An Accurate New Name for "MMORPGs".

If you're a gamer, you've heard and used this phrase countless times. Even when it first became widespread in its usage, jokes flew with its lack of brevity. You know the name... "MMORPG": "Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game".

That name has to be changed.

Why? Certainly some will agree it's a pain to say, but you can just call it an "MMO" instead, right? Unfortunately, that doesn't reach the crux of the matter... it's inaccurate. My first question to you is: Name one massively multiplayer game that is not online.

I'll wait while you rack your brain. Football isn't massively multiplayer. Golf isn't. Baseball? No. A marathon isn't a game. There is no game which exists offline that has thousands upon thousands of simultaneous players!

We've just started, and we've already found that part of the title isn't necessary!

• First change to the genre name: The O's gotta go.

So, we've whittled "MMO" down to "MM". What about the "MM" portion of the title? What defines "Massively Multiplayer"? Thousands upon thousands of players all within the same game universe able to freely interact in game at the same time.

Some games that are often considered massively multiplayer fall short due to design and gameplay considerations. Let's examine Guild Wars. Great game! Fun times. A solid title to own for most gamers. Guild. Wars. Is. Not. Massively. Multiplayer.

What? Everyone says it's an MMO! That is nothing more than a case of people being stubborn when presented with overwhelming evidence to the contrary. The actual developers of Guild Wars have themselves proclaimed it not to be an "MMORPG", but instead call it a "CORPG": "Competitive Online Role Playing Game". I refer to it as an "OCG"- "Online Computer Game", like Diablo 2, for instance.

Still, when you are discussing a game with the proper design to allow simultaneous mass-gaming, "Massively Multiplayer", or "MM" works well enough to describe the genre.

What of the final part of the title: "RPG", for "Role Playing Game"?

Role playing can be defined in gaming purposes in two different ways- the act of role playing one's character, or in the design of the game mechanics.

If you log into World of Warcraft (or any other "RPG") on a "Role Playing" designated server you will find only a small portion of players are actually role playing their characters. The majority of players are simply playing the game, ignoring the basic ideas of role playing.

Considering the design standpoint, many of the latest genre offerings are moving away from role playing concepts- the market is saturated already. When every offering available is not of a role playing design, it's inaccruate to declare the entire genre to be "RPG".

• Second change to the genre name: The RPG's gotta go.

So we've reduced the name to "MM", which is obviously missing something.

One of the most common discussions on all massively multiplayer message boards regards the cost, which ususally consists of the retail price and a monthly fee. If you're offering a massively multiplayer game for profit, you must have a monthly fee or other means of income (perhaps ads), or the project will lose money.

Why do products like Guild Wars work with no monthly fee? The design, functionality, infrastructure and operational expenses change all of the cost variables. This simplified system does not require the resources a true massively multiplayer game requires, and therefore can be sustained on expansion packs or advertising alone. Full massively multiplayer games are far more complex and require a full service.

Ah-ha! We've come to the final element we're seeking. These products are Gaming Services.

We now have a shorter, less awkward title than the original mouthful that is "MMORPG", but more importantly- something accurate.

• An accurate title that should be used instead of "MMORPG" is "MMGS": "Massively Multiplayer Gaming Services".

I've done the hard part here- it's now up to the gamers out there to take the next step and be part of the cutting edge in using the new name to support our favorite MMGSs. After all, why continue to use a name that isn't accurate?

What is Happiness in an Afterlife?

"Happiness is just an illusion caused by the temporary absence of reality."

~Unknown

For the sake of ease, let's assume that it is a given that there is an afterlife (regardless of your normal beliefs on the matter).

The traditional Christian view is well known: The "good" go to "Heaven" and the "evil" go to "Hell". In Heaven, everyone is basking in happiness simply by being in God's presence. You are greeted and surrounded with previously deceased family and... well, bask, apparently. In Hell, you are burned and tortured in flames and agony. Both locations are considered eternal.

Let's ignore the above concept of Hell and strictly focus on the above interpretation of Heaven- since we're aiming to discuss happiness, and I'm not thinking many people are going to find tons of joy doing their best imitation of a campfire marshmallow.

If the source of your entire happiness within Heaven is simply the presence of family and friends, combined with an Earthly-unknowable love from God, would everyone truly be the same person that they were in life? What of the joys each person holds within life- some of which make a person who they are?

For instance, those who know me are quite aware I am an enormous Prince fan. If you insert me into the Heaven we're describing, and yet I never again experience the joy of his music, but instead am entered into a state of bliss from hearing God's voice (for example), how would my soul truly be considered unaltered? I suggest that such a state is in essence a form of brainwashing, for lack of a better word.

Certainly some people's greatest joy on Earth is worshiping God, and so this existence would not be an alteration of what made them themselves in life. That is not the case for me, however- my spirituality is more subtle- and I'm not even Christian. If you take away my Earthly joys and force a feeling of bliss upon me, am I still me? I would say no- you've taken away critical aspects of what makes me- and therefore my soul- unique. Yes, my personality, beliefs and morals are a large part of what makes me "me"... but I would say a large part of my personality comes from the things I love in life- Prince, games, writing and all sorts of other creative outlets.

In essence, the traditional Christian view of the afterlife envisions your existence as a brainwashed member of a mass of identically individuality-suppressed souls. It doesn't matter what you were like in life, or what you were passionate about- all of your uniqueness is gone, and you become one of a great mass of energy-forms bathing in a bliss drug known as God.

Given the horrors of such a generic and bland afterlife when examined as above, it reinforces my belief that the afterlife is much more than we can imagine it to be- even beyond what seems logical. While we may not take our physical bodies with us when we pass- that is not to say that we will not have access to another form with physical attributes.

This would mean that a chef would not have to give up their passion of cooking- rather they would have access to all ingredients imaginable, as well as all other chefs and cooks of historical note to learn from, share knowledge with and cook whenever they wish! My love for Prince and his music will be accommodated with both large and intimate Prince performances- perhaps even the ability to be trained in music by Prince himself, so that in another life I will have inherent musical skills passed on by the legend himself! And yes, sex will be possible- how can we have an afterlife devoid of the singularly greatest form of happiness on Earth for most people?

In short, we are unlikely to be denied our passions- the things that make us who we are.

I believe that it is impossible for us to comprehend the afterlife here on Earth, but we can arrive at some reasonable beliefs of what does not await us. After all, any God capable of creating such a vast and complex state of being is not one that will force you into a false form of being upon your death. If you are not given the ability to retain the aspects of life that create the full you, there would be no reason you would be given a taste of being your own self while you live now.

So I don't know what your plans are in the afterlife, but I fully expect to to have access to all of the Earthly joys I experienced... because none of us should be denied our passions lest we be denied our individuality.




R.I.P. Grandmother... who, if I am correct in this post, is quite happy while playing some epic games of Bingo right about now.