video game Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, game controller, controller, computer keyboard, keyboard, or motion sensing device to gener ...

s, a raid is a type of mission in massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs) where a number of people attempt to defeat either: (a) another number of people at

player-vs-player Player versus player (PvP) is a type of multiplayer interactive conflict within a game between human players. This is often compared to player versus environment (PvE), in which the game itself controls its players' opponents. The terms are most ...

(PVP), (b) a series of computer-controlled enemies (non-player characters; NPCs) in a player-vs-environment (PVE) battlefield, or (c) a very powerful boss (superboss). This type of objective usually occurs within an instance dungeon, a separate server instance from the other players in the game. In military real-time strategy (RTS) games like ''

StarCraft ''StarCraft'' is a military science fiction media franchise created by Chris Metzen and James Phinney and owned by Blizzard Entertainment. The series, set in the beginning of the 26th century, centers on a galactic struggle for dominance am ...

'', "raids" usually refer to the military tactic.

Origin

The term itself stems from the military definition of 'a sudden attack and/or seizure of some objective'. ''Raiding'' originated in the class of text MUDs known as DikuMUD, which in turn heavily influenced the 1999 MMORPG EverQuest, which brought the raiding concept into modern 3D MMORPGs. As of 2019, the largest and most popular game to feature ''raiding'' is Blizzard's 2004 MMORPG World of Warcraft.

Raid tactics

The combat encounters comprising a raid usually require players to coordinate with one another while performing specific roles as members of a team. The roles of

Tank A tank is an armoured fighting vehicle intended as a primary offensive weapon in front-line ground combat. Tank designs are a balance of heavy firepower, strong armour, and good battlefield mobility provided by tracks and a powerful e ...

Healer Healer may refer to: Conventional medicine *Doctor of Medicine *Health professional Alternative medicine * Faith healer * Folk healer * Healer (alternative medicine), someone who purports to aid recovery from ill health * Spiritual healer F ...

, and Damage Dealer are known as the "Holy Trinity" of MMORPG group composition. Other common roles include Buffing, Crowd control, and Pulling (selectively choosing targets with which to initiate combat). A raid leader is often needed to direct the group efficiently, due to the complexities of keeping many players working well together.

Raid loot

Raids are often very rewarding in terms of virtual treasure and items that are unique or that grant exceptional stats and abilities, thus giving players an incentive to participate. Often however, there is not enough treasure to reward individually every player who participates. Players have invented various systems, such as Dragon kill points to distribute loot fairly.

Raiding guilds

Raiding is often done by associations of players called guilds or clans who maintain a consistent schedule and roster. There are two types of raiding guilds: casual guilds, defined as spending two to three days per week on average; and hardcore guilds, defined as spending four to seven days per week on average.

Health risks

The fact that raids often require multiple consecutive hours of constant gameplay leads some to believe it is a physically unhealthy activity. A 2003 study by the

National Institutes of Health The National Institutes of Health, commonly referred to as NIH (with each letter pronounced individually), is the primary agency of the United States government The federal government of the United States (U.S. federal government or U ...

found that playing MMORPGs for more than 20 hours per week correlates with obesity and nutritional imbalance as well as an increased propensity for bone loss and muscle atrophy. Due to these concerns, China has proposed national limits on how long people can play MMORPGs. The measures will impose penalties on people who play MMORPGs for more than 3 hours per day.

Game raids

Game raids are commonly organized by internet celebrities with the intent to protest against the company's behavior, their actions or simply for fun. They normally consist of players creating their characters with pre-discussed appearances, and stacking up the game servers until they have their demands meet, or they tire themselves out. A popular raider is Quackity, who streams his raids on Twitch.

References

{{Reflist Massively multiplayer online role-playing games Video game terminology