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1. Virtual World: A virtual world is a computer-based simulated environment intended for its users to inhabit and interact via avatars. This habitation usually is represented in the form of two or three-dimensional graphical representations of humanoids (or other graphical or text-based avatars). Some, but not all, virtual worlds allow for multiple users.
See the Following:
Virtual Worlds: The Evolution From Passive to Interactive: by Aaron "Lindorn" Smith
2. Cyber sociology: The study of human social behavior within communities on the Internet. The goal of this field is to understand how humans interact through mediums such as email, forums, instant messaging, advertising, website design, and virtual worlds.
3. Tangible user created content: Content that takes the form of game assets which are physically created by the user. 3D models, textures, maps, and levels are examples of this type of content. Even within tangible user created content, there are two main manifestations: Some tangible user created content is created via tools and designed by the users themselves, while other forms of this concept such as “city building” are predesigned and simply manipulated by the users.
4. Intangible user created content: Intangible user created content is content created by the interaction of users with other users, or users and the environment. Things like raiding parties, politics, subterfuge, groups, and auctions are examples of this type of content.
5. Emergent game play: This is the creative use of a game in ways unexpected by the game designer's original intent. It commonly appears as complex behaviors that emerge from the interaction of simple game mechanics.
6. Game play: This includes all player experiences during the interaction with game systems, especially formal games. Proper use is coupled with reference to "what the player does". Arising alongside the development of game designers in the 1980s, game play was used solely within the context of video or computer games, though now its popularity has begun to see use in the description of other, more traditional, game forms. Generally, the term "game play" in video game terminology is used to describe the overall experience of playing the game, while excluding the factors of graphics, sound, and the storyline. The term "Game mechanics" refers to sub-elements of the game play, but particularly the primary control and movement features of the game (thus excluding things like level design or AI).
See the Following:
End Game or Game Over?: By Keith "Mayson" Sarasin
The True "Next Generation" of MMORPG's: By Chupin
Passion for Purples: By Keith "Mayson" Sarasin
7. Play to Win: Essentially, the philosophy toward any type of competitive game that puts achieving victory (based upon whatever is physically possible in that game) above all other priorities. Gamers that play to win will put all other things second to actually winning the game itself.
See the Following:
The Philosophy of Combat: By Keith "Mayson Sarasin
The Scrubs Have Won: By Aaron "Lindorn" Smith
8. Socio-politics: Also known as "political sociology", is the study of power and the intersection of personality, social structure, and politics. Political sociology is interdisciplinary, where political science and sociology intersect. The discipline uses comparative history to analyze systems of government, and economic organization to understand the political climate of societies. By comparing and analyzing history and sociological data, political trends and patterns emerge. The founders of political sociology were Max Weber (Germany), and Moisey Ostrogorsky (Russia). The field also looks at how major social trends can affect the political process, as well as exploring how various social forces work together to change political policies. Political sociologists apply several theories to substantive issues. Each theory claims to be comprehensive, but actually has a few areas of strength because it was developed to address specific issues and operates at one level of analysis.
9. Meta gaming: A broad term usually used to define any strategy, action, or method used in a game which transcends a prescribed rule set, uses external factors to affect the game, or goes beyond the supposed limits or environment set by the game. In MMORPG’s this typically comes in the form of “outside of game” knowledge or dealings between players that have direct impacts on events within the game.
See the Following:
A Gamer's Stand: Your Stand: By Aaron "Lindorn" Smith
10. Dynamic world: A reference to a virtual world that changes over a period of time (usually thought of as an indefinite period). The opposite of this type of world would be called “static” and is representative of many mainstream MMORPG’s like World of Warcraft and Everquest. A Dynamic world can contain change as a result of the environment in the form of changing weather, plant growth, or migrating mobile spawns. It can also manifest itself through the users/players in the form of buildings, resource gathering (clearing a forest or mine), or destruction of the environment such as craters or impact marks.
See the Following:
Dynamic Worlds: By Aaron "Lindorn" Smith
11. Interactive game play: Game play that deviates from the traditional “absorption” ideology of entertainment in which gamers freely both absorb and respond to stimulus from the environment and also from other users within that environment.
12. Monolithic reality: A reality that is not fractured or “instanced”. A monolithic reality essentially has one level that all players exist within simultaneously. All interaction between players and the environment has a universal impact on the world itself and the other players.
13. Fractured reality: A virtual reality that is "fractured", meaning that the some of the reality’s content is available to many or all of the users in that reality simultaneously. Therefore, impacts and interactions between the players and the environment are not universal and in many cases “reset” after a period of time.
14. Instance: A static world or level outside of the larger world in which players go to interact. The instance is generated for a specific group of people in which other players outside of this group cannot enter. An example of an instance is the Onyxia raid in World of Warcraft.
15. MMORPG: Is a genre of online role-playing video games (RPGs) in which a large number of players interact with one another in a virtual world.
16. CORPG: Stands for competitive online role-playing games (CORPGs). Guild Wars and Fury are example of a CORPG.
17. Asset destruction: Asset destruction is a phrase used to describe the destruction of the in game establishments of another player or character. For instance Guild A is laying siege to guild B’s city, therefore participating in asset destruction against guild B.
See the Following:
Player Owned Assets Part 1: By Keith "Mayson" Sarasin
Player Owned Assets Part 2: By Keith "Mayson" Sarasin
18. Virtual economy: A virtual economy is a phrase which describes all of the economic aspects of a particular virtual world. The term is also used to describe any economy that is present solely on the World Wide Web; however it will usually pertain to MMORPG’s or virtual worlds.
19. Dynamic virtual economy: A Dynamic virtual economy is a virtual economy that is controlled by the socio economic tendencies of the people that inhabit it. People within this virtual world can affect economic properties such as inflation, productivity, and scarcity. Essentially this is an economy impacted directly and indirectly by the inhabitants.
20. Design Trends: A consistent and widespread approach to game design that is visible in several mediums.
21. Game Cloning: A business practice that involves replicating the same basic conceptual design and reworking it into a series of similar games in an effort by companies to seize a portion of the market share attributed to successful games in the past. Most traditional mainstream MMORPG’s share many similarities and this has lead to slang terms such as “EQ clone” or “WoW clone”: referencing the idea that a game is merely a “copy” of one of these successful blockbusters.
22. Compartmentalization: Game design, philosophy, theory, or rhetoric that arbitrarily or otherwise divides gamers into various subgroups or “compartments”. A good example of this is the polar separation between “PvEer” and “PvPer”. Often times these compartments overlap or conflict with each other.
23. Immersion: The relative level of a virtual world’s ability to create a “suspension of disbelief”. A more immersive world will have players more emotionally invested in it as well as coaxing players to take part in it more often.
24. Niche games: Niche game is traditionally a term used to describe a game that appeals to a small audience with particular tastes or preferences. While used often in the mainstream, it is highly responsible for an increase in compartmentalization among gamers.
25. FPSMMO's: A style of MMO that deals with the first person shooter perspective. This FPS perspective was made popular by game like Counter Strike and Unreal Tournament. The FPS MMO concept is currently implemented in Darkfall and utilizes a player’s reflex ability in combat situations as opposed to the standard combat of MMOs known as third person auto target perspective.
26. Guild Dynamics: Term used to describe the interaction between player controlled organizations or “guilds”. Typically the level of guild dynamic is directly related to the design of the game itself.
See the Following:
Developing Guild Friendly Games: By Hades
27. Skill Based/Level Based: A skill-based system is one in which players advance through using a specific skill over an allotted period. Over this time, they become more proficient with their skill and thus increase their effectiveness with it. A level based system is a system in which a player advances by obtaining amounts of experience over a period of time. Upon gaining the amount of experience needed to level the player then reaches the next level of achievement.
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