online games - how to get started?

Both WoW and Everquest offer free trials, so you can try it out before you start shelling out cash. I've seen other games (Tanks, Diablo) advertised here and there, some of which are totally free to play. There's a lot out there for the gamer. A quick search brought up all kinds of free trial options.

Something you need to look at is whether or not your PC has the graphics/sound cards needed for such programs (all these things require you download programs to your computer). I don't play these kinds of video games, so I'm not sure what the requirements are. I'm sure the program/site will tell you if your machine's up to snuff, though.

Personally, I got into playing video games a few years ago (anything to keep the brain mapping new neurons, y'know), but I have a Playstation 3 and buy the games I want. My internet has a habit of dropping out unexpectedly and I don't always play well with others, so I stick to the single-player options exclusively. I have friends who play WoW and EQ, but...nope. Not interested.

So, no, you're not an idiot. Just someone thinking about getting their toes wet and wary of invisible jellyfish. Makes total sense to me. Hope you find something you enjoy.

With MMO games, it depends whether you want to be shelling out every month or not.

There are games like Guild Wars 2 out there which are one-off purchases and don't require you to have a subscription. Might be a good idea to dip your feet into them before starting on games like WoW, which need a monthly sub and have expansion packs (that you have to buy to keep playing) coming out every year or so.

You know what's great, and free? Card Hunter.

I had to walk my best friend through the process of learning how to play an MMO, and he's a smart guy, so I don't think it's a dumb question at all. First of all, Online Game is a vague term which includes single player flash games and facebook games and collectible card games and lots of things which are nothing like WoW. If you want one of those other kind of games try going to Kongregate, you can just sign in with your Facebook if you want. Kongregate is a gaming hub, they have lots of games made by different people which are all free to play aside from optional cash shop items.

If you specifically want a WoW-like game, those are called MMORPGs, or MMOs for short. That stands for massively multiplayer online role playing game. These are the kind of games where you customize an avatar, get gear for them, level them up, spend stat points and/or spell points to customize their build, probably get a mount to ride, and do dungeon runs/raids in a group to kill bosses or do PvP in a group against another group of players. If you want to play this kind of game, and you don't mind paying a subscription and buying discs, you might as well just play WoW. They have system requirements listed on their website (most MMOs do), so you an check if your laptop can handle it. Most people seem to play with a headset microphone or other microphone these days, so you may need to buy one of those. If you don't want to pay a subscription I recommend Perfect World or Runes of Magic as being F2P (free to play, aside from the cash shop) games most similar to WoW. If you want something a little different, Dofus and Maplestory have different combat styles and more cartoony/anime graphics. All of these games have a series of tutorials right at the beginning to teach you how to play. Usually you have to walk to an NPC, talk to them, accept a quest to kill something really easy, kill it, talk to the NPC again, get a reward, open your inventory to see the reward, and play with what equipment you have on. Usually reading the map and getting started with a crafting profession have tutorials too. These games really teach you how to play them. You can also join a newbie-friendly guild (or whatever guilds are called in that particular game, the term varies a lot. Usually someone's guild is displayed as a title by their name.)

So yeah, if you want to play WoW there is a free trial of one week or some number of levels... they changed it since I last played that game, sorry, I don't know exactly how it works now, but there's some kind of free trial. Again, the game's website explains it, and whether you need a game disc or can download all the stuff necessary to play the free trial. While you are on free trial there are restrictions on how you can communicate to other players within the game, so if PMs don't work or something, that's why.

^Card Hunter is awesome, especially if you have a passing familiarity with tabletop and Magic: The Gathering type games.

There are tens of thousands of free to play MMOs like WoW out there. If you want to find out if that's the kind of game you're interested in, you might want to check out games like Rift, Aion, Runes of Magic, etc, that are also free to download in addition to having no monthly subscription. These aren't the best games out there, but they're a risk-free way of introducing yourself to the genre. (Side note, Dungeons and Dragons Online is an awesome free to download/play game, but I personally don't think it's very new-player friendly.)

If you're willing to spend money on the initial purchase, but don't want to pay a subscription, Guild Wars 2 is probably one of your best bets for My First MMO.

Dreity said:

If you're willing to spend money on the initial purchase, but don't want to pay a subscription, Guild Wars 2 is probably one of your best bets for My First MMO.

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They've really pumped out the content updates this year. I couldn't keep up!

Like the others have said, there are many different types of 'online games'. I am going to assume that you're wanting to know more about the massively online games like World of Warcraft. Then I'll just have to turn back the question to you – which types of games do you like to play? There are hundreds of MMOs.

The biggest ones are:

World of Warcraft – everyone knows this, so I don't have to tell you much more about it. It's the biggest MMO out there.

Eve Online – a science fiction MMO where you fly around in starships in a gorgeous part of space. It has thousands of solar systems, and a good many of them can be conquered by players from other players. PVP is non-consensual here, and you will be attacked. The Devs also have a very hands-off relationship with the game, so many things which are bannable offences in other games are perfectly allowed in this one. Like tricking other players into giving over the in-game currency through scams and theft. It is a harsh game.

Final Fantasy XIV – the second attempt at an MMO, and it appears to be much more successful than the previous attempt. It is quite like World of Warcraft and occupy the same fantasy niche.

Star Wars – The Old Republic – BioWare and Eas attempt at an MMO. It has been through a very rough patch, and has gone free to play. I have never played it, so I can't say how it is.

An upcoming title to note is Elder Scrolls Online which launches in 2014. If you've played Skyrim, that's basically it, except it's an MMO.

I am not a great fan of Free to play games, and recommend that if you do want to get into MMOs, go for the ones that charge a subscription. The FTP games tend to be filled with desperate attempts from the dev to get that next cool item. Some of them even block you from the full content of the game unless you pay up. In subscription based games, the developers tend to feel more secure, and don't spend so much time trying to push digital goods.

It is certainly so in the case of WoW, Eve Online, Final Fantasy XIV, and the upcoming Elder Scrolls. Those developers tend to have a stronger vision for their games too. They're allowed that by a stable income stream.

Maxinquaye said:

An upcoming title to note is Elder Scrolls Online which launches in 2014. If you've played Skyrim, that's basically it, except it's an MMO.

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Actually, Elder Scrolls Online was outsourced, not made by the Skyrim team, and is supposedly missing many of the unique features which make Skyrim awesome, like NPC spouses.

If you just want to dip your toes in and see how it feels, there are games where you see other players, but you engage in challenges regardless of how many have come before you. So you might get told about a treasure chest to find. A thousand people have done this already, but the chest is there just for you.

Pirates of the Caribbean had a MMORPG like that. I believe it was free until your character advanced to level 12 or something like that. There are sites out there with lists of active MMORPG's. They're blocked at work. I might look a bit into this when I get home.

wizard101.com

great introduction to MMOs, plenty of free content to try, casual gameplay and whimsical art style.

I would recommend getting yourself a steam account.

It's free and there are quite a few games that you can play for free with friends or without.

http://store.steampowered.com/about/

Let me know if this ^ breaks any forum rules and I'll take my telling off with as much dignity as I can muster.

edit. additional.

Click on store, then games and choose free to play from the drop-menu. Happy hunting!

William Haskins said:

wizard101.com

great introduction to MMOs, plenty of free content to try, casual gameplay and whimsical art style.

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I liked this game but it's one of the ones where it's impossible to advance beyond the first area without putting money into it. Also the child-safe restrictions for chat are a real pain in the butt.

well, yes. we are, after all, a business. and it costs a significant amount of money to operationally sustain a game service with 40 million registered users while having a development team updating content multiple times per year.

but there is a significant amount of gameplay for free and, for those who feel engaged, both the subscription model and the microtransaction model are quite reasonable.

there are multiple levels of chat, from menu chat with preselected phrases to open chat that allows for robust communication. our priority from the beginning, however, has been to create a safe space in which parents can feel comfortable allowing their kids to play.

The MMO with the most hype at the moment seems to be Final Fantasy 14, and it has a fourteen day free trial: http://finalfantasyxi.com/freetrial/