Mobile MMOs come in two categories: casual games and traditional PC-based MMORPGs. Mobile devices now offer a wider range of experiences, including games that use geocaching systems to alter gameplay based on the player’s physical location.
There are many different types of MMO (massively multiplayer online) games for mobile devices, from titles geared towards casual games, to others that are well suited to the mainstream market. Early mobile MMOs were very limited in both gameplay and graphics, but modern mobile devices are able to offer a wider range of experiences. Some mobile MMOs are based on casual gaming hubs that function as online communities, allowing people to compete in a variety of different games that tend to be relatively short and simple. Other mobile games have more in common with traditional MMOs, and there are even massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs) available for phones and tablet devices.
The term “massively multiplayer online” refers to a class of games designed to allow large numbers of people to interact simultaneously, often in some kind of persistent world. This essentially means that the game world continues to function even after people log out. These types of games have existed on proprietary online platforms since the 1980s, although even earlier examples were played on university timeshare systems. Many early MMOs were played on personal computers (PCs), although console-based MMOs were introduced along with the availability of internet connectivity for those systems. Mobile MMOs became possible later with the increase in processing power, display capabilities, and internet data transfer speeds of mobile phones.
Mobile MMOs can be divided into the two basic categories of casual and traditional games, although there is a great deal of innovation going on in this area of gaming. Some mobile casual MMOs are based around a single game that can be purchased and played for a short period of time. Others are based on community hubs, where players can come together and play a wide variety of different casual games. Some of these casual MMOs are browser-based, while others require an app download.
There are also a number of mobile MMOs that have more in common with traditional PC-based massively multiplayer games. Some of these games are actually ported versions of PC games, while others are essentially clones that are meant to copy the look and feel of successful PC MMOs. Early mobile MMOs were mobile versions of PC-based MMORPGs, although the graphics and gameplay were typically streamlined. Modern mobile phones and tablets are capable of producing graphics and gameplay much closer to the levels expected from PC-based MMORPGs.
Another category of MMO which is impossible on other platforms makes use of the unique feature set presented by the mobile phone platform. Some of these MMOs use systems similar to geocaching, where gameplay is dictated or altered by the player’s physical location. These MMOs can allow people in the same area to compete to locate game objects that are tied to real-world coordinates.
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