Content Characteristics of Mobile-linked Online Games and Linkage Model for MMOPRG-based Mobile Online Games

Abstract

Along with the growth of the mobile game market, various and significant changes are taking place in terms of the game development environment, open policy, and genre. As one such change, “mobile-linked online games,” i.e., mobile games linked with online PC games, have appeared. The term linkage indicates that games, which were once independent of each other, have become connected through the linking of game data across mobile, console, PC, and Web platforms; this goes beyond the concept of a crossplatform, in which the same games are simply built on different platforms. A mobile platform developed for linking is obviously central to mobile-linked online games. Many linked online games are being produced on the mobile platform. However, in the case of online PC games, whose contents were originally developed for the PC platform, such as MMORPG (Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games), the method and purpose of their linkage differ. This paper systematically classifies mobile-linked online games into three types: mid-core, hardcore, and casual games. In addition, this paper reveals the characteristics and purpose of the online linking method for mobile-linked MMORPGs (a MMOPRG is a typical hardcore type game). Furthermore, the mobile linkage model for MMORPGs is defined by the PVE and PVP contents.