Massively multiplayer online first-person shooter game (MMOFPS) mixes the genres of first-person shooter and massively multiplayer online games, possibly in the form of web browser-based games, in which a very large number of players interact with one another within a virtual world. In other words, an MMOFPS is a real-time, online gaming experience to be played within a massive in-game area which features many simultaneous players in a first-person shooter fashion.[1][2] These games provide large-scale, sometimes team-based combat.
However, due to the inherent fast-paced, strategic nature of this genre, players must rely on their physical coordination and cognition, and thus, there is an emphasis towards player skill rather than player statistics, as no number of in-game bonuses, or similar, will compensate for a player's inability to aim and think tactically.[3]
History
World War II Online, released on D-Day (6 June) 2001, holds the Guinness World Record as the first MMOFPS. It was also awarded the Guinness World Record for largest non-instanced game map, at over 300,000 sq km.[4] The biggest MMOFPS (largest number of players) to date is PlanetSide 2, sequel to the original game. It is able to support up to 1,200 players in a single map, or continent of the game with a max cap of 4,800 players on a single server fighting across different continents.[citation needed] A recent notable MMOFPS was Dust 514, developed by CCP and intended to integrate with the MMORPG EVE Online.
Many MMOFPSs feature living economies. Virtual items and currency have to be gained through play and have definite value for players. Such a virtual economy can be analyzed (using data logged by the game) and has value in economic research; more significantly, these "virtual" economies can affect the economies of the real world.
