Understanding MMOGs

Jason Cole published an article on Digital Landing about understanding MMOGs.

For a while now the techiest of the techy were playing games on computers simultaneously from different locations. But this world of massively multiplayer online gaming or MMOG has come a long way and has drawn the interest of geeks and non-geeks alike.

Video games have come a long way since a couple of early computer scientists got together and decided that people might like to play a game like tennis on video screens rather than on a clay court. Since then, the quality and depth of video gaming has been improving almost exponentially. The end of the twentieth century saw what is arguably the single most important evolution in video gaming since families first started bringing consoles home in the late 1970's. The Massively Multiplayer Online Game (MMOG) was born.

MMOG's were an instant hit the moment they entered the video game world. They brought the final missing link of the video gaming world to fruition -- being able to game and interact with friends and family in different locations and interact with people half a world away without leaving your home. MMOG's are identical to other video games in that they're played on a home computer or laptop -- with a few versions being released for console platforms -- and the user inputs commands via keyboard and mouse, and receives feedback through the monitor/display, and speakers. While most of the similarities end here, all MMOG's share, to some degree, the following three characteristics:

Finish the article.