<s>
A	O
massively	B-Application
multiplayer	I-Application
online	I-Application
game	I-Application
(	O
MMOG	B-Application
or	O
more	O
commonly	O
MMO	O
)	O
is	O
an	O
online	B-Application
video	I-Application
game	I-Application
with	O
a	O
large	O
number	O
of	O
players	O
,	O
often	O
hundreds	O
or	O
thousands	O
,	O
on	O
the	O
same	O
server	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
MMOs	O
usually	O
feature	O
a	O
huge	O
,	O
persistent	B-Protocol
open	O
world	O
,	O
although	O
there	B-Application
are	O
games	O
that	O
differ	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
These	O
games	O
can	O
be	O
found	O
for	O
most	O
network-capable	O
platforms	O
,	O
including	O
the	O
personal	B-Device
computer	I-Device
,	O
video	B-Application
game	I-Application
console	I-Application
,	O
or	O
smartphones	B-Application
and	O
other	O
mobile	O
devices	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
most	O
popular	O
type	O
of	O
MMOG	B-Application
,	O
and	O
the	O
subgenre	O
that	O
pioneered	O
the	O
category	O
,	O
is	O
the	O
massively	B-Protocol
multiplayer	I-Protocol
online	I-Protocol
role-playing	I-Protocol
game	I-Protocol
(	O
MMORPG	B-Protocol
)	O
,	O
which	O
descended	O
from	O
university	O
mainframe	B-Architecture
computer	I-Architecture
MUD	B-Application
and	O
adventure	O
games	O
such	O
as	O
Rogue	B-Protocol
and	O
Dungeon	B-Application
on	O
the	O
PDP-10	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
These	O
games	O
predate	O
the	O
commercial	O
gaming	O
industry	O
and	O
the	O
Internet	O
,	O
but	O
still	O
featured	O
persistent	B-Protocol
worlds	I-Protocol
and	O
other	O
elements	O
of	O
MMOGs	B-Application
still	O
used	O
today	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
first	O
graphical	O
MMOG	B-Application
,	O
and	O
a	O
major	O
milestone	O
in	O
the	O
creation	O
of	O
the	O
genre	O
,	O
was	O
the	O
multiplayer	O
flight	O
combat	O
simulation	O
game	O
Air	B-Application
Warrior	I-Application
by	O
Kesmai	B-Application
on	O
the	O
GEnie	B-Language
online	O
service	O
,	O
which	O
first	O
appeared	O
in	O
1986	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Kesmai	B-Application
later	O
added	O
3D	O
graphics	O
to	O
the	O
game	O
,	O
making	O
it	O
the	O
first	O
3D	O
MMO	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Commercial	O
MMORPGs	B-Protocol
gained	O
acceptance	O
in	O
the	O
late	O
1980s	O
and	O
early	O
1990s	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
genre	O
was	O
pioneered	O
by	O
the	O
GemStone	B-Protocol
series	O
on	O
GEnie	B-Language
,	O
also	O
created	O
by	O
Kesmai	B-Application
,	O
and	O
Neverwinter	B-Application
Nights	I-Application
,	O
the	O
first	O
such	O
game	O
to	O
include	O
graphics	O
,	O
which	O
debuted	O
on	O
AOL	O
in	O
1991	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
video	O
game	O
developers	O
applied	O
MMOG	B-Application
ideas	O
to	O
other	O
computer	O
and	O
video	O
game	O
genres	O
,	O
new	O
acronyms	O
started	O
to	O
develop	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
MMORTS	B-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
MMOG	B-Application
emerged	O
as	O
a	O
generic	O
term	O
to	O
cover	O
this	O
growing	O
class	O
of	O
games	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
debuts	O
of	O
The	B-Protocol
Realm	I-Protocol
Online	I-Protocol
,	O
Meridian	B-Protocol
59	I-Protocol
(	O
the	O
first	O
3D	O
MMORPG	B-Protocol
)	O
,	O
Castle	B-Application
Infinity	I-Application
(	O
the	O
first	O
kid-focused	O
MMORPG	B-Protocol
)	O
,	O
Ultima	B-Protocol
Online	I-Protocol
,	O
Underlight	B-Protocol
and	O
EverQuest	B-Protocol
in	O
the	O
late	O
1990s	O
popularized	O
the	O
MMORPG	B-Protocol
genre	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
growth	O
in	O
technology	O
meant	O
that	O
where	O
Neverwinter	B-Application
Nights	I-Application
in	O
1991	O
had	O
been	O
limited	O
to	O
50	O
simultaneous	O
players	O
(	O
a	O
number	O
that	O
grew	O
to	O
500	O
by	O
1995	O
)	O
,	O
by	O
2000	O
a	O
multitude	O
of	O
MMORPGs	B-Protocol
was	O
each	O
serving	O
thousands	O
of	O
simultaneous	O
players	O
and	O
led	O
the	O
way	O
for	O
games	O
such	O
as	O
World	B-Protocol
of	I-Protocol
Warcraft	I-Protocol
and	O
EVE	B-Protocol
Online	I-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
Despite	O
the	O
genre	O
's	O
focus	O
on	O
multiplayer	O
gaming	O
,	O
AI-controlled	O
characters	O
are	O
still	O
common	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
NPCs	O
and	O
mobs	B-Protocol
who	O
give	O
out	O
quests	O
or	O
serve	O
as	O
opponents	O
are	O
typical	O
in	O
MMORPGs	B-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
AI-controlled	O
characters	O
are	O
not	O
as	O
common	O
in	O
action-based	O
MMOGs	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
popularity	O
of	O
MMOGs	B-Application
was	O
mostly	O
restricted	O
to	O
the	O
computer	O
game	O
market	O
until	O
the	O
sixth-generation	B-Application
consoles	I-Application
,	O
with	O
the	O
launch	O
of	O
Phantasy	B-Application
Star	I-Application
Online	I-Application
on	O
Dreamcast	B-Operating_System
and	O
the	O
emergence	O
and	O
growth	O
of	O
online	O
service	O
Xbox	B-Application
Live	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
There	B-Application
have	O
been	O
a	O
number	O
of	O
console	O
MMOGs	B-Application
,	O
including	O
EverQuest	B-Protocol
Online	I-Protocol
Adventures	I-Protocol
(	O
PlayStation	B-Device
2	I-Device
)	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
multiconsole	O
Final	B-Protocol
Fantasy	I-Protocol
XI	I-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
PCs	B-Device
,	O
the	O
MMOG	B-Application
market	O
has	O
always	O
been	O
dominated	O
by	O
successful	O
fantasy	B-Application
MMORPGs	B-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
MMOGs	B-Application
have	O
only	O
recently	O
begun	O
to	O
break	O
into	O
the	O
mobile	O
phone	O
market	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
first	O
,	O
Samurai	B-Application
Romanesque	I-Application
set	O
in	O
feudal	O
Japan	O
,	O
was	O
released	O
in	O
2001	O
on	O
NTT	O
DoCoMo	O
's	O
iMode	O
network	O
in	O
Japan	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
More	O
recent	O
developments	O
are	O
CipSoft	O
's	O
TibiaME	B-Protocol
and	O
Biting	O
Bit	O
's	O
MicroMonster	O
which	O
features	O
online	O
and	O
bluetooth	O
multiplayer	O
gaming	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Science	O
fiction	O
has	O
also	O
been	O
a	O
popular	O
theme	O
,	O
featuring	O
games	O
such	O
as	O
Mankind	B-Protocol
,	O
Anarchy	B-Protocol
Online	I-Protocol
,	O
Eve	B-Protocol
Online	I-Protocol
,	O
Star	B-Application
Wars	I-Application
Galaxies	I-Application
and	O
The	B-Application
Matrix	I-Application
Online	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
MMOGs	B-Application
emerged	O
from	O
the	O
hard-core	O
gamer	O
community	O
to	O
the	O
mainstream	O
strongly	O
in	O
December	O
2003	O
with	O
an	O
analysis	O
in	O
the	O
Financial	O
Times	O
measuring	O
the	O
value	O
of	O
the	O
virtual	O
property	O
in	O
the	O
then-largest	O
MMOG	B-Application
,	O
EverQuest	B-Protocol
,	O
to	O
result	O
in	O
a	O
per-capita	O
GDP	O
of	O
2,266	O
dollars	O
which	O
would	O
have	O
placed	O
the	O
virtual	B-Application
world	I-Application
of	O
EverQuest	B-Protocol
as	O
the	O
77th	O
wealthiest	O
nation	O
,	O
on	O
par	O
with	O
Croatia	O
,	O
Ecuador	O
,	O
Tunisia	O
or	O
Vietnam	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
World	B-Protocol
of	I-Protocol
Warcraft	I-Protocol
is	O
a	O
dominant	O
MMOG	B-Application
with	O
8-9	O
million	O
monthly	O
subscribers	O
worldwide	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
subscriber	O
base	O
dropped	O
by	O
1	O
million	O
after	O
the	O
expansion	O
Wrath	B-Protocol
of	I-Protocol
the	I-Protocol
Lich	I-Protocol
King	I-Protocol
,	O
bringing	O
it	O
to	O
9	O
million	O
subscribers	O
in	O
2010	O
,	O
though	O
it	O
remained	O
the	O
most	O
popular	O
Western	O
title	O
among	O
MMOGs	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2008	O
,	O
Western	O
consumer	O
spending	O
on	O
World	B-Protocol
of	I-Protocol
Warcraft	I-Protocol
represented	O
a	O
58%	O
share	O
of	O
the	O
subscription	O
MMOG	B-Application
market	O
in	O
2009	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Within	O
a	O
majority	O
of	O
the	O
MMOGs	B-Application
created	O
,	O
there	B-Application
is	O
virtual	O
currency	O
where	O
the	O
player	O
can	O
earn	O
and	O
accumulate	O
money	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
virtual	B-Application
economies	I-Application
created	O
within	O
MMOGs	B-Application
often	O
blur	O
the	O
lines	O
between	O
real	O
and	O
virtual	B-Application
worlds	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
result	O
is	O
often	O
seen	O
as	O
an	O
unwanted	O
interaction	O
between	O
the	O
real	O
and	O
virtual	B-Application
economies	I-Application
by	O
the	O
players	O
and	O
the	O
provider	O
of	O
the	O
virtual	B-Application
world	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
two	O
seem	O
to	O
come	O
hand	O
in	O
hand	O
with	O
even	O
the	O
earliest	O
MMOGs	B-Application
such	O
as	O
Ultima	B-Protocol
Online	I-Protocol
having	O
this	O
kind	O
of	O
trade	O
,	O
real	O
money	O
for	O
virtual	O
things	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
importance	O
of	O
having	O
a	O
working	O
virtual	B-Application
economy	I-Application
within	O
an	O
MMOG	B-Application
is	O
increasing	O
as	O
they	O
develop	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
sign	O
of	O
this	O
is	O
CCP	O
Games	O
hiring	O
the	O
first	O
real-life	O
economist	O
for	O
its	O
MMOG	B-Application
Eve	B-Protocol
Online	I-Protocol
to	O
assist	O
and	O
analyze	O
the	O
virtual	B-Application
economy	I-Application
and	O
production	O
within	O
this	O
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
results	O
of	O
this	O
interaction	O
between	O
the	O
virtual	B-Application
economy	I-Application
,	O
and	O
our	O
real	O
economy	O
,	O
which	O
is	O
really	O
the	O
interaction	O
between	O
the	O
company	O
that	O
created	O
the	O
game	O
and	O
the	O
third-party	O
companies	O
that	O
want	O
a	O
share	O
of	O
the	O
profits	O
and	O
success	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
They	O
also	O
express	O
that	O
the	O
nature	O
of	O
many	O
MMOGs	B-Application
is	O
that	O
they	O
require	O
time	O
commitments	O
not	O
available	O
to	O
everyone	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
practice	O
of	O
acquiring	O
large	O
volumes	O
of	O
virtual	O
currency	O
for	O
the	O
purpose	O
of	O
selling	O
to	O
other	O
individuals	O
for	O
tangible	O
and	O
real	O
currency	O
is	O
called	O
gold	B-Protocol
farming	I-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
Many	O
players	O
who	O
have	O
poured	O
in	O
all	O
of	O
their	O
personal	O
effort	O
resent	O
that	O
there	B-Application
is	O
this	O
exchange	O
between	O
real	O
and	O
virtual	B-Application
economies	I-Application
since	O
it	O
devalues	O
their	O
own	O
efforts	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
a	O
result	O
,	O
the	O
term	O
'	O
gold	B-Protocol
farmer	I-Protocol
 '	O
now	O
has	O
a	O
very	O
negative	O
connotation	O
within	O
the	O
games	O
and	O
their	O
communities	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
slander	O
has	O
unfortunately	O
also	O
extended	O
itself	O
to	O
racial	O
profiling	O
and	O
to	O
in-game	B-Application
and	O
forum	O
insulting	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
games	O
that	O
are	O
substantially	O
less	O
popular	O
and	O
have	O
a	O
small	O
player	O
base	O
,	O
the	O
enforcement	O
of	O
the	O
elimination	O
of	O
'	O
gold	B-Protocol
farming	I-Protocol
 '	O
appears	O
less	O
often	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Companies	O
in	O
this	O
situation	O
most	O
likely	O
are	O
concerned	O
with	O
their	O
personal	O
sales	O
and	O
subscription	O
revenue	O
over	O
the	O
development	O
of	O
their	O
virtual	B-Application
economy	I-Application
,	O
as	O
they	O
most	O
likely	O
have	O
a	O
higher	O
priority	O
to	O
the	O
games	O
viability	O
via	O
adequate	O
funding	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
account	O
banning	O
could	O
also	O
serve	O
as	O
an	O
economic	O
gain	O
for	O
these	O
large	O
games	O
,	O
since	O
it	O
is	O
highly	O
likely	O
that	O
,	O
due	O
to	O
demand	O
,	O
these	O
'	O
gold	B-Protocol
farming	I-Protocol
 '	O
accounts	O
will	O
be	O
recreated	O
with	O
freshly	O
bought	O
copies	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
virtual	O
goods	O
revenue	O
from	O
online	B-Application
games	I-Application
and	O
social	O
networking	O
exceeded	O
US$7	O
billion	O
in	O
2010	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2011	O
,	O
it	O
was	O
estimated	O
that	O
up	O
to	O
100,000	O
people	O
in	O
China	O
and	O
Vietnam	O
are	O
playing	O
online	B-Application
games	I-Application
to	O
gather	O
gold	O
and	O
other	O
items	O
for	O
sale	O
to	O
Western	O
players	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
this	O
'	O
gold	B-Protocol
farming	I-Protocol
 '	O
is	O
considered	O
to	O
ruin	O
the	O
game	O
for	O
actual	O
players	O
,	O
many	O
rely	O
on	O
'	O
gold	B-Protocol
farming	I-Protocol
 '	O
as	O
their	O
main	O
source	O
of	O
income	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
single	O
player	O
in	O
MMOs	O
is	O
quite	O
viable	O
,	O
especially	O
in	O
what	O
is	O
called	O
'	O
player	O
vs	B-Application
environment	O
 '	O
gameplay	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Most	O
MMOGs	B-Application
also	O
share	O
other	O
characteristics	O
that	O
make	O
them	O
different	O
from	O
other	O
multiplayer	O
online	B-Application
games	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
MMOGs	B-Application
host	O
many	O
players	O
in	O
a	O
single	O
game	O
world	O
,	O
and	O
all	O
of	O
those	O
players	O
can	O
interact	O
with	O
each	O
other	O
at	O
any	O
given	O
time	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Popular	O
MMOGs	B-Application
might	O
have	O
thousands	O
of	O
players	O
online	O
at	O
any	O
given	O
time	O
,	O
usually	O
on	O
company-owned	O
servers	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Non-MMOGs	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
Battlefield	B-Application
1942	I-Application
or	O
Half-Life	B-Application
usually	O
have	O
fewer	O
than	O
50	O
players	O
online	O
(	O
per	O
server	O
)	O
and	O
are	O
usually	O
played	O
on	O
private	O
servers	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Also	O
,	O
MMOGs	B-Application
usually	O
do	O
not	O
have	O
any	O
significant	O
mods	O
since	O
the	O
game	O
must	O
work	O
on	O
company	O
servers	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
There	B-Application
is	O
some	O
debate	O
if	O
a	O
high	O
head-count	O
is	O
a	O
requirement	O
to	O
be	O
an	O
MMOG	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
For	O
example	O
,	O
despite	O
technology	O
and	O
content	O
constraints	O
,	O
most	O
MMOGs	B-Application
can	O
fit	O
up	O
to	O
a	O
few	O
thousand	O
players	O
on	O
a	O
single	O
game	B-Application
server	I-Application
at	O
a	O
time	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
To	O
support	O
all	O
those	O
players	O
,	O
MMOGs	B-Application
need	O
large-scale	O
game	O
worlds	O
,	O
and	O
servers	B-Application
to	O
connect	O
players	O
to	O
those	O
worlds	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
games	O
have	O
all	O
of	O
their	O
servers	B-Application
connected	O
so	O
all	O
players	O
are	O
connected	O
in	O
a	O
shared	O
universe	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Others	O
have	O
copies	O
of	O
their	O
starting	O
game	O
world	O
put	O
on	O
different	O
servers	B-Application
,	O
called	O
"	O
shards	O
"	O
,	O
for	O
a	O
sharded	O
universe	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Shards	O
got	O
their	O
name	O
from	O
Ultima	B-Protocol
Online	I-Protocol
,	O
where	O
in	O
the	O
story	O
,	O
the	O
shards	O
of	O
Mondain	O
's	O
gem	O
created	O
the	O
duplicate	O
worlds	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
For	O
example	O
,	O
Tribes	B-Application
(	O
which	O
is	O
not	O
an	O
MMOG	B-Application
)	O
comes	O
with	O
a	O
number	O
of	O
large	O
maps	O
,	O
which	O
are	O
played	O
in	O
rotation	O
(	O
one	O
at	O
a	O
time	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
MMORPGs	B-Protocol
usually	O
have	O
sharded	O
universes	O
,	O
as	O
they	O
provide	O
the	O
most	O
flexible	O
solution	O
to	O
the	O
server	O
load	O
problem	O
,	O
but	O
not	O
always	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
For	O
example	O
,	O
the	O
space	O
simulation	O
Eve	B-Protocol
Online	I-Protocol
uses	O
only	O
one	O
large	O
cluster	O
server	O
peaking	O
at	O
over	O
60,000	O
simultaneous	O
players	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
is	O
challenging	O
to	O
develop	O
the	O
database	O
engines	O
that	O
are	O
needed	O
to	O
run	O
a	O
successful	O
MMOG	B-Application
with	O
millions	O
of	O
players	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
An	O
early	O
,	O
successful	O
entry	O
into	O
the	O
field	O
was	O
VR-1	O
Entertainment	O
whose	O
Conductor	O
platform	O
was	O
adopted	O
and	O
endorsed	O
by	O
a	O
variety	O
of	O
service	O
providers	O
around	O
the	O
world	O
including	O
Sony	O
Communications	O
Network	O
in	O
Japan	O
;	O
the	O
Bertelsmann	O
Game	O
Channel	O
in	O
Germany	O
;	O
British	O
Telecom	O
's	O
Wireplay	B-Protocol
in	O
England	O
;	O
and	O
DACOM	O
and	O
Samsung	O
SDS	O
in	O
South	O
Korea	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Games	O
that	O
were	O
powered	O
by	O
the	O
Conductor	O
platform	O
included	O
Fighter	O
Wing	O
,	O
Air	O
Attack	O
,	O
Fighter	O
Ace	O
,	O
Evernight	O
,	O
Hasbro	O
Em	O
@ail	O
Games	O
(	O
Clue	O
,	O
NASCAR	O
and	O
Soccer	O
)	O
,	O
Towers	O
of	O
Fallow	O
,	O
The	O
SARAC	O
Project	O
,	O
VR1	O
Crossroads	O
and	O
Rumble	B-Application
in	O
the	O
Void	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Typical	O
MUDs	B-Application
and	O
other	O
predecessor	O
games	O
were	O
limited	O
to	O
about	O
64	O
or	O
256	O
simultaneous	O
player	O
connections	O
;	O
this	O
was	O
a	O
limit	O
imposed	O
by	O
the	O
underlying	O
operating	O
system	O
,	O
which	O
was	O
usually	O
Unix-like	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Since	O
a	O
typical	O
server	O
can	O
handle	O
around	O
10,000	O
–	O
12,000	O
players	O
,	O
4000	O
–	O
5000	O
active	O
simultaneously	O
,	O
dividing	O
the	O
game	O
into	O
several	O
servers	B-Application
has	O
up	O
until	O
now	O
been	O
the	O
solution	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
approach	O
has	O
also	O
helped	O
with	O
technical	O
issues	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
lag	B-Application
,	O
that	O
many	O
players	O
experience	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Although	O
there	B-Application
is	O
no	O
specific	O
limit	O
to	O
where	O
an	O
online	O
multiplayer	O
online	B-Application
game	I-Application
is	O
considered	O
massive	O
,	O
there	B-Application
are	O
broad	O
features	O
that	O
are	O
often	O
used	O
as	O
a	O
metric	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Garriott	O
's	O
famed	O
1997	O
definition	O
referred	O
to	O
the	O
fundamental	O
architecture	O
shift	O
required	O
to	O
support	O
tens	O
of	O
thousands	O
of	O
concurrent	O
players	O
,	O
which	O
required	O
shifting	O
from	O
individual	O
servers	B-Application
to	O
data	O
centers	O
on	O
multiple	O
continents	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Games	O
may	O
have	O
MMO	O
features	O
like	O
large	O
worlds	O
with	O
online	O
persistence	O
but	O
still	O
not	O
generally	O
be	O
considered	O
an	O
MMO	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
Grand	B-Application
Theft	I-Application
Auto	I-Application
V	I-Application
's	O
online	B-Application
play	I-Application
,	O
while	O
other	O
games	O
like	O
League	B-Application
of	I-Application
Legends	I-Application
have	O
small	O
individual	O
sessions	O
but	O
the	O
global	O
infrastructure	O
requirements	O
often	O
allow	O
for	O
classification	O
as	O
an	O
MMO	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
MMO	B-Application
game	I-Application
developers	O
tend	O
to	O
require	O
tremendous	O
investments	O
in	O
developing	O
and	O
maintaining	O
servers	B-Application
around	O
the	O
globe	O
,	O
network	O
bandwidth	O
infrastructure	O
often	O
on	O
the	O
order	O
of	O
terabytes	O
per	O
second	O
,	O
and	O
large	O
engineering	O
problems	O
relating	O
to	O
managing	O
data	O
spread	O
between	O
multiple	O
computer	O
clusters	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
There	B-Application
are	O
several	O
types	O
of	O
massively	B-Application
multiplayer	I-Application
online	I-Application
games	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Massively	B-Protocol
multiplayer	I-Protocol
online	I-Protocol
role-playing	I-Protocol
games	I-Protocol
,	O
known	O
as	O
MMORPGs	B-Protocol
,	O
are	O
the	O
most	O
common	O
type	O
of	O
MMOG	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
MMORPGs	B-Protocol
are	O
designed	O
as	O
a	O
multiplayer	B-Protocol
browser	I-Protocol
game	I-Protocol
in	O
order	O
to	O
reduce	O
infrastructure	O
costs	O
and	O
utilise	O
a	O
thin	B-Device
client	I-Device
that	O
most	O
users	O
will	O
already	O
have	O
installed	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
acronym	O
BBMMORPGs	B-Application
has	O
sometimes	O
been	O
used	O
to	O
describe	O
these	O
as	O
browser-based	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Many	O
games	O
are	O
categorized	O
as	O
MMOBBGs	B-Application
,,	O
Massively	B-Application
Multiplayer	I-Application
Online	I-Application
Bulletin	O
Board	O
Games	O
,	O
also	O
called	O
MMOBBRPGs	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
MMOFPS	O
games	O
emphasize	O
player	O
skill	O
more	O
than	O
player	O
statistics	O
,	O
as	O
no	O
number	O
of	O
in-game	B-Application
bonuses	O
will	O
compensate	O
for	O
a	O
player	O
's	O
inability	O
to	O
aim	O
and	O
think	O
tactically	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Massively	B-Protocol
multiplayer	I-Protocol
online	I-Protocol
real-time	I-Protocol
strategy	I-Protocol
games	I-Protocol
,	O
also	O
known	O
as	O
"	O
MMORTS	B-Protocol
"	O
,	O
combine	O
real-time	O
strategy	O
(	O
RTS	O
)	O
with	O
a	O
persistent	B-Protocol
world	I-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
titles	O
are	O
often	O
based	O
in	O
a	O
sci-fi	O
or	O
fantasy	B-Application
universe	O
and	O
are	O
distinguished	O
from	O
single	O
or	O
small-scale	O
multiplayer	O
RTSes	O
by	O
the	O
number	O
of	O
players	O
and	O
common	O
use	O
of	O
a	O
persistent	B-Protocol
world	I-Protocol
,	O
generally	O
hosted	O
by	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
publisher	O
,	O
which	O
continues	O
to	O
evolve	O
even	O
when	O
the	O
player	O
is	O
offline	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Steve	O
Jackson	O
Games	O
 '	O
UltraCorps	B-Protocol
is	O
an	O
example	O
of	O
an	O
MMO	O
turn-based	O
strategy	O
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Similarly	O
,	O
in	O
Darkwind	B-Protocol
:	I-Protocol
War	I-Protocol
on	I-Protocol
Wheels	I-Protocol
,	O
vehicle	O
driving	O
and	O
combat	O
orders	O
are	O
submitted	O
simultaneously	O
by	O
all	O
players	O
and	O
a	O
"	O
tick	O
"	O
occurs	O
typically	O
once	O
per	O
30	O
seconds	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
MMOGs	B-Application
have	O
been	O
designed	O
to	O
accurately	O
simulate	O
certain	O
aspects	O
of	O
the	O
real	O
world	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
initial	O
goal	O
of	O
World	B-Application
War	I-Application
II	I-Application
Online	I-Application
was	O
to	O
create	O
a	O
map	O
(	O
in	O
northwestern	O
Europe	O
)	O
that	O
had	O
real-world	O
physics	O
(	O
gravity	O
,	O
air/water	O
resistance	O
,	O
etc	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
the	O
current	O
version	O
is	O
not	O
quite	O
a	O
true	O
simulated	O
world	O
,	O
it	O
is	O
very	O
complex	O
and	O
contains	O
a	O
large	O
persistent	B-Protocol
world	I-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
MMOG	B-Application
genre	O
of	O
air	O
traffic	O
simulation	O
is	O
one	O
example	O
,	O
with	O
networks	O
such	O
as	O
VATSIM	O
and	O
IVAO	B-Protocol
striving	O
to	O
provide	O
rigorously	O
authentic	O
flight-simulation	B-Application
environments	O
to	O
players	O
in	O
both	O
pilot	O
and	O
air	O
traffic	O
controller	O
roles	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
this	O
category	O
of	O
MMOGs	B-Application
,	O
the	O
objective	O
is	O
to	O
create	O
duplicates	O
of	O
the	O
real	O
world	O
for	O
people	O
who	O
cannot	O
or	O
do	O
not	O
wish	O
to	O
undertake	O
those	O
experiences	O
in	O
real	O
life	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
For	O
example	O
,	O
flight	B-Application
simulation	I-Application
via	O
an	O
MMOG	B-Application
requires	O
far	O
less	O
expenditure	O
of	O
time	O
and	O
money	O
,	O
is	O
completely	O
risk-free	O
,	O
and	O
is	O
far	O
less	O
restrictive	O
(	O
fewer	O
regulations	O
to	O
adhere	O
to	O
,	O
no	O
medical	O
exams	O
to	O
pass	O
,	O
and	O
so	O
on	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Examples	O
of	O
MMO	O
simulation	O
games	O
include	O
World	B-Application
of	I-Application
Tanks	I-Application
,	O
War	B-Application
Thunder	I-Application
,	O
Motor	B-Application
City	I-Application
Online	I-Application
,	O
The	B-Application
Sims	I-Application
Online	I-Application
,	O
and	O
Jumpgate	B-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
massively	B-Application
multiplayer	I-Application
online	I-Application
sports	O
game	O
is	O
a	O
title	O
where	O
players	O
can	O
compete	O
in	O
some	O
of	O
the	O
more	O
traditional	O
major	O
league	O
sports	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
football	O
(	O
soccer	O
)	O
,	O
basketball	B-Application
,	O
baseball	B-Application
,	O
hockey	B-Application
,	O
golf	B-Application
or	O
American	B-Application
football	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
According	O
to	O
GameSpot.com,	O
Baseball	B-Application
Mogul	O
Online	O
was	O
"	O
the	O
world	O
's	O
first	O
massively	B-Application
multiplayer	I-Application
online	I-Application
sports	O
game	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
MMOR	O
means	O
massively	B-Application
multiplayer	I-Application
online	I-Application
racing	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Currently	O
there	B-Application
are	O
only	O
a	O
small	O
number	O
of	O
racing-based	O
MMOGs	B-Application
,	O
including	O
iRacing	B-Application
,	O
Kart	B-Application
Rider	I-Application
,	O
Test	B-Application
Drive	I-Application
Unlimited	I-Application
,	O
Project	B-Protocol
Torque	I-Protocol
,	O
Drift	B-Protocol
City	I-Protocol
and	O
Race	B-Protocol
or	I-Protocol
Die	I-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
Other	O
notable	O
MMORs	O
included	O
Upshift	B-Protocol
Strikeracer	I-Protocol
,	O
Motor	B-Application
City	I-Application
Online	I-Application
and	O
Need	B-Protocol
for	I-Protocol
Speed	I-Protocol
:	I-Protocol
World	I-Protocol
,	O
all	O
of	O
which	O
have	O
since	O
shut	O
down	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Trackmania	B-Application
series	O
is	O
the	O
world	O
's	O
largest	O
MMO	O
racing	O
game	O
and	O
holds	O
the	O
world	O
record	O
for	O
"	O
Most	O
Players	O
in	O
a	O
Single	O
Online	O
Race	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Although	O
Darkwind	B-Protocol
:	I-Protocol
War	I-Protocol
on	I-Protocol
Wheels	I-Protocol
is	O
more	O
combat-based	O
than	O
racing	O
,	O
it	O
is	O
also	O
considered	O
an	O
MMOR	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Many	O
types	O
of	O
MMO	B-Application
games	I-Application
can	O
be	O
classified	O
as	O
casual	O
,	O
because	O
they	O
are	O
designed	O
to	O
appeal	O
to	O
all	O
computer	O
users	O
(	O
as	O
opposed	O
to	O
subgroup	O
of	O
frequent	O
game	O
buyers	O
)	O
,	O
or	O
to	O
fans	O
of	O
another	O
game	O
genre	O
(	O
such	O
as	O
collectible	O
card	O
games	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Other	O
popular	O
casual	O
games	O
include	O
simple	O
management	O
games	O
such	O
as	O
The	B-Application
Sims	I-Application
Online	I-Application
or	O
Kung	B-Application
Fu	I-Application
Panda	I-Application
World	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
MMORPGs	B-Protocol
,	O
or	O
massively	B-Application
multiplayer	I-Application
online	I-Application
puzzle	O
games	O
,	O
are	O
based	O
entirely	O
on	O
puzzle	O
elements	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Castle	B-Application
Infinity	I-Application
was	O
the	O
first	O
MMOG	B-Application
developed	O
for	O
children	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
There	B-Application
are	O
also	O
massively	B-Application
multiplayer	I-Application
collectible	O
card	O
games	O
:	O
Alteil	B-Operating_System
,	O
Astral	O
Masters	O
and	O
Astral	O
Tournament	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Other	O
MMOCCGs	O
might	O
exist	O
(	O
Neopets	B-Protocol
has	O
some	O
CCG	O
elements	O
)	O
but	O
are	O
not	O
as	O
well	O
known	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Alternate	O
reality	O
games	O
(	O
ARGs	O
)	O
can	O
be	O
massively	B-Application
multiplayer	I-Application
,	O
allowing	O
thousands	O
of	O
players	O
worldwide	O
to	O
co-operate	O
in	O
puzzle	O
trials	O
and	O
mystery	O
solving	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
ARGs	O
take	O
place	O
in	O
a	O
unique	O
mixture	O
of	O
online	O
and	O
real-world	O
play	O
that	O
usually	O
does	O
not	O
involve	O
a	O
persistent	B-Protocol
world	I-Protocol
,	O
and	O
are	O
not	O
necessarily	O
multiplayer	O
,	O
making	O
them	O
different	O
from	O
MMOGs	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Massively	B-Application
multiplayer	I-Application
online	I-Application
music/rhythm	O
games	O
(	O
MMORGs	O
)	O
,	O
sometimes	O
called	O
massively	B-Application
multiplayer	I-Application
online	I-Application
dance	B-Application
games	I-Application
(	O
MMODGs	O
)	O
,	O
are	O
MMOGs	B-Application
that	O
are	O
also	O
music	B-Application
video	I-Application
games	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
idea	O
was	O
influenced	O
by	O
Dance	B-Application
Dance	I-Application
Revolution	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Audition	B-Application
Online	I-Application
is	O
another	O
casual	O
massively	B-Application
multiplayer	I-Application
online	I-Application
game	I-Application
and	O
it	O
is	O
produced	O
by	O
T3	O
Entertainment	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Just	B-Application
Dance	I-Application
2014	I-Application
has	O
a	O
game	O
mode	O
called	O
World	O
Dance	O
Floor	O
,	O
which	O
also	O
structures	O
like	O
an	O
MMORPG	B-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
Massively	B-Application
multiplayer	I-Application
online	I-Application
social	I-Application
games	I-Application
(	O
MMOSGs	O
)	O
focus	O
on	O
socialization	O
instead	O
of	O
objective-based	O
gameplay	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
There	B-Application
is	O
a	O
great	O
deal	O
of	O
overlap	O
in	O
terminology	O
with	O
"	O
online	O
communities	O
"	O
and	O
"	O
virtual	B-Application
worlds	I-Application
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
One	O
example	O
that	O
has	O
garnered	O
widespread	O
media	O
attention	O
is	O
Linden	O
Lab	O
's	O
Second	B-Application
Life	I-Application
,	O
emphasizing	O
socializing	O
,	O
worldbuilding	O
and	O
an	O
in-world	O
virtual	B-Application
economy	I-Application
that	O
depends	O
on	O
the	O
sale	O
and	O
purchase	O
of	O
user-created	O
content	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
practice	O
,	O
it	O
has	O
more	O
in	O
common	O
with	O
Club	B-Application
Caribe	I-Application
than	O
EverQuest	B-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
the	O
first	O
MMO	O
of	O
its	O
kind	O
to	O
achieve	O
widespread	O
success	O
(	O
including	O
attention	O
from	O
mainstream	O
media	O
)	O
;	O
however	O
,	O
it	O
was	O
not	O
the	O
first	O
(	O
as	O
Club	B-Application
Caribe	I-Application
was	O
released	O
in	O
1988	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Competitors	O
in	O
this	O
subgenre	O
(	O
non-combat-based	O
MMORPG	B-Protocol
)	O
include	O
Active	B-Protocol
Worlds	I-Protocol
,	O
There	B-Application
,	O
SmallWorlds	O
,	O
Furcadia	B-Protocol
,	O
Whirled	O
,	O
IMVU	O
and	O
Red	B-Protocol
Light	I-Protocol
Center	I-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
has	O
been	O
made	O
easier	O
because	O
of	O
maturing	O
of	O
Adobe	B-Operating_System
Flash	I-Operating_System
and	O
the	O
popularity	O
of	O
Club	B-Application
Penguin	I-Application
,	O
Growtopia	B-Application
,	O
and	O
The	B-Application
Sims	I-Application
Online	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Massively	B-Application
multiplayer	I-Application
online	I-Application
combat	O
games	O
are	O
realtime	O
objective	O
,	O
strategy	O
and	O
capture	O
the	O
flag	O
style	O
modes	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Infantry	B-Protocol
Online	I-Protocol
is	O
an	O
example	O
multiplayer	O
combat	O
video	O
game	O
with	O
sprite	O
animation	O
graphics	O
,	O
using	O
complex	O
soldier	O
,	O
ground	O
vehicle	O
and	O
space-ship	O
models	O
on	O
typically	O
complex	O
terrains	O
developed	O
by	O
Sony	O
online	O
entertainment	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
recent	O
attempts	O
to	O
build	O
peer-to-peer	O
(	O
P2P	O
)	O
MMOGs	B-Application
have	O
been	O
made	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
P2P	O
MMOG	B-Application
may	O
potentially	O
be	O
more	O
scalable	O
and	O
cheaper	O
to	O
build	O
,	O
but	O
notable	O
issues	O
with	O
P2P	O
MMOGs	B-Application
include	O
security	O
and	O
consistency	O
control	O
,	O
which	O
can	O
be	O
difficult	O
to	O
address	O
given	O
that	O
clients	O
are	O
easily	O
hacked	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
MMOGs	B-Application
such	O
as	O
Vindictus	B-Protocol
use	O
P2P	O
networking	O
and	O
client-server	O
networking	O
together	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
April	O
2004	O
,	O
the	O
United	O
States	O
Army	O
announced	O
that	O
it	O
was	O
developing	O
a	O
massively	B-Application
multiplayer	I-Application
training	O
simulation	O
called	O
AWE	O
(	O
asymmetric	O
warfare	O
environment	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
purpose	O
of	O
AWE	O
is	O
to	O
train	O
soldiers	O
for	O
urban	O
warfare	O
and	O
there	B-Application
are	O
no	O
plans	O
for	O
a	O
public	O
commercial	O
release	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Forterra	O
Systems	O
is	O
developing	O
it	O
for	O
the	O
Army	O
based	O
on	O
the	O
There	B-Application
engine	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2010	O
,	O
Bonnie	O
Nardi	O
published	O
an	O
ethnographic	O
study	O
on	O
World	B-Protocol
of	I-Protocol
Warcraft	I-Protocol
examined	O
with	O
Lev	O
Vygotsky	O
's	O
activity	O
theory	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
topic	O
most	O
intriguing	O
to	O
the	O
pair	O
was	O
to	O
further	O
understand	O
the	O
gameplay	O
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
the	O
virtual	B-Application
world	I-Application
serving	O
as	O
a	O
social	O
meeting	O
place	O
,	O
of	O
popular	O
MMOs	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
US	O
gamers	O
spend	O
more	O
,	O
however	O
,	O
spending	O
about	O
$3.8	O
billion	O
overall	O
on	O
MMO	B-Application
games	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
study	O
also	O
found	O
that	O
46%	O
of	O
46	O
million	O
players	O
in	O
the	O
US	O
pay	O
real	O
money	O
to	O
play	O
MMO	B-Application
games	I-Application
.	O
</s>
