After reading OmegaFenix22's post on MMO Immunity, I felt that, as a proudly addicted member of society, I wanted to step forward and offer another point of view.

First of all, don't get the wrong idea. I'm not arguing, or even debating with him. I agree with a lot of what he says. I get days where I look at what I'm playing (Aion at the moment) and say: "Why am I playing this?" Even so, the next day, I'm parking off in front of my PC, prepared for more grind and, in the more exciting moments, Asmo-hunting - a favourite pastime. Usually for revenge ;)

The fact is, I am addicted. Let's face it. Any game that has you spending at least two hours a day doing the same thing over and over and gets me writing massive guides and walk-throughs to introduce newbies and get them past the frustrations of starting something new for the first time probably merits some form of therapy.

Different strokes for different folks, right?

Some people prefer the pace and excitement offered by multi-player FPS - I can see the attraction myself :). Others just find they can deal with the long hours of play, the grinding, and incidentally, being murdered by players of the opposing race/faction.

Why is that?

I suspect there are as many points-of-view as there are players of the genre, but I'll run you through my thoughts.

One of the things OmegaFenix pointed out about an FPS is the sense of achievement. I know what he's talking about. Been there. Getting your first kill, getting your first streak, getting into the top 3 scorers for the first time in your regular group of players. It's awesome. And the best thing about an FPS - it comes relatively quickly. And a recent trend in online FPS play was the tracking of scores, the leveling up, rankings, unlocking skills - something that was probably started a while ago, but I think Battlefield 2 perfected the system. It gives you the sense of building up your character - and it earns the Shadowfox Badge of Approval :D

Of course - what we have there is an element that has been present in the RPG genre from back in the day of pen-and-paper D&D.

One of the things I've liked about RPGs in general is that sense of building your character. And MMOs - certainly Aion takes this to new extremes - allow levels of endless modifications that just aren't present in an FPS. Face it - in an FPS everybody looks the same. There are minor differences based on your class, faction, team, etc - but your ability to modify your character is usually a minimum - and in most cases - non-existent.

However - and keep in mind i'm using Aion as my example - here the possibilities are endless. Body, hair-style and colour, height, eye-color, -shape, -size, face - everything can be tweaked. For myself, creating my character can take up to 30 minutes. And why not. I'm going to spend hundreds of hours playing with it.

Once you're in the game, that character becomes an online representation of you. Or, from another point of view, your child. Your alter-ego. You can be anyone you want to be. Merciless bringer of death and destruction, or saviour and healer, supporter or silent hunter. The possibilities are endless.

In groups, are you the chatty joker, or are you the silent, efficient machine, issuing instructions. Are you the leader or the follower? Are you central to the team's success, or are you merely there as the addition, tagging along for the experience.

I tend to be the chatty one ;) and I hate leading. On the other hand, I also regard myself as central to the group - I have plenty of experience and I'm pleased to offer what tactical insight I have to any situation that demands it.

Using the parent-child analogy - you are certainly in charge of "raising", if you will, that character. How you interact with your groups, with other people in your servers will certainly stick in the minds of some. You can become well-known on your server - someone in demand. Or someone reviled and hated. As with any community, your actions and communication has its repercussions and rewards.

And the sense of achievement comes into play as well ... Ascending your first character and getting your wings, for instance, brings its own little rush of excitement and joy. Leveling up, gaining that new skill, getting that elite piece of armour you've been wanting. Joining hunting parties to find that Asmo that just ganked someone a short distance away - baying for blood.

It's all there. And you have to work for it. At later levels, just hitting the next level is an achievement in itself. And it is usually at this point where the adrenaline junkies lose patience with the game. Which I can certainly understand. Again, it just points to the base difference between people, which is great. If we were all the same, it would be boring :)

A point OmegaFenix makes, and which I certainly agree with, is about the level of repetitiveness. Do this, collect that, bring back and get something nifty in return. It's a sad fact, but MMOs by their very nature are locked in the endless cycle of repeats - and by myself I don't see a way clear.

Personally, I think everyone should try an MMO at least once. Don't let the haters dissuade you, and don't let the junkies persuade you. Get one (free, preferably - if you buy and end up not enjoying it you've wasted money), play it, and make up your own mind.

I believe I'm pretty fortunate in that I enjoy both FPS and MMO equally - giving me the freedom to enjoy whichever one I'm most in the mood for. But I am, and probably will remain an MMO addict for years to come.

Bring on Guildwars 2 :D

In my Aion Starter Guide - I used a whole bunch of terms which newcomers to the MMO genre may be unfamiliar with. If not completely confused.

No worries: With Aion in mind, I've decided to compose a list of terms and abbreviations that are commonly used in in-game chats, which will make you feel less like a Star Trek initiate trying to understand Klingon.

I've covered as much as I remembered - but the list is still incomplete, so more terms will probably be added later. I may also need to split it in two at a later date - keep an eye out.

A
Abyss - Refers to a mixed PvP/PvE area which players can access from Level 25 onwards. Also the scene for daily fortress raids. Lowbies entering this area do this at risk of being ganked by higher level players.

Add - Additional. In a group a player may shout this when an additional mob joins the fighting, either from a spawn or an incoming pat

AE/AoE - Area of Effect. Basically any skill that affects more than just your target.

AFK - Away from Keyboard - used by players when they step away from the PC for a bit - unimaginable as that may be.

Aggro - Used two ways. When talking about an aggro mob, it refers to a creature that will automatically attack when a player enters its field-of-vision. In a fight, it refers to the amount of emnity focused on a player by a mob. Actions such as healing a PC or attacking the mob generate more emnity.

AH - Auction House - a WoW term, but also used to refer to the Trade Broker - which serves the same function.

Alt - Alternate. Refers to any additional characters that a player may have created.

AP - Abyss Points. Players accumulate Abyss Points by killing Abyss Creatures or members of the opposing race. Abyss Points can be redeemed for Abyss Gear, which is typically somewhat better than equivalent level gear.

Attribute - In players, refers to things like Power, Knowledge, Will and so on. In items, this can also refer to the bonuses the items give to the player (+ Concentration, +HP, +MP etc)

B
Bind - The action of binding to a spot so you can be returned there when you resurrect. In Aion, every town and outpost has an Obelisk you can use as a binding point.

Bio - A player may say "Bio break" to indicate that they need to answer a call of nature. Much more polite than saying you're going to the loo :p

BRB - Be Right Back. Usually used by a player who is going AFK for a few seconds.

Bot - An automated program used by players to help them gain experience/kinah without the user needing to be present. This goes against Aion's T&C's and can result in the account being banned.

BRT - Be Right There

BTW - By The Way

Buff - A buff refers to a boost to character abilities or attributes.

C
Camp/Camping - The act of waiting at a particular spot/spawn point. In Aion, the term also gets used when players wait by an enemy corpse in case he feels like not pretending to be dead anymore, or waiting by a rift for possible rifters.

CC - Crowd Control. The act of sleeping/slowing or otherwise preventing more mobs from attacking the group at a time. Especially useful in elite areas.

Crafting - The act of creating items from resources gathered while questing. These items range from Food, Weapons, Armor, Accessories, Potions and Special Items

Crit - Critical hit - A hit which does additional damage to a mob, and has a chance of causing stun, interrupts or knock-down.

D
DD - Direct Damage, but can also mean Damage Dealer. Used for any class that causes damage to opponents, which means most of them.

Debuff - A skill/spell used on a character that lowers abilities or attributes.

Dispel - The removal of buffs/debuffs from a character.

DoT - Damage over Time. These skills cause regular amounts of damage over a set period of time unless dispelled - poison, bleeding, erosion etc

DP - Divine Points. Daevas gain DP when killing mobs, and once reaching a certain point (2000DP) have access to a DP skill which is typically more powerful than normal skills.

DPS - Damage per Second. Most high-damage classes are referred to DPS classes.

E
Epic items - These are items which are extremely rare and difficult to get.

Emnity - See Aggro

F
Farming - The act of constantly killing creatures in a particular area for money or loot.

FFA - Free for All. When a special item drops and it is not needed or required by any member of the group, it becomes FFA, and everyone can roll and has equal dibs.

FTW/FTL - Short for For the Win and For the Lose.

G
Gank - refers to what happens when a player gets killed by another player/players with a typical advantage - either in level or numbers. This is likely to happen a lot in the Abyss, and players also get caught by other players on rifting expeditions. This happens a lot, be prepared.

GM - Games Master - refers to characters employed by the creators of the game. They are typically on the lookout for bots or RMTs and have absolute authority in the game.

GTG - Good to Go or Got to Go.

H
HP - Short for Hit Points.

I
Inc - Incoming. A player will shout this in chat if he sees an add or a pat coming close.

Instance - Refers to any dungeon or area that is copied so groups can explore or quest without interference from other groups/players.

J

K
Kinah - Money, dosh, moola. You need it to buy stuff.

Kite/Kiting - The action of luring an enemy around and allowing party-members to attack, or using distance skills to cause damage without endangering yourself. A popular method used to acquire large amounts of loot and XP

KK/Kay/K - Means Okay. 'nuff said.

KS - Kill Stealing. The act of attacking a mob someone else is fighting to steal XP and loot.

L
Lag - If you're from SA, you'll be used to this. Refers to spikes in latency that causes lag time in between casting skills, or your character rubberbanding.

LFG - Looking for Group. Shouted by characters who want to join groups for questing.

LFM - Looking for More. Used when an established group is looking for more members. This is usually accompanied by a demand for healers/tanks.

M
MB - Mana break. Gives mana heavy characters (clerics, sorcs, and sm's) a chance to rest and regen mana

Merch - refers to the action of selling loot or equipment at the general trader rather than taking it to the Broker. Used by the lazy.

Mob - refers to any AI controlled monster. A term popularised in the days of MUDs.

MP - Mana points

N
Nerf - The reduction in abilities of a particular skill/spell or action.

Newbie - A new player of a game

Ninja - Refers to a character who rolls for the distribution of items/equipment he doesn't need/can't use, for example - an Assassin rolling for Plate Armour. It is generally only acceptable when any chars who can use the equipment are either not present in the group or don't need the item, in which case the roll becomes FFA.

NP - No problem

NPC - Non player character.

Nuke - Refers to extremely high-damage spells. A specialty of sorcerers. Extra spicy.

O
OMG - oh my god

OMW - on may way (not Oh my word!! - this isnt mxit!)

P
Pat - Short for patrol. Used by players to warn of the approach of a mob.

Port - Short for Teleport. Used for instant travel between two distant locations.

Proc - Abbreviation of “programmed random occurence”, used in crafting when the item you are crafting randomly gets boosted to a higher quality item of the same type.

PvE - Player vs Environment

PvP - Player vs Player

Q

R
RMT - Real Money Trading - the act of buying or selling in-game currency for real money. Making use of these services is a good way to get your account hacked, and a sure route to getting your account banned.

Roll - When a special item drops, Aion automatically allows group members to roll for the item. It is generally good manners not to roll for an item you can't use, unless the group declares FFA.

S
Server - Due to technical reasons, each server can only support a limited amount of players. Each MMO typically has several servers and players on different servers usually cannot interact with each other.

Solo - The act of questing by yourself. Not easy in some elite areas.

Soulbound - Some items become soulbound when equipped, and cannot be traded or equipped by other players afterwards. In some cases items become soulbound on pickup.

T

U

V

W
WB - Welcome back

Wipe - A term used when the entire group is killed.

WTB - Want to Buy

WTS - Want to Sell

X
XP - Experience points. Killing things gets you XP and lets you level.

Some of the above terms were taken from the following source: http://mmoterms.com/full-mmorpg-terms-glossary