by Matt Maerowitz

Created on: June 22, 2008

Over the years, Internet gaming has evolved from the most rudimentary online flash games to the complex massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs). Part of the cause of this evolution involves the increase in competitors in the online gaming industry, particularly when it comes to flash games. While online games used to be few and created by a small field of individuals, there are now thousands of online game developers. This has caused a flood of flash games to infest the internet increasing the competition of the gaming industry. Game designers are engaging in the race to the top where people are driven to make games that are able to beat the immense amount of competition. As a result, more experienced game designers have flocked towards creating complex RPGs that require an intense amount of scripting and designing. Unlike flash games, these MMORPGs are much more difficult for inexperienced game designers to pull off. Since some of these more experienced game developers have been producing quality MMORPGs, in recent years, MMORPGs have gained popularity. Thus, while flash games are still popular and fun to play, gamers tend not to continually play the same flash game over and over again like they once did. Instead, online gamers have become more interested in RPGs such as Maple Story, RuneScape, Ragnarok, and Shadowbane along with a host of other popular favorites.

Another cause of the evolution towards online RPGs can be attributed to chat features and the ability to connect with other online gamers. People tend to enjoy games that can be played with others over solo games. In a very real sense, RPGs have a competitive aspect to them that goes beyond the simple high score list inherent in other games. In multiplayer RPGs, players train their character to acquire better stats then other online players so that their character can defeat the characters of other real players. This competitive nature of online games is one thing that can be difficult to explain to the average non-gamer. Furthermore, there is definitely a unique form of satisfaction that takes place when battling against a player-owned character that cannot be acquired when battling computer players. As a result, massively multiplayer online RPGs have been a crucial product of the evolution of online gaming.

Even the RPGs themselves have evolved. One such online RPG that has been around for almost a decade is RuneScape. For the first few years of RuneScape's existence, the graphics were two-dimensional with a relatively poor picture quality. Not only has RuneScape survived several years, but it has also evolved. The graphics look very different from how they used to look. RuneScape now uses elaborate three-dimensional graphics. Additionally, the game layout looks much nicer. For example, before, when your character talked to a non-player character (NPC) such as a store merchant, the dialogue would appear as text that would float above the character's head. Now, dialogue is carried out in a dialogue box that also displays a portrait of the speaking character.

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