Wednesday, October 24, 2007

Why this topic particularly interests me?

Thanks to technology advancement, computers are necessities in our daily life and this encourages the maturity of online community, online games, digital art, etc. Among these, I was particularly impressed by the lucrative online game. There are kinds of online games, Massively Multi-Player Online Role Playing Game , was particularly attractive for our generation. They are different from conventional personal computer games; provide us a virtual society, in which we can experience a different kind of life.

There is no doubt that games can provide us a way to enlighten and entertain our exhausted life. But it seems that there are some students that fail to control themselves burning the mid-night oil playing games online instead of studying their books. This arouses our serious attentions as it affect our mind and life.

With regards to this increasing online game popularity, Massively Multi-Player Online Role Playing Game (or“MMORPG”) is the “stickiest” form of online games in which hundreds of thousands of players interact with one another online. Star Wars Galaxies, City of Heroes are youngsters’ favorites’ topics nowadays. It was really amazed me because of the enormous amount of time they consumed.There is no doubt that online games become part of their life. Why children get addicted to this virtual world? As more and more people are involved in such kind of activities, the discussion of online games has risen up. With a computer, you don't need friends to play role-playing games. This was big news in the late 1970s when the first onling game was designed. What are the reasons behind? Do they have positive or negative effects on individuals or our society? These questions deserve and direct me to think deeply about this issue.

Online games give us a sense of satisfaction that we can only dream about having in real our life. Some people may become too involved in the online “world” and began to neglect the people around them. What make youngsters and children devote and get addicted to them? In this blog, I would like to investigate this common but unusual phenomenon in depth.

Research questions

1. What is the background of the computer role-playing game?

2. Why online games do becomes such a popular attraction by the society within a very short period of time?

3. What makes an online game successful?

4. How do Electronic media help the maturity of online games?

5. What problems caused by playing online games for long time, individuals or our society?

A bibliography

book:
1.Massively Multi-Player Online Role Playing Games
(R.V Kelly2, McFarland & Company, Inc, Publishers, 2004)
comment: It is a useful source because it explain MMORPRG culture in detailed and clear way. Book about online games are difficult to searcg, but this one is really quite desirable.



websites:
2.http://hk.news.yahoo.com/070727/318/2cfft.html
comment: This is a reliable source.
3.http://www.answers.com/topic/role-playing-game?cat=health
comment: The website is very detail and easy to read.
4.http://202.120.60.18/coolenglish/docs/essay/Online%20Game%20Around%20Us_%E6%B2%88%E4%B8%B0.htm
comment: The source is mainly the findings in China, so it may be too dogmatic.
5.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MMORPG

comment: It is easy to read.

6.http://www.funagain.com/control/product/~product_id=017578N

comment: This website didn't help a lot.

7.http://www.raphkoster.com/gaming/comments.shtml

comment: It is quite diffcult to understand.

8.http://www.links.net/dox/warez/games/edu/rpg/

comment: It is a fair website only.

9.http://www.onlinegames.net/

comment: It is interesting.

10.http://www.freegaming.de/

comment: The web shows kinds of online games.

Links

1.http://202.120.60.18/coolenglish/docs/essay/Online%20Game%20Around%20Us_%E6%B2%88%E4%B8%B0.htm
2.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MMORPG
3.http://www.raphkoster.com/gaming/comments.shtml
4.http://www.raphkoster.com/gaming/comments.shtml

5.http://www.raphkoster.com/gaming/futuredev.shtml
6.http://open-encyclopedia.com/CRPG
7.http://www.links.net/dox/warez/games/edu/rpg/
8.http://www.answers.com/topic/role-playing-game?cat=health

Key quotes

1.
According to a survey on online gamers, heavy games players can play an average 17 to 26 hours a week. (http://202.120.60.18/coolenglish/docs/essay/Online%20Game%20Around%20Us_%E6%B2%88%E4%B8%B0.htm)

2.
Virtual worlds are likely to play an increasingly prominent role in the internet industry (Life as you want it (STANDARD) 09月 03日 mon 05:30AM) http://hk.news.yahoo.com/070902/318/2eu8u.html

3.
Online gamers test real viruses (STANDARD) 08月 22日 wed 05:30AM
http://hk.news.yahoo.com/070821/318/2e314.html

4.
Teenage gamers find government restrictions just too easy to beat (STANDARD) 07月 05日 thurs05:30AM
http://hk.news.yahoo.com/070704/318/2ashr.html

5.
The History of Computer Role-Playing Games Part I: The Early Years (1980-1983)Sat, 12/23/2006 - 8:36pm — Matt Barton ( publication: armchairarcade)
http://armchairarcade.com/neo/node/1081

Key visual materials

1











-material come from: http://www.funagain.com/control/product/~product_id=017578N

- I included it because i want to show this famous online game,World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade.




2.










- material come from: http://hk.search.yahoo.com/search/images?p=online+game&fr=FP-tab-img-t&ei=UTF-8&meta=rst%3Dhk

- I included it because it show increasing online game popularity among children.




3.













- material come from: http://hk.search.yahoo.com/search/images?p=Star+Wars+Galaxies&fr=FP-tab-img-t&ei=UTF-8&meta=rst%3Dhk

- I included it because it is a scene of Star Wars Galaxies.



4.














- source come from: http://hk.search.yahoo.com/search/images?p=city+of+heros&ei=UTF-8&fr=FP-tab-img-t&x=drt

- I included it because it is a scene of City of heros onling game.



5.













- material come from: http://armchairarcade.com/neo/node/1082

- I included it because paper-based games like this paved the way for D&D and CRPGs.