Entering Valhalla: Trans-Realism in Mobile MMORPGS

Hannah Ruth Sison

Abstract

This paper refutes popular studies on gaming, specifically on massive multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs), on how these are just simulated environments or spaces that are merely computer generated. Trans-realism is a term used in gaming yet describes how it is a mix of various realities through the physical senses. This paper discusses how trans-realism is more on the trans-consciousness of a player and is not bound to just physical spaces, but rather through ones mental and emotional consciousness. The MMORPG Ragnarok Online Mobile will be visually analyzed to study this phenomenon. Analysis on the creation of consciousness, individuality, community, love, and money will be related to the physical reality of a player.