Editing Role-playing game (section)

====Multiplayer====
[[File:God Wars II screenshot of dungeon with MUSHclient plugin.png|thumb|Typical MUD interface for ''[[God Wars II]]'']]
{{main|Online text-based role-playing game|Massively multiplayer online role-playing game}}

Online text-based role-playing games involve many players using some type of text-based interface and an Internet connection to play an RPG. Games played in a real-time way include [[Multi-user dungeon|MUD]]s, [[MUSH]]es, and other varieties of [[MU*]]. Games played in a turn-based fashion include [[play-by-mail game]]s and [[play-by-post game]]s.

Massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs) combine the large-scale social interaction and [[persistent world]] of MUDs with graphic interfaces. Most MMORPGs do not actively promote in-character role-playing, however, players can use the games' communication functions to role-play so long as other players cooperate.<ref>(Heliö 2004) "Even if a game does not support active role-playing, as most of the massively multiplayer online role-playing games fail to do (Dark Age of Camelot and others), experienced role-players may adopt the mindset and take advantage of the game's communication functionalities, and start to role-play. This, however, requires the willing support or at least acceptance of the other players – any one of us can act like a prince, but if the others won't play along, it does not constitute role-playing."</ref> The majority of players in MMORPGs do not engage in role-playing in this sense.<ref>{{Cite conference |last1=Eladhari |first1=Mirjam P |last2=Mateas |first2=Michael |year=2009 |title=Rules for role play in Virtual Game Worlds Case study: The Pataphysic Institute |url=http://www.escholarship.org/uc/item/3x99c2zt |conference=Proceedings of the Digital Arts and Culture Conference |pages=1 |access-date=12 December 2009 |quote=However, the majority of players in MMORPGs do not role-play at all, but self-play, that is, play as being themselves without adopting a fictional role.}}</ref>

[[Computer-assisted gaming]] can be used to add elements of computer gaming to in-person tabletop role-playing, where computers are used for record-keeping and sometimes to resolve combat, while the participants generally make decisions concerning character interaction.