Virtual communities in massively multiplayer online role-playing games

RPG Virtual Community

Community and its Variations

In today's world, there are already different types of communities - which, unlike before, are purely physical type of communities. Now, there are even online communities that exist in the cyber world. These types of communities have neither boundaries nor limits. These are the type of communities that may even accept members which are not personally known by the initiators or by the other members. These communities, which do not have boundaries, are now called as the community websites.

There are a number of researches which prove that even through the most basic and simplest community website, people are able to chat, organize events, share opinions on different issues presented, share and view photographs, make announcements and even meet new friends (Adamic, et.al., 2003). Moreover, e-groups, e-messaging, MIRcs are just few of the famous community websites that has been established and being patronized by a lot of people across all nations.

A lot of cyber relationships started with this community websites. Even job opportunities, job applications and/or job hunting are now presented in numerous community websites. Schools and various other institutions are giving assignments and research works using community websites in the pursuit of allowing the learners to familiarize themselves with theses websites. This process eliminates tedious processes on information gathering specially on survey types, because small and expensive mails, phone calls and likes were avoided (Adamic, et.al., 2003).

The Addictive Components of Virtual Community and RPGs

It has been noted that majority of the populations most countries, especially those from the First World Countries have access to the computers and the Internet (Adamic, et.al., 2003). Because of this, every children, and even the teenagers and adults are really prone to playing RPGs.

In RPGs, there is no gender or age issue. Anybody and everybody can play the game as long as you know how to. This is one of the very reasons why there are more and more people are becoming so hooked up with this. Teenagers, adults and even some youngsters do get to play MMORPG at most of their free times, with or without their parents' consent.

Playing MMORPG may be providing positive effects to the players themselves. They get to enhance their strategic skills. They not only learn how to play the game, but they also learn how to level up or upgrade themselves (or the characters they are playing). They became aware and/or be familiar with most things which are normally shown only to some specialized forces (like the military). With the types of games most players now play, it can be easily inferred that players are indeed learning the art of war.

Aside from the war-related benefits, players also benefit from the virtual communities and RPGs because they are able to interact with more people around the world. The players are able to widen their imagination. They are able to experience, even just through virtual means, how to live in a certain environment or area.

However, MMORPG is also known for its negative effects to the players, particularly with reference to the idea of neglect. First of the form of neglect is the neglect of family, with which the players of MMORPG tends to do. Interaction among family members is lessened because the players are all so hooked up with their own 'virtual world'. They tend to lock themselves inside their rooms, play with their own computer and forget that they have families waiting outside or are hungry for their attention. Even on dinner times, on weekends and on other times, the players' tendency is to go online, start playing so as to level up the character they are playing with. They tend to forget everything when they started to enter their own 'virtual world.'

Another form of neglect that most players of MMROPG usually have is the neglect of their friends. MMORPG has its own world and more people are playing inside the said created world. But the real friends, the actual friends whom the players have known from schools, from the community or since childhood are most often not part of that created 'virtual world'. With this, the friends are being neglected once the player locked himself in his 'virtual world.

Likewise, the player could not establish real friendship while playing with the MMORPG because the players there are also playing with their own fictional characters. Their goal is just to level up their game and not to establish friendship.

Last form of neglect that is seemed to be increasing as the hype of MMORPG also increases is the neglect of oneself. The players could not eat well nor sleep well. They are too busy playing in their virtual world that they would think that they will just be wasting precious time if they sleep, study or eat. They could not waste much of their time because their leveling up might get disrupted. Players could not manage their real self because they are too busy managing their fictional characters in their own 'virtual world'.

Indeed, MMORPG promotes various forms of neglect which are of course negative to the overall management of oneself and one's life. This is the very reason why a lot of concerned citizens have been suggesting that this form of gaming be allowed for the adult players only. This is also the very reason why teachers, parents and older citizens must start teaching the kids and the teenagers on learning to draw the line separating the virtual world from the real world.

It must be kept in mind that RPGs are just games. They are just part of the virtual community - an imagined community. The real life should not be negatively affected in anyway by playing RPGs. Hence, if there are signs that the kids and the teenagers are becoming so hooked up with RPGS (in a way that they could not eat properly or that they are already neglecting their home works), then by all means, they should be prevented from playing RPGs anymore, before it gets worst.