Well, here we are, the final 'official' blogpost for this course. It's actually been a pretty good experience writing down thoughts and ideas on one of my favourite pastimes. For this post, I would like to discuss some thoughts on the lecture Kevin presented today, more spefically the way online gaming has created and shaped online gaming communities. Much has been discussed in regards to the online juggernaut that is World of Warcraft, so I would like to focus my post on other online multiplayer games such as Call of Duty, Uncharted 2, Gran Turismo 5, Burnout: Paradise, Halo, and others of the such.
Nowadays, it is becoming more common practice that game developers include online components to their games. This implementation is due to seemingly vocal customer demand for opportunities to play with or against friends in an online enviroment. Because of this supposed demand, online multiplayer modes have found there way into many game franchises which were originally sinple player only experiences (such as the Dead Space and Assassins Creed franchises). Some of these games have been successful in implementing multiplayer components (Assassins Creed Brotherhood), while others have failed miserably (Bioshock 2). In any case, the implementation of multiplayer modes have created and fostered communities that usually mirror the communities of most other games with online modes. In my time playing the multiplayer mode in various games, I have found that there are certainly player stereotypes that are most evident in the online multiplayer landscape, some of these are:
(note: these are only various sterotypes of players and don't account for everyone in the online community)
The Child Gamer
This type of player is normally found screaming things so shockingly adult that it would make any grown man blush. Plus, many of the games they are playing they shouldn't be playing. Also known to scream at parents even though mic is still switched on.
The Angry Guy
Pretty much as the title suggests. Basically a person who gets overly angry at everything within a game, whether it be their team mates, their opponents, the game developers or God himself.
The 'Lag' Person
Basically everytime this person gets killed in a game, it is because of lag and not because of their incompetence.
The Girl Gamer
As soon as the girl gamer hits the lobby, all the guys in the room think they've hit the jackpot. Witness the lobby become a room full of cassanova's.
The Big Boss
This player basically tells everyone else what to do. They appoint themselves as prophet, revelator and Drill Sergeant. Usually is just a pain in the ass.
Notable Mentions
- The bigot
- The "i'm higher ranked, thus i'm better' gamer
- The Kamakazi gamer
Next time you load up Call of Duty chances are you will run into one of these players. And it is because of the anonymous nature of the online community that fosters these stereotypes, and brings out in people what they would normally lock away. Not all of these types are necessarily bad, but they are there nevertheless. Anyways, I thought it was interesting to have a look at something that has obviously grown due to the increased accessibility to the internet, and one of the by products on integration of games and the internet.
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