The Video Game Literate

Dragon Age is a franchise of role-playing video games (RPGs). The first Dragon Age video game, Dragon Age: Origins (2009), was developed by BioWare and published by Electronic Arts. Dragon Age video games are known for depicting high fantasy worlds, as well as warriors, magic, and magical creatures. Players who have played MMO and MMORPG video games, such as World of Warcraft (2004), may notice similarities between these video games, including the high fantasy elements and the RPG elements, and wonder whether the Dragon Age video games are technically MMOs and whether they can be considered an MMO or MMORPG video game. Most Dragon Age video games are not MMOs or MMORPGs, they are single player games. While Dragon Age: Inquistion features multiplayer co-op gameplay, it is not an MMO as it lacks a persistent, shared server connecting hundreds of players. Why Dragon Age Video Games Are Not MMOs Over the course of development of technology of the video games industry, the differences betwe...

Warframe is a looter shooter action RPG. Warframe (2013) was developed and published by Digital Extremes. Warframe has been praised for its fast-paced gameplay, replayability, and amount of content. Considering  that Warframe is a video game which requires an Internet connection, players wonder whether Warframe is an MMO and whether it could be described as an MMORPG. Warframe is technically an MMO due to the large number of players simultaneously on the same persistent server, a distinctive characteristic of MMOs. However, its gameplay is quite different from traditional MMORPGs. Technical Characteristics of an MMO and Characteristics of Warframe Technical Characteristics of MMOs Requires an Internet connection Hundreds or thousands of players on the same persistent server Characteristics of Warframe Requires an Internet connection Hundreds or thousands of players on the same persistent server As evidenced by this bullet-points comparison, the video game Warframe (2013) does share...

MMOs and MMORPGs have been played by PC players for decades. An important part of the video games industry, MMOs provide unique experiences, storylines and gameplay, presenting various styles of gameplay. Players with low-end PCs (personal computers) may search for low-end MMOs and MMORPGs to play. In this article, a variety of low-end MMOs and MMORPGs will be presented, including 2D and 3D video games to suit the needs of players with low-end computers. Moreover, there will be low-end solo MMORPGs of all themes, including medieval, sci-fi, horror and historical. Conquer Online Conquer Online (2004) is a 2D MMORPG inspired by martial arts and Chinese mythology. Conquer Online is mostly a PvP-oriented MMORPG, but it also features a vast amount of locations, quests and monsters to fight. Conquer Online features a unique jumping system that greatly differentiates it from other PvP-oriented MMORPGs. Due to its 2D graphics, Conquer Online (2004) runs in many low-end PCs with high framerates...

RPG is one of the largest genres of the video games industry. As such, it's incredibly popular, with many titles that were played by thousands and millions of players. At the same time, players used to playing story-driven RPG video games may eventually have the desire to experience different and unique RPG video games. These players may search for new and different RPG video games than what they have experienced before. In this article, it is supposed that you have already played mainstream AAA RPG video games such as Divinity, Dragon Age, Fallout, Final Fantasy, Mass Effect, Tales, The Elder Scrolls and The Witcher. It is also supposed that you have played AAA action RPGs such as Dark Souls and Diablo. Darkest Dungeon Darkest Dungeon (2016) is a roguelike RPG with strategy and horror elements. Inspired by H. P. Lovecraft's cthulhu mythos, Darkest Dungeon is a punishing video game which features permadeath.  Darkest Dungeon is different from traditional mainstream AAA RPG vide...

MMOs and MMORPGs have been an important element of the video games industry. These video games often feature hundreds and thousands of players in the same game world, either cooperating or competing. Even though many MMOs are social video games, with complex social networks such as groups, clans, and friend systems, many players prefer to play these games solo. In this article, you will find not simply MMOs that can be played solo, but MMOs that are fun to be played solo, with an enjoyable solo gameplay experience. Age of Conan Age of Conan (2008) is an MMORPG inspired by the Conan universe. This MMO is a great solo experience because it features detailed dialogue cutscenes, deep dialogues, storylines and immersive environments. While typical "group-based" MMOs require players to form groups and parties to enjoy a large part of the content, Age of Conan features enough story-driven content to provide enjoyment for solo players as a single player RPG would be capable of. Moreo...

Dota 2 is a world-known MOBA (multiplayer online battle arena). Dota 2 (2013) was developed and published by Valve. Dota 2 has been praised for its competitive gameplay, variety of heroes and gameplay styles, deep strategy and replayability. Dota 2 has been plaised by millions of people around the world, and has been a standard in eSports gaming and competitive gaming. New players who have not yet played Dota 2 and MOBA game fans may wonder whether Dota 2 is a hard game, and whether it is hard to get into Dota 2 for beginners. Dota 2 is considered hard and difficult by most people due to its learning curve. It is easy to learn, but hard to master. However, there are methods to learn Dota 2 faster and have an easier experience. MOBA video games are not known to be easy. Most lane-based MOBA video games, such as Arena of Valor, Dota 2, Heroes of the Storm, League of Legeds, Vainglory, among others, require strategic gameplay and also experience. Any player may start to play these games a...

Diablo is a franchise of action RPGs (role-playing games), or ARPGs, known for their dungeon crawling elements and immersive atmosphere. The first Diablo video game, Diablo (1997), was developed by Blizzard North and published by Blizzard Entertainment. Diablo video games have been praised for their atmosphere, replayability, variation in builds and overall unique action RPG experience. Considering that there are a number of Diablo video games, players may wonder whether Diablo is an MMO video game, or an MMORPG. Most Diablo video games are not MMOs, because they lack the distinctive characteristics of MMOs. However, Diablo Immortal is an MMO, and an MMORPG. Why Most Diablo Games Are Not MMOs Most Diablo video games, and especially the early Diablo video games, including Diablo (1997), Diablo II (2000) and Diablo III (2012), are single player video games. These video games provide a single player video game experience, with a storyline and single player gameplay. While these video game...

Alien: Isolation is a survival horror video game, inspired by the film Alien (1979). Alien: Isolation (2014) was developed by Creative Assembly and published by Sega. Alien: Isolation has been praised for its atmosphere, immersive environments, scary experience, and overall high quality as a horror video game. Considering that Alien: Isolation (2014) is often considered a classic of the horror video game genre, Alien: Isolation fans as well as horror fans wonder whether Alien: Isolation is a multiplayer video game, and whether it can be played online in multiplayer game modes. Alien: Isolation is not multiplayer, but a single player game. Although it features different game modes, all of them are single player. Are There Multiplayer Game Modes in Alien: Isolation? Considering that Alien: Isolation (2014) features different game modes, and that multiplayer horror video games are quite popular, players may wonder whether Alien: Isolation features multiplayer game modes. Alien: Isolation ...

Dota 2 is a famous MOBA (multiplayer online battle arena) video game. Dota 2 has been played by millions of people around the world, and also professionally played in competitions and eSports events. Dota 2 (2013) was developed and published by Valve. Dota 2 has been praised for its competitive gameplay, strategy depth, variety of heroes and gameplay styles, as well as replayability. Considering that Dota 2 is mostly played as a multiplayer video game, queue times are an important part of the experience of many Dota 2 players. Considering that queue times are very present in the routine of these players, Dota 2 players may wonder why sometimes queue times may be taking too long compared to other moments. If Dota 2 queue times are taking too long, it's likely due to some specific preferences in the matchmaker. Queue times are influenced by many factors, some of which can be controlled by the player in order to have faster queue times. Considering that various factors may influence o...