Player-Made Moments That Shape MMORPG Histories

The most unforgettable stories of our beloved MMORPGs are often the ones that emerge from the unpredictable behavior of players themselves, rather than those scripted by the developers. These stories can extend beyond the frontiers of the virtual worlds in which they originated, sometimes with very tangible consequences. They are always deeply shaped by the players, the way they collaborate or confront each other, and of course by their creativity.

The latest example is actually quite recent: a 71-day battle on the isometric shooter Foxhole. This conflict saw the death of more than 9 million characters and (almost) required the intervention of the developers, given its intensity and extent. However, in an ultimate twist, the players themselves mobilized to bring the story to a close. Creating one of those moments that will be remembered for years to come.

The battle of Charlie War 9

The “Charlie War 9” battle began on the 18th of November and became one of the longest and deadliest in Foxhole's history. The conflict saw the Colonial and Warden factions clash. As the days and weeks went by, neither faction seemed to be gaining even the slightest advantage over the other. But on January 28 the developers of Siege Camp announced that they would gradually reduce the number of victory points required to win the War. The goal was to allow new players who arrived along the way to experience the upcoming War from its very beginning. 

This was all it took for the Colonial faction to mobilize their very last resources, launching a final assault in the hope of winning the War on its original victory terms. The Colonial push was not without results, as it resulted in the capture of seven strategic points, allowing them to win on their own terms (before any developer intervention)!

The battle lasted a total of 71 days (as opposed to the usual 3 to 5 weeks), and resulted in the death of over 9 million characters. Charlie War 9 is a testament to the dedication of the Foxhole community to its MMORPG. The event will be remembered not only as an unprecedented victory and effort by the Colonial faction, but above all as the triumph of player-driven storytelling.

The bloodbath of B-R5RB

As we mentioned at the start of this article, Charlie War 9 is just one example, and we're now going to explore a few of the MMORPG genre's most notable ones, including EVE Online's B-R5RB battle. Perhaps the best-known case in point, this battle took place in early 2014 after a single player controlling a space station accidentally forgot to make a routine payment. This simple oversight escalated over the next 21 hours into a conflict involving 7,500 players and resulting in the loss of an estimated $300,000 worth of virtual assets - the most expensive conflict in video game history to date.

The B-R5RB battle is famous not only for its material (virtual) and financial consequences, but also for what it represents. Indeed, in the way it began, the stratospheric (got it?) level of organization of the players, and its strategic execution, this conflict has become a defining moment of EVE Online, perfectly commemorating the possibilities offered by this MMORPG's Sandbox universe. The developers have even added an in-game memorial to the battle and documented the event on their social networks - if that's not a celebration of player-driven storytelling...

Related:

EVE Online Players Clash In A Dread Fight Over Fortizar And Destroy Over A Trillion ISK Worth of Ships

The Corrupted Blood incident

Another iconic story is World of Warcraft's Corrupted Blood incident. The event took place in September 2005, after the release of the Zul'Gurub raid. This raid featured the final boss Hakkar, one of whose mechanics is to cast the Corrupted Blood debuff on raid participants. The debuff in question spreads to all other players within a certain distance, and disappears on its own when the character dies or Hakkar is defeated. If the debuff disappears on its own, you might ask, what's the problem? Well, the developers forgot to consider a very specific case: that of hunters who send their infected companion away (so that he doesn't die, which was not without consequence at the time), before calling him back once outside the raid, and potentially in a populated area. An area where, as you may have guessed, the debuff can spread again (since the deactivated pet has not defeated Hakkar, unlike players).

What's worse? Infected NPCs behaved like “asymptomatic carriers”, preventing the virus from disappearing (any similarity with reality would be purely coincidental). Of course, in response to this situation, players adopted a variety of behaviors. A few healed infected players to help keep them alive, some tried to avoid contamination, while others had fun intentionally transmitting the debuff. The story spread (dare I say it) far beyond World of Warcraft or even the gaming sphere, going so far as to spark interest among real-world disease researchers. Fortunately, in the game, the debuff stopped spreading after a hard-reset and a patch preventing Corrupted Blood from contaminating pets.

The Falador massacre

This article is admittedly long enough already, but we couldn't cover the subject properly without talking about the Runescape Falador Massacre. The slaughter in question took place in 2006 at the end of a party organized by the player Cursed You, following his achievement of level 99 in Construction. In fact, Cursed You's party was so successful that the lag caused by the high concentration of players forced him to kick all participants out of his house, in order to re-enable normal gaming conditions.

The story could have ended there, but once outdoors, some players (notably Durial321, to whom we'll return shortly) noticed that they could attack others, even outside PvP zones. What was supposed to be a simple party turned into a chaotic and violent event, a bit like a wedding in Game of Thrones. Players benefiting from the glitch slaughtered poor innocents in the area surrounding the house of Cursed You, particularly in Falador. Rumor has it that the total amount of wealth acquired by one player in particular that day, Durial321, amounted to over 200 million coins.

”The Falador Massacre has been recognized as a historical event that actually took place in Gielinor's history. Canonically, the event took place between the Siege of Falador and the start of the Sixth Age.”

- Via RuneScape Fandom Wiki

Player agency

These stories are connected by the role played by “player agency” to varying degrees, whether intended by the developers or as a result of a bug. In each case, players have used the systems “at their disposal” (again, whether it was deliberate or not), and hijacked or greatly leveraged them in ways that no one could have imagined. 

In the stories we've studied today, developers often play a supporting role. Although they have to control excesses for the greater good, they recognize the significance of these narratives, sometimes going so far as to integrate them into the game's official story. 

One thing's for sure, as the MMORPG genre continues to iterate, these moments of collective creativity will remain with us forever. In fact, I believe that MMORPG developers themselves have understood this, as Sandbox projects have been on the rise in recent years. I really had a great time researching these events, but obviously it's not possible to mention them all. If you've experienced something like this yourself or heard about it, please let us know in the comments.