Crossing the Line: Online Gaming & Real Life
When a person asks me what online gaming is, I really can’t summarize it in just one sentence. You can’t just define online gaming as a virtual avatar that gains power by doing quests and killing monsters. It’s more than that, especially here in the Philippines. At the very core of MMORPGs is the community - the “heart” that literally gives life to the entire body. It’s the community that makes the game special and worth playing.
The question now is - when do you cross the line from a simple online game and accomodate it into your real life? I’ve had my fair share of experiences with this being a guildmaster in Philippine Ragnarok Online. I’ve organized EB parties, lan tournaments, and simple gimmicks to the mall. But now that I’m working for an online gaming company, I now see it from a different point of view. It’s really bigger than that.
ONLINE GAMING IS ABOUT RELATIONSHIPS
“No man is an island.”
Unless you just want to be a less-than-average gamer, you really have to connect with other people in-game to advance. MMORPGs these days put a lot of emphasis on team play - especially with the high level content. You want a big axe that will tear the world asunder? Well, you have to find a team first to kill the bad ass monster that drops it. Oh, and you’ll have to do it several times since he won’t just give it to you the first time to take him down. Did you get bullied by a high level PK’er? Then call on your guild and teach the bastard a lesson he won’t forget.
Cooperative team play is key, and this is evident in the top global games in the market like World of Warcraft and Ragnarok Online.
ONLINE GAMING IS A LIFESTYLE
Being a gamer is not just all about playing games all day. It has evolved into a culture, a lifestyle that a lot of today’s youth have adapted. It’s no longer “geeky” or “nerdy”. In fact, a lot of celebrities and athletes play games. Let’s face the facts - online gaming is now part of pop culture and there’s no way to go but up. Being a gamer is now about the clothes you wear, the way you talk, the way you move, the way you sleep, the way you dream, and everything else about you. It’s a world that literally collides with the real world and everyday barriers are being torn down and it’s becoming more of a social revolution than technological.
If you ask me again what MMORPGs are all about, I really can’t give you a straight answer. It’s too complex and deep to summarize in just a couple of sentences.
One thing is for sure, MMORPGs is not just about games.
This is a 3-Part Post Series on Online Gaming/MMORPGs. Watch out for Part 2 soon!
CLICK HERE TO READ THE ARTICLE ABOUT HOW THE RF ONLINE BROKEBACKERS INVADED BATAAN!
CLICK HERE TO CHECK OUT THE POGS 2007 COSPLAY PICTURES
January 28th, 2008 at 4:15 pm
Agree!
January 28th, 2008 at 5:16 pm
Ragnarok Online is just a game, but you are real. /heh
OT: SIr Wauks di ko pa din po natatanggap ung prize ko. /sob
Tsaka pano mag post ng emoticons dito?
January 28th, 2008 at 6:20 pm
PRO is not just a game its a business,,,, “S>2B txt me for more info???”
OT: ako din wauks d ko pa rin natatanggap yng PORING DOLL ko akala ko mabilis FEDEX,, bagal din pala…
January 28th, 2008 at 6:21 pm
Haha, nice post. I do agree on some statements.
Um, sir, I know it’s OT but I really need a clarification on moonlight ring about the aspd it gives since even if the descriptions says +3% equipping it yields only +1aspd. Please, I really need to know why since I can’t let that 400 php slip away.
January 28th, 2008 at 6:39 pm
@Rage/Shagojo, let me double check with our logistics department. I had the stuff mailed last week pa. There might have been problems with the shipping or it might have been delayed here in the office. Will update you guys otmorrow. @Night: I’ll ask the GM Team.
January 28th, 2008 at 7:11 pm
Nice Statement!! No Doubt!!
January 28th, 2008 at 7:53 pm
wahaha.. i agree!
January 28th, 2008 at 9:51 pm
MMORPGs nowadays are breeding grounds for all sorts of scammers and con artists and guess what ??
SO DOES IN REAL LIFE !!!
January 28th, 2008 at 9:55 pm
Nice.
January 28th, 2008 at 10:20 pm
Eh Wauks yung 350 load po wala pa din. Y_Y
January 29th, 2008 at 8:19 am
I mega agree tlaga.Kaya d q maiwanan ang ragnar0k eh,d2 aq nkakakuha mga true frends!Na mnsan d m0 mkukuha sa reality. L0v it =)
January 29th, 2008 at 2:43 pm
There are thousand of reasons why you love this game!!
1.Online game = Friends
Whats yours?
^^,
February 3rd, 2008 at 7:15 am
So true.
Nice work. I especially loved the part with the “No man is an island”, then comes the picture with hundreds of players participating irL event.
February 3rd, 2008 at 2:55 pm
[...] grew by just 1.8%. The music industry decline by around 10%. Like what I said in my previous post, gaming is a lifestyle and more people are starting to embrace it. Maybe the movie and TV industries dropped because of the writer [...]