MOBA online games are redefining MMO
Nowadays there are hundreds of online games scattered throughout the world wide web with many thousands of online gaming sites hosting hundreds of millions of various online games, from casual casino-style games to the fast-paced and quite serious action game. Before the growth of the internet in the 90's, few gamers would have expected that online gaming would become the most popular type of video gaming in the world, as it is now, easily outstripping PC and console gaming. The attraction of playing against other 'real' human players is one of the biggest draws, along with the ease and convenience of actually playing the games, which has made online gaming so popular today.
One of the biggest types of online game and one of the first 'true' multiplayer online browser game genres is the MMO or MMOG - massively multiplayer online game. The first of these games came along in the early 90's but there popularity only really grew in the early 2000's, especially when the MMORPG (massively multiplayer online role-playing game) genre really took off; this type of game put the attractive 'massively multiplayer' element of the online game into a fantasy-based world with all sorts of plots, quests and magical abilities to enthral players.
But in 2013, MMORPG are not the exciting, ground-breaking new genre they were ten years ago and now gamers want something new from their online gaming experience. A new specialisation of the MMORPG is emerging to fill this gaming void, the MOBA (multiplayer online battle arena) sub-genre. Originally taken from a specifically designed part of a MMORPG world, with its own tournament style challenges and missions, the MOBA sub-genre combines multiplayer strategy with the single-player perspective of a shooter. Players take on the role of an individual within a team of other players as two teams try to defeat each other in an arena, often one being defensively positioned with the other having to overrun them. This new combination of styles gives rise to a new and exciting style of online game-play.
As such, a MOBA is still an MMO with the main emphasis still being on the multiplayer aspect of the game-play, but the 'open world' environments of MMORPG are lost and replaced with the simpler arena setup. In-game rewards in the usual forms of gold and upgrades are still an integral part of the game, allowing the players to progress as they attempt to improve and defeat more intimidating opponents. MOBA games rely far more an individual player's skill within combat, hence their vague comparison to first-person shooters, and put a real emphasis on team play and the multiplayer aspect of MMO games.
The social nature of modern multiplayer online gaming lends itself perfectly to this new MOBA style of online game. You can build a team from your friends and guild-mates or form your own team through friends you will meet as part of the online gaming experience. MOBA may be redefining the style of MMO games but it is still firmly sticking to their philosophy of allowing huge social interaction to occur via the internet in the form of a fun and worthwhile online game.
