As of today, there are dozens of Massively-Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games (MMOPRG’s) slated for release or in beta. It is hard to decide on which online game to play. And most of us don’t have the time or money to play more then one game at a time. With all the competition, software companies need to come up with more creative ways of distinguishing themselves from each other and retaining their player base.

After all the hype from the initial release of a game subsides, what keeps players engaged in the virtual world? For one thing, the game has to be fun and must continue to be fun. Beyond that, the players need to have a sense of ownership - they need to have a tangible connection and personal investment in their online world.

Online games are an extension of our real life. What keeps us happy in the real world will often translate to what keeps us happy in the virtual world of a game. We like to feel special and have the ability to express ourselves in our own unique way. We also enjoy the freedom to choose of what we do with our possessions and time.

Customizable Characters

One of the most important aspects of a game is being able to customize the in-game character. Having a unique avatar or graphical representation helps players stand out. It is a key element that defines the identity of a player.

The latest online role-playing games let you tweak a multitude of physical including hair color and style, facial characteristics, height, weight, age, and gender. This lets players create a unique, one-of-a-kind avatar that defines them in the virtual world.

As voice chat is becoming more common in online games, players are feeling a need to customize the sound of their voice. These gamers may have spent a long time customizing the look of their avatars, why not have voices to match? Voice-changing products like MorphVOX from Screaming Bee allow these players to have a unique voice that matches their in-game character, whether they choose to be a mighty giant or space adventurer.

Opportunities to improve a character’s abilities or skills are an important feature of an online game. Just as in real world, people like to have the option of changing their lot in life through self-improvement. Between gaining skills and “leveling-up”, their online character continues to grow and improve.

Possessions

Another way to customize character in game is providing a variety of clothing and possessions. Just as someone can look and dress a certain way in real life, their character in game should have the option to wear variety of clothes. Unique clothing combinations provide a form of self-expression, define your character’s style and allow people to find you in a crowded tavern or spaceport. And depending one’s mood, it is nice to have a variety of outfits to wear for in game hunts or special events.

A game with variety of loot and goodies is a big draw for gamers. Much of the excitement and interest in online games stems from the opportunity to discover new and cool treasure. People will literally spend hours and days of their real life “camping” spots on the virtual world of a game to find the latest and greatest loot or treasure.

Having a place to call home is no different in an online world. Players appreciate games that offer player housing. Customizable player housing can be so important that the people will continue to pay monthly fees for a game that they’ve stopped playing in order to keep a house that they worked so hard to acquire. They may often trade property to other players for exorbitant virtual or real dollars.

Different Roles for Different Folks

Just as in real life, gamers need a purpose. After some time, all the leveling-up and acquiring new possessions can lose its luster. Online games offer professions, player driven economy, and guilds to provide players with roles and, moreover, a way of creating a virtual society.

Interdependence on other players keeps people engaged in games because they have a tangible purpose or role in the virtual world. Some choose to be merchants who sell various goods, such as food, clothing, and weapons to other players. In return they barter for money or goods. Others can choose to be part of a guild, working for a common purpose or hunting together in larger groups.

Online gamers will often form long-lasting friendships as a result of their time in these vibrant virtual societies. You may see the same players move from virtual world to virtual world as the latest online game is released. And in the real world, these same people will choose to spend time together and support each other in both good and bad times.

Going Beyond the Virtual World

The success of an online game in developing ownership can be measured by its ability to go beyond the confines of the virtual world into the personal life of a gamer. Online games haven’t isolated people as some people may argue. They instead have enriched the lives of the many players who have invested time and energy into these rich worlds.

Mark Ramirez is CEO and co-founder of Screaming Bee LLC, a leading provider of voice software and solutions for online games and messenger applications. For more information visit: http://www.screamingbee.com

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There aren’t many games you can play in the office. For starters, office computers are often low to average spec, and, unless the computer is used specifically for graphic design or sound, there won’t be any dedicated graphics or sound cards in the computer. Then there’s the problem that any games you do play will quickly and easily be spotted by anyone walking past your PC.

The solution? Web-based, or browser-based games. There are many such games out there, and unfortunately many of them try to spruce up their own websites in an attempt to “look flashy” - this doesn’t help us office workers, as usually we will need something with a plain white background, next to no graphics, and plain text on-screen in order to be inconspicuous to anybody walking past our computer screens.

One such game out there that is played by many office workers without problem, and does not stand out, is Bushtarion. It’s free to play, with optional “fun extras” that players can purchase (entirely optional). Not only that, but there is a completely customisable “scheme editor”, to customise all the colours and layout of your game. You can browse other players’ schemes too. One of the more recent schemes I’ve noticed is called “Work”, which has an Excel spreadsheet as a background image - incredibly hard for any employee to notice you’re playing a game unless they sit right next to you and read the screen! It doesn’t use any Java or Flash etc. It can be played in any modern web browser without any special plug-ins or downloads.

There are many other web/browser based games out there of course that are text based, but they almost all include “spaceships” or “gangsters”, and for some reason all have brightly coloured backgrounds or pitch black backgrounds that would stand out a mile in any office environment.

So next time you have a few minutes to spare, have a browse through Google for “free online web game” or similar, or sign up to Bushtarion. Good luck with your Office escapades, and remember - try to do some actual work once in a while between ticks!

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Online games have become rapidly popular over the last few years. In fact, it has become a multi-billion dollar industry. These massive virtual worlds provide a realistic, engaging environment in which people can play and interact. It has been a fertile ground for gamers from all walks of life to come together. As a result, these games have produced large and vibrant online communities.

In these virtual worlds, you can choose an avatar or character that represents you. The latest games offer the ability to customize these characters in unlimited ways; you can change your character’s hairstyle, facial features, size, weight, and clothing. How about the ability to change your voice to match your online personality? That is currently not a standard feature in games. But I do see technology stepping in and providing a solution.

Think of the possibilities: gamers could now change their voice to sound like a troll, giant, dwarf or dark lord. They’ve spent many hours making their online character to look a certain way, why not change their voice to match? It is products like MorphVOX by Screaming Bee that can fill this need. MorphVOX is voice-changing software specifically designed for online games. This tool allows gamers to role-play more effectively. Not only can they look the part, they can also have a voice to match.

Voice communication in games has been around for quite some time, but only recently has gained popularity in online games. Much of this may have to do with the increase in the number of people who now have broadband Internet connections instead of dial-up. This provides the extra precious bandwidth to cover an additional voice channel. As voice chat is becoming increasingly prevalent in online game use, companies like Xfire, TeamSpeak, and Ventrillo have emerged to meet the needs.

One company, Xfire, demonstrates the popularity of voice chat. Xfire provides a free application that can be used by gamers to easily find friends online and communicate in game. Starting in 2004, the company’s market share has rapidly grown to almost four million users.

Many gamers are finding voice chat to be a superior way to communicate as opposed to the slower process of typing messages on a keyboard. If a monster jumps out, there is no need for fumbling with the keys when you need to shout for help. Voice chat also lets gamers coordinate large groups of people effectively in large raids.

What about role-playing and voice communication? There is some reluctance to use voice communication in online role-playing games. Much of this issue stems from the lack of good voice-changing tools in the past that can work effectively with games. In addition, there is less control of good content on voice chat. External noises, such as other people talking in the same room, are very distracting and can’t be easily masked over a microphone. Also, some less helpful gamers could use voice chat to taunt or annoy other people, who may be unable to turn off an in-game voice channel. And role-playing over live voice communication poses a challenge for most people of finding the right thing to say at the right time. Most of us aren’t very good at extemporaneous acting - improvising in real-time.

However, new online games such as Dungeons & Dragons Online (DDO) provide in-game voice capabilities that are adding a new life to role-playing. Many people are now starting to adopt voice chat as an important part of their in-game experience. As games like DDO become more common, I foresee brighter days ahead for voice communication. By providing a rich auditory experience, voice chat will improve realism for gamers. This is part of the never-ending process of adding more immersion to these virtual worlds.

Mark Ramirez is CEO and co-founder of Screaming Bee LLC, a leading provider of voice software and solutions for online games and messenger applications. For more information visit: http://www.screamingbee.com

Copyright and Trademark Information:
MorphVOX is a trademark of Screaming Bee LLC. Xfire is a trademark of Xfire, Inc. Dungeons & Dragons Online is a trademark of Wizards of the Coast, Inc.

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