evil, selfish healer or a cowardly warrior.

Getting started:

Once the character is completed, he or she will start at the starting area, wearing a starter outfit. This area gives the player an opportunity to learn the basic controls and functions of the game. If you haven’t played the game before, it is a wise idea to get used to the controls and adjust the game settings before you start interacting with other players. Explore the combat system and the character emotes.

Interaction:

Chat bubbles. Most MMORPGs have chat bubbles for general speech. When a character approaches another, the player types in what he or she wants the character to say and presses enter. The text will then be displayed in a chat bubble that the other player is able to read.

There are other ways of interacting between players as well. Chat channels allow players to type a general message to all players within a specific area, announce goods for trade or search for a team for group based quests. Even on RP-servers, these public channels are mostly kept OoC. Posting IC or OoC in those channels is still left up to the individual, especially on RP-servers.

Guild chat allows members of a guild to communicate with each other.

“Whisper” allows a player to send an instant message that only the recipient can read, even over distance. This can easily be exploited in RP, and thus some players prefer to always keep whisper OoC, while others see it as some form for telepathy in IC-context.

Since there are many players to encounter on a server, MMORPGs provide a friend-list where the players can add allies, acquaintances and other contacts. These lists allow a player to see whether any of his contacts are online or not, and communicate with them over distance. There is also a similar ignore-list where the players can list annoying or offensive players. Once a player is listed, the other player won’t be able to see what the bothersome one is saying. There will always be immature players who love to interrupt and ruin a good RP-session, so the ignore-list can be really helpful.

Levels:

Since MMORPGs are not linear games, character development is the primary goal of regular MMORPG players. Advancing in the game is done through gaining levels and in-game money. Different games have different level caps, and reaching new levels and obtaining money is done by completing quests and slaying enemies. Some players feel that MMORPGs on the market today focus too much on combat. It is unfortunate that combat is required to advance in these games, since it does not appeal to players who value other forms of gaming more. Other role-players miss a level-free MMORPG. Sadly, leveling is necessary in most MMORPGs in order to be able to customize the character properly.

Further character customization:

Most MMORPGs have a large array of costumes available for the characters. These costumes have either a level limit or a price limit and can be attained through the game. The most expensive costumes are naturally designed for high-level characters and tend to look more elaborate than the low-level costumes.
Role-players in MMORPGs differ from the normal players, as their primary goal is often not to reach the level cap as fast as possible and attain the gear with best stats. Some RPers combine normal gaming with role-playing and often carry two sets of armor or clothing – “combat gear” (with appropriate stats) and “RP gear”. They create IC-motives to follow along with the gameplay. Other players complete quests and slay enemies to be able to customize their character further, and stop at a certain level when they’re satisfied with their character’s appearance and strength.

Your character doesn’t have to be a super-strong, brave hero with the most elaborate gear because you reached the level cap and have a large amount of in-game money. Among role-players in MMORPGs it is not unusual to see high-level characters wearing simple gear and playing commoners.

Player versus Player combat and RP:

Most MMORPGs do not a have free player-kill setting, which can be both an advantage and a drawback. Players that belong to the same faction cannot kill each other at all in some MMORPGs, while other MMORPGS allow dueling or PvP-combat as long as both parts agree. (An exception is Asheron’s Call, where one of the servers allows unrestricted player killing.) The positive aspect of this is that high-level players cannot randomly go on a killing spree and slaughter all the low-level characters they encounter, thus making the gameplay stressing and unnecessarily annoying for the new players. On the other hand, it means that realistic character brawls, assassinations and executions are not possible either.

In MMORPGs, role-players either type the character actions for combat, (text-based) or duel each other. The opposite factions can face each other in PvP-battles, but very often, they cannot interact with each other.
PvP-combat in MMORPGs is an issue many role-players are currently dissatisfied with.



MMORPGs allow a player to interact with many more players than what Pen&Paper RP allows. On the various realms, players can constantly form new alliances and face new opponents. Thus, role-playing in MMORPGs is more similar to the real world, where there are always new people to encounter.

Servers:

Far from all MMORPGs offer servers for role-playing. Some of those which do are World of Warcraft, Lord of the Rings Online, Dark Age of Camelot and Everquest II. On a role-playing server, staying in character most of the time is required. Unfortunately, the role-playing servers are often overrun by players who break the RP-rules or simply don’t know what RP is. Even so, the servers gather those who are interested in role-playing, and the role-players simply tend to form contacts with other role-players and ignore those who continuously keep going OoC.

Guilds:

In most MMORPGs, players create and join guilds. These can be general guilds which focus on role-playing, but often, guilds tend to be more specific. On RP-servers, one can find criminal guilds, soldier guilds and scholar guilds – there should be a guild for almost every type of character. Joining a guild is not necessary, as some characters would not fit in a guild for IC-reasons, but being a member of a guild can have several benefits. Because the realms in MMORPGs are large, many players experience that it can be hard to “find” RP. When in a guild, the player will often get informed when a big event is going to take place. The guilds usually have a nice atmosphere and are open for friendly OoC conversations.

A guild is a hierarchical organization where the head is the guild leader, and who is also often the founder of the guild. Some guilds have a certain number of ranks, but allow the players to create names for the ranks themselves. The guild leader’s responsibility is to ensure the guild rules are followed. If the guild is an IC-based guild, the characters are often expected to follow certain codes or behave according to the guild’s policy. Breaking these rules will result in IC-punishment as well. (E.g. death, degrading, or ban of character) The guild leader can also set specific rules for OoC chat and behavior.

IC-feuds between guilds are popular in certain MMORPGs, especially those within the fantasy or sci-fi genre. Some players experience this as one-sided and tedious, but remember that it is not necessary to join a guild. If creativity is present, there are many other ways to create conflicts and intrigues. Also keep in mind that a “conflict” isn’t necessarily referring to blood and guns or axes. It is simply the substance that drives the plot forward.