Mettaur (virus) Iconic enemy in Megaman Battle Network Series [3]
Video games are often labeled as a form of media allowing one to escape from reality with the sole purpose of entertainment. No other form of entertainment within the video game genre executes this as well as those from either the open world or their predecessors, massively multiplayer online role-playing games otherwise known as MMORPGs.
Defining a Demographic
There are several subgenres of MMORPGs
that can be broken down into themes such as science fiction, fantasy, and other
combinations. What makes an MMORPG different from the rest are the individuals
that gravitate toward them. A study was performed on the collection of five
years’ worth of data and a pool of over 35,000 players from various MMORPGs
including popular titles such as Star Wars Galaxies, Ultima Online, and Final
Fantasy XI. The data was used to analyze the gender and age of the
representation at that time and their motivations, preferences, and rate of
attrition often referred to as fatigue or burnout. Until the time the study was
conducted, the believed demographic was thought to consist of mostly male
players around the age of late teens or adolescents. This stipulation also correlated
that the players believed to be participating in MMORPGs were those in high
school or unemployed. The results of the surveys were quite shocking as most if
not all the presumed demographics and estimates were entirely wrong. The
outcome showed a complex and generalized audience existed in the sample
MMORPGs. The baseline believed to be the majority only displayed a quarter of
the overall community.[1]
Company Vs. Player Ethics
The ethical issues in question concern
glitches, exploits, and how video game companies respond to the playerbase. Can
exploits or glitches be the cause of unhealthy or toxic communities? Who is
more responsible for reporting or correcting the issue, the players or the company?
Most companies attempt to use an all-encompassing terms of service form or ToS
as a catch-all to relieve themselves of taking the responsibility other than
simply banning those “breaching” their contract with the players. This is
similar to at-will employment as it only benefits the company in control of the
said terms as well as controlling the right to discern who breaches the
contract. This form of convenience allotted to the video game companies allows
them to become complacent with their products and lazy to a certain degree.
This form of referencing an all-encompassing document is now the backbone in
response to player complaints or issues. The company can now simply reference
this form to solve any or all problems that may be outlined. This type of
problem-solving only adds to the lack of transparency in public notices and
patches that may cause more confusion and tension with their audience.
Examples of Exploitation
Two examples of exploits in a recently
released game by the name of “New World” are a cause for concern. The first issue is
nothing new, an enemy spawn or area in which an enemy appears has an undesired
speed in which it continues to appear repeatedly. The second exploit was with a player transferring service the company implemented. Players were using this service to move materials from one server to another to sell for in-game currency where the prices were more competitive and then transferring another character provided with materials back to the previous server they originally came from. This transfer service was stopped due to the inflation of gold coming from this form of abuse. The developers of the game simply patched the issue to
correct it but made no plans to correct the damages caused to the in-game
economy and have instead decided to take the ban approach. While punishing the
individuals partaking in the exploit is acceptable, they overlook the larger
issue being the economy has now become inflated by the excess materials and
currency created by the usage of these materials.[2]
Conclusion
In summary, would you side with the
company who set out a generalized outline allowing for gray areas to contrast
or reference freely, or do you side with the players that may or may not have
been aware that the execution of such behaviors or gameplay as an exploit? Please comment below on your stance and look forward to our upcoming articles!
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