The Way Things Were
Until recently online computer gaming was roughly divided into the three genres. If you were a gamer with unmanageable testosterone levels, had gift for tactile keyboard manipulation and/or were inclined to discharge anger and frustration with a little virtual violence you bought a 3D first person shooter CD-ROM like Quake or Tribes, logged on a dedicated server and let rip. More dreamy gaming types, bespectacled owners of advanced vocabularies, fans of Tolkien and Terry Pratchett alike, frequented an online MUD. Finally for the fence sitters, rationalists and assorted crowds that would have played chess in a bygone age, there were real-time strategy games such as Command and Conquer and Homeworld. In online gaming these days, as in most areas of the digital world, convergence is the trend. Arguably, this amalgamation of older
Persistent Games that Transcend Time
Most of us have been exposed to the first and third type of computer game described above, but what about MUDs? Chances are that you've not even heard of the term. In my view, they form the crucial link in today's online game convergence. Here's a little background:
First off - MUD stands for Multiple User Domain. Oh? What's that?
Trailblazing, cyberpunk idealists devised the concept and acronym before the Net became a commercial undertaking. The game genre has been around for at least a decade; way before point-and-click computing interfaces were used on the Net. MUDs are typically hosted on UNIX-driven computers and are therefore entirely based on the written word. These days most MUDs can be accessed simply typing the address in your web browser. The UNIX Telnet connection that occurs behind the scenes is transparent, which is great, since we dont really care about such boring stuff...
Ok, you're still with me? Let's go! We follow the instructions, register and log in to find ourselves in a fictional reality. Say we're under an apple tree on a hot summer's day. A warlock named Zuman walks by. A flock of ducks passes overhead and we see the double entrance to a cave system. All this is entirely conveyed with text messages. Our quest begins by learning the numerous commands and often-complex rules that make up the physical laws of this virtual domain. We assume a place in its society by perhaps joining a guild, becoming a member of a clan, slipping into a character of choice and by slowly learning to communicate with others. The objective of the game is to improve your character over time. Unlike first person shooter games, personal development not only involves physical dexterity and wealth, but also requires adherence to moral values as prescribed by the MUD's social laws.
So what's the big deal you ask? Fair question. MUDs are parallel worlds inhabited and shaped by its players. Their physical laws and social customs evolve dynamically. What also differentiates them from other gaming environments is their persistence or transcendence of time. The game does not end when you leave it. This artificial version of reality literally never ends. Unless the server is switched off or fails for technical reasons MUD worlds are created to closely resemble 'cyberspace' as described in William Gibson's classic book Neuromancer. This is significant since skill, strategy and adventure games could never aspire to this! Let alone that game of bridge or chess of old.
Massive Convergence
As mentioned earlier multi user domains, while popular with hardcore fanatics and bookish types, have never enjoyed mass popularity. This can be ascribed to the steep learning curve required by new players to become familiar with a highly evolved MUD. The interface is text-based and therefore lacks the visual 'flash' demanded by television-raised boomers and Nintendo-fed contemporaries. Enter the MMORPG: Massive multiplayer online role-playing game.
As the name implies the user base in these Internet based games is massive. Thousands of characters frequent this virtual space at a time. Being entire fictional planets travelling around the game requires the use detailed maps. The population of MMORPG societies never wanes dramatically. When North American 'citizens' sleep, Asia is awake. Game interfaces are also richly graphical. No longer need you imagine the apple tree and dark cave entrances. You SEE the blazing sky in high colour, LISTEN to the rustle of flying ducks overhead and our warlock Zuman SPEAKS to you in his awful, high-pitched voice.
MMORPG worlds have absorbed the features of other gaming genres. Participants face adventure, dexterity challenges and the development of strategic approaches. Ongoing character expansion, advanced communication features among players and complex societal laws are at the heart of these alternate realities. Just like its text-based predecessor, MMORPG environments are capable of evolving and persisting over time. All this can be incredibly absorbing. If you decide to try one, please bear this in mind! Currently close to a million people are members of MMORPG communities and it is predicted that millions more will discover them, particularly as there is no doubt that realism and depth will develop even further over the not too distant future.
MMORPG-
How is this technically possible? Well, first of all the companies who have developed these games have invested in powerful server infrastructures that can handle large population capacities and have the computing power to keep track of the actions of its users. Graphic and sound components are stored on the player's computer or gaming console (e.g. Sony Playstation) thereby eliminating the need for high bandwidth traffic during play time.
While most of us Webchalkies still battle to integrate online bulletin boards into the delivery of our classes and grudgingly convert our unit handouts into HTML documents for just-in-time student access, let's think for a minute about what may lie ahead. Are we on the right track, when we throw all our chips at e-learning platforms designed for document delivery? Who will build the first realistic online practice firm, that immersive online carpentry workshop, the simulated fast food franchise? The technology to do so has arrived, laterally, without any input from academia. Ah, what happened to those good old days when we controlled the pace of educational innovation??
(*Bestiary, an array of non-human creatures that populate some of the hottest, new online role-playing games).
RESOURCES
MMORPG Web Sites:
Warning: Playing MMORPG games can be addictive. Literally!
Everquest:
www.everquest.com
Ultima Online:
www.uo.com
Asheron's Call:
www.asheronscall.com
Shadowbane:
www.shadowbane.com
MUDs (Multi User Domains):
Diskworld:
http://discworld.imaginary.com:5678/(To play, select the 'Java Client';)
The Mud Connector:
www.mudconnect.com
Other Games mentioned in this postcard:
Quake:
www.quake.com
Homeworld:
www.sierrastudios.com/games/homeworld/hw/
Command and Conquer:
http://westwood.ea.com/
Books:
Neuromancer, William Gibson
(Ace Books; ISBN: 0441007465)
