Non-RPG gamers need to face the facts; MMORPGs have taken over
the world. They are big, they are immersive and they are drawing even
the most unlikely people into their bright virtual universes. The
figures are even more astonishing. U.S. gamers spent roughly $3.8
billion on massively multiplayer online games in 2009. The average
paying MMO player - that's 46% of gamers - parted with $15.10 per month
to pick up their sword or throw on their armor. But what about the other
54%? Well, 25 million of us stuck to our free online games.
This seems like an alien thought to people who are willing to sacrifice their pay packet in their real lives to reap the rewards in their virtual ones. You can't blame them, really. The top companies in the games industry are now household names because of the well-known MMORPGs they have created. A good money-making model has been showcased, and now it seems like every group of budding graphic designers with an internet connection between them is trying to push out the latest online adventure game. It's good to know that the majority of us still understand that good things can come in... well... free packages. And a very strong contender from yesteryear is back in the race for the top spot; the online text game.
You may or may not know that online text games (text based RPG games in which the virtual reality is dictated to you in words rather than pictures) had a starring role in starting the online gaming scene. In 1975 computer enthusiasts started throwing together little text based games where your imagination could run wild. The idea of pay-to-play never entered their heads; they simply wanted to share an interactive world they had lovingly constructed with like minded enthusiasts. Text based RPG games (commonly known as MUDs) only grew bigger and better from there, the size of the universes expanding every day and the boundaries to what you can achieve stretching beyond sight. And now there are hundreds of text based games out there, the vast majority of them completely free, and many of them attracting surprisingly big crowds.
That ethos of sharing and creating never left the online text games scene. Each text based RPG game is like a huge book that changes with every action its players make. Together, the players will create a story. And it's the absence of strict subscriptions, pricey add-ons and compulsory expenditures that spurs online text games onwards - players can come and go as they choose, dedicate as much as they like to the cause and the spirit remains about the experience rather than investing money. The text based games worlds continue with or without the players, evolving and existing indefinitely, just as they would if you could physically reach out and touch them. It's this realism and depth that has kept players coming back to these text adventure games for more for decades.
This is not to say that pay-to-play games do not have their advantages, of course. Millions of dollars are invested into better graphics, new expansions and improved features every year - none of this could happen without the cash from your pocket. So, perhaps you do get more out of a game if you offer up your pay-packet? That is where commercial text based RPG games companies like Iron Realms Entertainment come in, and they have the winning concoction. The real moral behind online text games is choice, and Iron Realms Entertainment understands this. A virtual text adventure games world should be free and open, allowing you to step in and step out whenever you want - just like wandering down to your local park. After all, the possibilities of what you can be and do in a text based RPG game are almost limitless, and you can't put a price tag on freedom. And if you are playing text adventure games for its freedom, it wouldn't make sense to be forced to shovel your hard earned cash into it, would it? But if you do want to support the game, perhaps gain a little boost or a unique item, Iron Realms Entertainment gives you this option. Your experience is completely in your hands.
As long as there are big graphical games out there sending people bills, there will always be text adventure games offering the opposite. If you fancy ditching the subscriptions, you are slightly behind on real-life bills or you just want to try something new - hop over to a good MUD and see for yourself the difference that the word 'free' can make.
This seems like an alien thought to people who are willing to sacrifice their pay packet in their real lives to reap the rewards in their virtual ones. You can't blame them, really. The top companies in the games industry are now household names because of the well-known MMORPGs they have created. A good money-making model has been showcased, and now it seems like every group of budding graphic designers with an internet connection between them is trying to push out the latest online adventure game. It's good to know that the majority of us still understand that good things can come in... well... free packages. And a very strong contender from yesteryear is back in the race for the top spot; the online text game.
You may or may not know that online text games (text based RPG games in which the virtual reality is dictated to you in words rather than pictures) had a starring role in starting the online gaming scene. In 1975 computer enthusiasts started throwing together little text based games where your imagination could run wild. The idea of pay-to-play never entered their heads; they simply wanted to share an interactive world they had lovingly constructed with like minded enthusiasts. Text based RPG games (commonly known as MUDs) only grew bigger and better from there, the size of the universes expanding every day and the boundaries to what you can achieve stretching beyond sight. And now there are hundreds of text based games out there, the vast majority of them completely free, and many of them attracting surprisingly big crowds.
That ethos of sharing and creating never left the online text games scene. Each text based RPG game is like a huge book that changes with every action its players make. Together, the players will create a story. And it's the absence of strict subscriptions, pricey add-ons and compulsory expenditures that spurs online text games onwards - players can come and go as they choose, dedicate as much as they like to the cause and the spirit remains about the experience rather than investing money. The text based games worlds continue with or without the players, evolving and existing indefinitely, just as they would if you could physically reach out and touch them. It's this realism and depth that has kept players coming back to these text adventure games for more for decades.
This is not to say that pay-to-play games do not have their advantages, of course. Millions of dollars are invested into better graphics, new expansions and improved features every year - none of this could happen without the cash from your pocket. So, perhaps you do get more out of a game if you offer up your pay-packet? That is where commercial text based RPG games companies like Iron Realms Entertainment come in, and they have the winning concoction. The real moral behind online text games is choice, and Iron Realms Entertainment understands this. A virtual text adventure games world should be free and open, allowing you to step in and step out whenever you want - just like wandering down to your local park. After all, the possibilities of what you can be and do in a text based RPG game are almost limitless, and you can't put a price tag on freedom. And if you are playing text adventure games for its freedom, it wouldn't make sense to be forced to shovel your hard earned cash into it, would it? But if you do want to support the game, perhaps gain a little boost or a unique item, Iron Realms Entertainment gives you this option. Your experience is completely in your hands.
As long as there are big graphical games out there sending people bills, there will always be text adventure games offering the opposite. If you fancy ditching the subscriptions, you are slightly behind on real-life bills or you just want to try something new - hop over to a good MUD and see for yourself the difference that the word 'free' can make.
If you are interested, try out these great text adventure games. Chris Spencer is a text game enthusiast and currently plays games from http://www.IronRealms.com.
Article Source:
http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Chris_J_Spencer
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