Comparing and contrasting an MMORPG to a virtual community class presentation.

1. BruceDrummond

2. What is it?
• •
Fantasy MMORPG Social networking community
• •
Fictional world No world
• •
Narrative No narrative

3. Demographics
• •
Mostly male Male and female
0-17 18-24 0-17 18-24
25-34 Above 35 25-34 Above 35
10%
29% 16%
21%
29%
53%
43%

4. Getting Started
• • Signup on website
Signup on website
•
• Browser based. Get started right
Download massive custom
away
client
•
• Platform independent
Platform dependent
•
• Create user profile
Create character
•
• Tutorials for each feature
Tutorial once in game

5. Appearance
• • 2D environment in the form of
Immersive 3D graphical
pages with text, and media
environment
•
• Links for accessing various
Buttons for accessing in-game
sections
functions
•
• Links are self- explanatory
Buttons can be ambiguous
•
• Pull-down menus, no
Popup and customizable
customization
menus

6. What can I do here?
• • Edit/ modify user profile
Explore the world
•
• Find friends
Play quests
•
• Browse/ participate in/ create
Collect gold, runes, potions,
events and groups
materials, abilities
•
• Send/ receive wall posts and
Learn/ enhance skills, spells,
messages
character
•
• Update status
Design house/ castle
•
• Browse/ share/ comment on
Buy/ Sell stuff
photos, videos, links
• Practice a profession
• Applications, games
• Combat - PvP, Dungeon/ Guild
• Chat
wars
• Chat

7. What players do on RoM
Play quests
Chat with friends
13%
13%
Make new friends
31%
PvP
25%
6% Explore new areas
6% 6%
Hang out with my guild
Play missions with team/friends

8. How does it work?
• • Browse like a website
Movement/ controls
•
• Make friends, friends and more
Incentives
friends
• Levels
• No real incentive unless you’re
• Narrative unfolds playing games
• •
NPC’s - merchants, No levels. Grow your friends
instructors, helpers list!?
• •
Traveling - mounts Follow peoples lives
• Bots? - spam, advertising

9. RoM - Player Characters
• Avatar
• System generated
• Six classes - Warrior, Scout,
Rogue, Mage, Priest, Knight
• Customize - height, body
structure, hair, face, costumes
• Secondary class after level 10
• Statistics displayed on screen
• Right-click to engage

10. RoM - Player Characters
1 2 3 Warrior Scout
4 >5 Rogue Mage
Priest Knight
Number of Characters Popular Classes
8% 8% 7%
14%
21%
25%
17%
14%
21%
21%
42%

11. FB - Users
• Profile picture
• No class system
• Every user has a profile
• Display widgets on profile

12. Communicative Devices
• • Chat
General/ party/ guild chat
•
• Wall posts
Private message - whisper
• Private messages
• Comments
• Sharing

13. What works
• • Live friends status updates
World of Warcraft like
interface
• Communicate and keeping in
• touch with friends
No grinding
•
• Commenting on friends items
Dual class system
•
• Stalking!
Free!
•
• Photos and videos
Strong narrative
•
• Clean and easy to use
Packed with features
• Massive content updates
• Guild wars, castles
• Dynamic dungeons
• Housing

14. What doesn’t work
• • Too much information
Long download/ update and
platform dependent client
• Chat has too many issues
• Only one race - human
• Time wasting applications
• Complex interface for first
• Stalking!
time players
• Inefficient friendlist management
• No user profiles
• No customization
• Takes a long time to level-up
• No incentive or levels
• Limited character
customization
• Can’t multitask in-game
• Start over for new characters

15. QUESTIONS??

16. THANK YOU!