Our gamer vocabulary acronym for today is “MMO”. MMO stands for massively multiplayer online.

A massively multiplayer online game (also called MMO and MMOG) is a multiplayer video game which is capable of supporting hundreds or thousands of players simultaneously. By necessity, they are played on the Internet, and feature at least one persistent world.

Wikipedia

Originally, MMOs would require a monthly subscription. Normally this would be $15 a month with discounts given for paying in advance. This subscription allows the company that created the game to keep servers up, since the game could only be played online. It also allows them to continue to create content.

However, there has been a move over the last couple of years to a free-to-play model. The game is released for free with the option to purchase different things. Some games restrict what you can do for free, meaning you need to pay to unlock everything. Other games allow you to play the entire game for free with purchases being either cosmetic or time-saving.

For example, Age of Empires Online is completely free to play. You can earn everything in game through play. However, it would take a lot of time to get enough in-game currency to buy everything. So you have the option to pay money to get the currency faster.

You will see MMO paired with other genre types when describing a specific game. For example:

1. MMORPG – This is the biggest category of MMOs. It also includes the biggest MMO in the U.S., World of Warcraft. Other notable examples are Lord of the Rings Online, Star Wars: The Old Republic, DC Universe Online, and Dungeons & Dragons Online.
2. MMORTS – This is a genre that is growing. It includes Age of Empires Online.
3. MMOFPS – This genre is also growing, although it is fairly small at the moment. The most notable entry is Planetside 2.

There is one other important thing to know about MMOs. With a few notable exceptions (DC Universe Online being one), MMOs are almost exclusively on the PC. So you will have to a computer powerful enough to run the game you are interested in.

Our gamer vocabulary acronym for today is “RPG”. RPG stands for role-playing game.

A role-playing game (RPG and sometimes roleplaying game) is a game in which players assume the roles of characters in a fictional setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within a narrative, either through literal acting, or through a process of structured decision-making or character development.

Wikipedia

The draw of an RPG is the control the player has over the character and story. Depending on the game, he/she may be able to customize everything from character type to facial features. He/she can some times effect the direction the story takes through decisions throughout the game.

Mass Effect Class Selection

RPGs come in many different shapes and sizes. Here is a list of some recent ones.

1. Mass Effect – The Mass Effect series is a huge RPG set in space. The story spans all 3 games. It features a dialogue system that allows the player to respond to characters in different ways. The choices the player makes in the conversations affects everything from the way others perceive him/her to the way the story plays out.
2. The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim – Skyrim is an open-world RPG. There is a main storyline but the player can choose to ignore it and explore the world.
3. Torchlight 2 – Torchlight 2 is an action RPG. An action RPG is distinct in that it, “incorporate elements of action or action-adventure games, emphasizing real-time action where the player has direct control over characters, instead of turn-based or menu-based combat.” (Wikipedia)
4. Borderlands 2 – Borderlands 2 is an FPS RPG. It incorporates RPG elements such as character customization into a first-person shooter.

For more information on RPGs, check out the role-playing video game Wikipedia page.

Our gamer vocabulary acronym for today is “RTS”. RTS stands for real-time strategy.

Short for real-time strategy, it is a game genre. An RTS game is usually from a third-person perspective, and in these games you control vast numbers of soldiers (called units) in a tactical game scenario. Newer RTS games allow you to compete against others over the Internet or LAN, or to play allies against computer players with other gamers.

Webopedia

Here are screenshots of two recent RTS games, Age of Empires Online and Starcraft 2.

Age of Empires Online

Starcraft 2

RTS games are distinct in the strategy genre in that the action occurs in real-time. This requires the player to be able to think and react quickly. The player must be able to adjust his/her strategy based on what the other player (either another person or a computer controlled opponent) is doing.

The back and forth nature of an RTS match has helped e-sports develop. Starcraft 2 is one of the games featured by Major League Gaming (MLG). Here is one of the matches from a recent competition.

As with most hobbies, gamers have our own vocabulary. Part of my goal here at Parenting Gamers is to help you learn some of that vocabulary so you can have more meaningful conversations with your kids. So every Thursday I will do a “Gamer Vocabulary 101” post.

Today, I am starting with the acronym “FPS”. FPS stands for first-person shooter.

First-person shooter (FPS) is a video game genre that centers the gameplay on gun and projectile weapon-based combat through first-person perspective; i.e., the player experiences the action through the eyes of a protagonist.

Wikipedia

To give you an idea of what this looks like, here is a screenshot from Half-Life 2 (one of the best FPSs made in my opinion).

The biggest game in 2011, Call of Duty®: Modern Warfare 3, is an FPS. There are several being released between now an Christmas, including Call of Duty®: Black Ops 2, Dishonored, and Borderlands 2.

While FPSs tend to be M rated for violence, there are some really good ones without the violence. In my e-book, Connecting with Your Teenager through Video Games, I recommend Portal 2 as a good “starter” game. It is an FPS but you shoot portals at walls to solve puzzles instead of shooting guns at people. It is rated E10+.