Death: part of the game

Klastrup discusses the experience of death and its punishment in MMO games (specifically World Of Warcraft) in the article. In almost all recent MMO games, 'death' system is applied where players' characters die when they run out of HP (health points) or due to natural causes (falling off or drowning). Regarding  death of a character in game, Klastrup argues that death can be looked as a way to teach players to handle the game aspect in a more successful way. "It is a method to force players to improve their play, whether they are playing the game alone or together with other players" (Klastrup 146). Through death system, players realize what to do and what not to do in the game world. In this way, death system is the easiest way to teach players the aspects of the game.

However, death itself doesn't really mean anything. "Death itself is not interesting; it is the punishment for dying that most often informs experience" (Klastrup 146). As Klastrup argues, without punishment, there aren't any meaning attached to death. The reason why players try to avoid dying in game is because of the punsishment that follows the death of a character. Often, punishments of death are something like loss of experience points, money, or "buffs". Unless there is a punishment, players won't care if their characters die.
However, the punishment for death in WOW is "soft". For example, Korean MMORPG called Lineage used to have a punishment that players randomly drop their equipped items upon the death. This was very controversial because some items are really expensive (one of the most expensive items in Lineage was 30,000 dollars in real money) and some players intentionally killed other players to loot items. In Korea, there was an incident of murdering one of the players in real life due to this system. This incident led the death penalty of Lineage to get adjusted.

Klastrup also talks about two types of death in game: combat death and natural death. Unlike natural death, combat death provides an "emotional experience of death that puts the player in a situation where the player is completely disempowered" (Klastrup 158). In a way, combat death boosts the competition between players and makes players of the game to put more time leveling/gearing up his/her character. Another aspect of the death system in MMO games is the social death penalty. If a player is on a quest/boss with other players and is responsible for the death of all members of the party, it can lead to an isolation from the group or guild. This is not an in-game punishment for death, but suggests that the death can affect the player's reputation among other players as well.

I personally think the death system in video games is necessary. And more importantly, penalty for death is a "required" element in videogames in order to make players to keep interested in playing games. This element plays a significant role in making players "wanting" to play games. Without death and penalty system, there is no feeling of "challenging" while playing games. I believe the primary reason why "death" system is used in many of videogames is because the death system provides "challenge" to players. What do you guys think? What do you think is the primary reason why "death system" is used in almost all games?