I'm taking a database management class this summer, and it's been way more complex than I assumed. Do many games use straight up databases (Oracle, Access, etc)? Are real database admins necessary for larger scale development teams?
Most MMOGs (and MMO-related games like looter shooters and such) use them to store game data. On the MMOGs I worked on we had separate tables for account, character, world, guild, bank, and item data, along with other needed data. Columns in the character table would be things like most recent login, character name, account name, current equipment, stash ID, guild ID, quest variables, quest history, and so on. Items would have creation dates, any randomized variables (e.g. +X% to stat Y), visual modifications, slots/sockets, items socketed into those slots, applied skin, and so on. Basically, the database holds all of the necessary data to recreate the character's appearance and gameplay information between sessions.
We also need to build queries and scripts to interface with the database so we could look up things like items that were accidentally destroyed in order for customer service to restore them, and a front end tool to allow the service reps to run the appropriate queries without needing to learn SQL (or accidentally break the table/database). All of these tasks generally need database engineers, and the maintenance of the database requires DBAs to keep everything up and running. They aren't super necessary during the development process, but they are absolutely needed when the game launches so we need to make things work from the jump.
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