I had wanted to choose a brand new game which I have never played for the basis of my ethnography blog. Yet, recent MMORPGs seem to be clones of one another and nothing caught my eye. In the end, I decided to return to the game which wholly captivated me 2 years ago – Cabal Online. Perhaps now, after years of acquiring knowledge of game-related phenomena, I might appreciate the game deeper and better understand why I loved the game in the first place.

To constitute “play”, a given activity has to be free (spontaneous devotion) and uncertain (absence of pre-determined outcomes). MMORPG is precisely the epitome of the second characteristic. Most of such games do not have a tangible end goal! The game world exists whether or not the player chooses to remain or leave. A couple of days ago, my friend saw me playing a sandbox game on my iPhone and lamented that he does not understand what motivates people to devote their time and effort to games which do not lead them to a grand finale, a definitive closure for players to move on from the game.

His logic is not ill-founded, but yet, we have to acknowledge the global success of MMORPGs e.g. World of Warcraft and social games e.g. FarmVille. In order to keep up with the ever-changing trends of gaming, we have to cast aside traditional notions of play and enlarge our capacity to accept and apply new dimensions which adds on, or may even subtract from, the constitution of a game. This blog has been created specifically for that purpose – to broaden my views and perspective regarding game-related phenomena.

Agôn – a concept which strives on healthy competition. By artificially creating, equality of chances, games provide the ideal conditions for confrontation to take place amongst adversaries. Besides the obligatory PvP (player versus player) system, Cabal takes it a step further by incorporating “nation wars”. The player has to swear allegiance to a particular faction and engage in large scale PvP wars against rivaling factions.

To survive in the competitive environment of Cabal, a player has to embrace the practice of agôn e.g. sustained attention and training discipline. To become a member of a prominent guild, one has to aggressively improve his standards to match up to the rest of the guild members. Taking a step back to look at the bigger picture, one has to become strong enough to further or protect the cause of his nation.

A random monster drop in Cabal

Alea – a concept which is likened to gambling; decisions which are independent of the player, outcomes over which he has no control over. Most of modern MMORPGs incorporate the idea by introducing random monster drops. Cabal introduces a unique system whereby the player explores the vast game world in search of elusive “Force Cores” which enables him to upgrade his equipment. Yet again, it is subjected to the forces of probability as the player might fail to upgrade his equipment, despite precious hours spent hunting for the “Force Cores”. It is a game of probability, much like how card games such as poker are made to be. Individual strength is of no consequence, everyone is subjected to the events of chance.

Creation and customization of character

Mimicry – whereby deep immersion in the imaginary universe leads to the manifestation of new identities for the player. Ever wondered why MMORPGs allow players to customize their avatar? I believe it is because the developers wish for the players to believe that they are the avatars themselves. In the real world, we are bounded by circumstances and limitations. In virtual worlds, we are free to express who we really want to be. Online games allow temporary escapism without real-life consequences.

However, that is not unique to MMORPG. What is unique about MMORPG is the persistent game world which wholly absorbs the player. The visual landscape of Cabal is breathtaking. The game is set in desert, snowy, tropical, port, industrial towns and this allows the player to experience such environments which are different from his native homeland at no cost at all.

I am eager to see how events unfold as I get back into the foray of things. Stay tuned for future updates which will reveal my account of events as an observer, as well as participant, of the vibrant world of Cabal.