If you want the benefits of a social life in the comfort of your home, then try online games. Though multiplayer games may seem somewhat dorky at first, the variety of genres provides appealing games for everyone. The most popular categories of online games among Gunn students include massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPG), strategy games, shooter games and old-school party games.

MMORPGs are among the most popular and successful forms of online games, with over 70 million subscribed accounts in its top three games alone: World of Warcraft, MapleStory and RuneScape. In each, players control a character avatar within a fantasy setting, battling monsters, challenging and trading with peers, exploring the terrain and completing quests to gain experience and abilities.

World of Warcraft (WOW), a three dimensional representation of the Warcraft universe by Blizzard Entertainment, is by far the most successful of the three, with over 11.5 million subscribers who pay an initial fee of $60 for the three game components and a monthly fee of $15 to maintain an active account. In WoW, players must choose between two opposing sides—the Alliance or the Horde—and create specific characters in classes according to their faction. MapleStory, an internationally famous two dimensional side-scrolling MMORPG, comes in second, with over 50 million free subscribers. Though it is free to subscribe, Wizet, the game company, generates its money from advertisements and game play enhancements that can be bought from a “Cash Shop” with real money. Players start as beginners and, with enough experience points, can develop into stronger characters and follow the path of one of five job advancements—warriors, magicians, thieves, archers and pirates. Runescape, a three dimensional Java-based MMORPG managed by Jagex Software with over 15 million free subscribed accounts, is an animated browser-based game with similar features to the other two.

The Battle.net option in Blizzard Entertainment’s featured strategy games, Warcraft 3 and Starcraft, is popular among those who prefer more speedy and intellectual games with their friends. The objectives for custom maps in these games are the same—players must gather resources and create an army with which to defeat their opponents. In Warcraft 3, there are four races from which to base an army upon: Human, Orc, Undead and Nightelf; in Starcraft, there are three: Terrain, Zerg and Protoss. In addition to the normal scenarios, players have the option of creating or downloading alternative stages with unconventional rules, such as capture the flag, tower defense or the more well-known Defense of the Ancients (DotA), which is specific to Warcraft 3. DotA includes similar aspects from both strategy and role-playing games, in that each game typically lasts 30-45 minutes and requires quick improvisation, and that players choose a hero to develop and train with which to defeat the opposite team. The teams are split in two five-man groups, either with the Alliance or the Scourge, and each team attempts to push past the defenses and destroy the foundation of the other team’s base.

In contrast to the birds-eye view perspective that MMORPG and strategy games offer, shooter games provide more realistic first-and third-person camera shots for those who seek live-action thrill. Activision and Steam are the two leading game companies in this game genre, with the Call of Duty and Counter-Strike series. In these games, players have the opportunity to fight with both practical and fictional ammunition as soldiers at war. In Call of Duty, the setting is of World War 2, and in Counter-Strike, it is a simple brawl between counter-terrorists and terrorists.

For those looking to pass a few minutes either at home or elsewhere, party games such as those on www.iminlikewithyou.com are perfect for small groups of friends. Three featured games on this site include remade versions of Tetris (Blockles), Bomberman (Balloono) and Pictionary (Draw my Thing) with revamped items in Blockles and Balloono.