Online games break records in terms of the number of simultaneously playing players. The age of gamers is very different and although the most popular and most frequent is 13-25, there are also age players.
What is the phenomenon of the popularity of online games? Have games learned to replace the real world? Let’s figure it out in this article.
Roles
In an online game, the player himself chooses who to be. Unlike real life, where you need to unlearn and make great efforts, in the game you need to create a character and get used to the image.
For example, in online games like World of Warcraft, a player can be:
1. A strong leader who leads the guild – agrees that not every person has the necessary skills to gather and manage other players – ambitions can be realized in MMOs, the main thing being personal qualities. In addition, it is not uncommon when a person far from the community finds himself in an online game and then transfers his status to the real world.
2. A brave loner warrior – many come to online games to be alone, but not quite a hermit. Such players choose a strong game class and spend hours destroying monsters to earn a level and equipment. He is not inclined to join the guild, and if he does, he practically does not manifest himself in communication. Such players are looking for a good fight in between gaining experience. They can be found on PVP gates or arenas.
3. Skillful magician – magicians are one of the strongest, but also the most vulnerable, classes in many games. They released dozens of powerful spells, but they also die very quickly. Mages are chosen by people fascinated by the beauty and power of spells and smart players who understand all game mechanics and are ready to compete with opponents not only with skills but also with ingenuity.
4. Merchant – Since there is always a developed economic component in online games, there are also players who are most impressed by this. Such players do not care about large-scale battles and PVP battles, which guild is the strongest. They care about fluctuations in the economy, the ability to buy and sell, and exchange profitably. Players are usually greedy, or prudent businessmen in gaming realities.
Of course, game roles are conditional concepts. But people who are interested in human psychology will notice a certain similarity in behavior in and out of the game, depending on the nature of the person.
Status
One of the key aspirations of players in online games is to gain gaming status. An element of universal approval and respect.
Status is different for everyone, but there are common features. The character must be respected by all players of the server for some merit.
So the leader of the best guild will a priori have the status of a cult player. If the guild has come a difficult and long way but has seized the initiative and a decisive role on the server.
It is more difficult for new players to earn a game status since most of the achievements have been beaten over the many years of the game’s existence. But that’s the beauty of online play – if there is any record or status, there will always be ambitious players who are ready to surpass the old achievements.
Status also determines your benefits from the game, for example, in the world of WoW, you can be helped with a mythic boost. If you can’t handle the raid on your own.
Community
Many players, coming into the game as an absolute single player, gradually acquire real friends, and acquaintances, and even find a soul mate.
After all, the same social laws operate in the game world as in the real world, but there is no such strict visual selection.
Many people communicate on equal terms because of the same status, although in the real world they would hardly even say hello.
The opportunity to be yourself, but hide behind the image of a game character, is revealed by many players who later become friends, unite in guilds, and sometimes even get married.
After all, people start communication and friendship on the basis of common interests, and in the online world, it is initially – a passion for games.
Someone eventually returns to reality, someone remains in the form of a strong orc in the MMO world, this is important only for a particular player, so everyone makes their own choice. But the fact that online games provide some kind of social adaptation that can be useful in the real world is a fact.
