Gangs of New York: A Viable Movie Idea for a Massive Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game?

Gangs of New York is an award-winning motion picture produced in 2002 starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Daniel Day-Lewis, and Cameron Diaz. The movie, set in 1863, is about a man named Amsterdam Vallon (Leonardo DiCaprio) seeking vengeance against the man that brutally murdered his father - Bill "The Butcher" Cutting (Daniel Day-Lewis). A long, brutal battle ensues in the streets of the Five Points.

So how does this tie in with the idea that it would make an exceptional MMORPG?

Well, first off, for the readers that don't know what an "MMORPG" is, it stands for Massive Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game. Although not many uncasual gamers play these games, I am sure most of you have heard about them through the Internet, radio, and television. Video games that fall under this category include: World of Warcraft, Everquest games, Final Fantasy XI, Guild Wars, Final Fantasy XIV, and many more, the most popular probably being World of Warcraft. What these games entail are enticing and profound - in-depth, real-time world filled with vast amounts of players, generally in the thousands. Players in these games level up, complete missions and quests, earn in-game currency, and, of course, socialize. There have been instances of people meeting in MMORPGs and becoming married (in real life [although many games allow in-game marriage, too]).

Now, back to the main idea - how would a video game based off of the movie Gangs of New York make a good MMORPG video game? Well, the movie itself contains the primary aspects of what an MMORPG should contain - opposing teams/forces, weaponry, and battle tactics. Throw in the fact that it has an immensely-engrossing story that would make cut scenes, and it's essentially a full package.

But how would it work?

Well the video game would be loosely based on the movie, not exactly word for word, action for action, and/or scene for scene. Players could belong to a certain faction, or gang, and help their gang rule the city. The environments themselves could not only be the city, which would most likely be the epicenter of action and battle, but they could contain outside wastelands, smaller cities (which generally are "starter cities" where new characters spawn for the first time), and more. Basically, the options for areas are endless, especially when it comes to MMORPGs.

One aspect already contained in Gangs of New York is the concept of weaponry and battle, so that's easy to implement. Once again, for readers that aren't generally into MMORPGs and have limited knowledge, weapons/armor/ect. are given stats such as damage values, defense values, and other miscellaneous stats. Weapons and armor would be found at vendors, dropped off of high-level enemies and bosses, and purchased through Auction Houses. Plus, weapons such as throwing knives are already contained in the movie, which shows a diverse realm of usable weaponry.

The basic storyline for missions would be the aspect closest related between the movie and video game. For example, lets say a new player levels up and reaches a certain level where he can start completing missions. Maybe their first mission would be the battle in the beginning of the movie at the Five Points. The player could be on one of the two sides - Amsterdam Vallon's or Bill "The Butcher" Cutter's. That's only the beginning - and the video game could progress loosely around the movie's plot and characters.

Many will argue that most MMORPGs contain some sort of magical element, but I doubt that would fit into an MMORPG based off of Gangs of New York. However, the basic formula for MMORPGs needs some sort of healing, as every player has some sort of health bar (also known as Hit Points, or "HP") and it will need to be replenished during battle. Through innovative thinking and video game mechanics I think there would be some way to implement a healing class, but not through the means of "magic".

I'll admit, there are a few holes in creating a game based on the movie, but those holes could easily be filled with the utilization of imagination by game designers, programmers, and writers. The basic idea of an MMORPG based on the movie is great, though, as players would get to be a part of a profound faction battling to be the rulers of the empire.