The ‘First’ MMORPG?

In reading this article about Nexon, I'm reminded of the perennial:

What was the worlds first graphical MMORPG?

The problem, of course, is what constitutes "first".

Continue reading The ‘First’ MMORPG?…

Whoa. Mom was right!

When I was a kid and young teenager (in the days before the term "tween" was used), I was forbidden to use my Apple //e during the school week. The theory was that not getting sucked into programming and gaming during the week would let me focus on schoolwork.

While I hated this rule at the time, as a parent now I can see the value of it, or at least some variant.

And, according to Ars Technica, so does the magazine Pediatrics.

Continue reading Whoa. Mom was right!…

Numbers Game part 2: Comparisons

Many have long dragged out their calculators, multiplied a games number of subscribers by that games flat monthly fee, and arrived at an assumption of how much revenue that company is collecting each month. They've extended this practice across all games in the genre, attempting to use the number of subscribers as the basis by which all games are measured, thinking this was an apples-to-apples comparison.

In this conversation with Dellaster though, I feel like it's high time we ask the fundamental questions:

What is the apple?

And, is there one by which all games can be measured?

Continue reading Numbers Game part 2: Comparisons…

Second Life- Economist Article

While visiting the in-laws, my father-in-law mentioned he had held aside for me an Economist article about Second Life (did I ever mention how with-it they were?) Unfortunately I left the article down with them. 

Fortunately, The Economist is with-it as well.

Some interesting data-points are mentioned within.

Continue reading Second Life- Economist Article…

WoW: Things I thought I’d never see

Last night I visited Molten Core with the guild, and we finished clearing all the way through to Ragnaros. This wasn't the guild's first time, but it was my own. And afterward I realized there have been a few things I've since in the last two months since returning that I never thought I would. Ever.

Continue reading WoW: Things I thought I’d never see…

Emergent Leadership

Upon returning to World of Warcraft after a nine month hiatus, I quickly realized the being focused just on Raiding wasn't going to cut it for me. Lots of reasons really, but the biggest one is Burning Crusade. With the increase in the level cap comes the increase in equipment one can get, both in soloable quests and small group ones. I don't mind the occasional Raid, but eventually it becomes a slot machine: you're just going through the motions until something drops.

So I decided to tip-toe a bit into PvP, specifically Battlegrounds. Oddly enough, being over a year late, I haven't been completely outclassed. And I'm playing what amounts to the least survivable template of a near-one-dimensional class.

Continue reading Emergent Leadership…

Where’s the next ‘big’ MMOG?

Today Speck asked,  "is the "WoW Killer" that is on the horizon? Which game is getting the hype now?"

Unlike the old days, when AO, DAoC, SB, AC2 and so on were all going to dethrone the then-dominate Everquest, there's just too many games out now, splintering the playerbase into discrete sub-groups.

It's like other features of bygone days: the magic has been replaced by sheer quantity. And it's not just lots of people playing WoW.

Continue reading Where’s the next ‘big’ MMOG?…

The Future: Games to become Worlds?

Or will worlds become to games?

Basically, who will win the future?

Continue reading The Future: Games to become Worlds?…

Blue Ocean Thinking: Nintendo Wii

While I'm an MMORPG fanboi, I've also been following the seventh generation consoles on and off for awhile. This is not because I'm all enamored of the graphics. Rather, it is because each company is attempting something unique, something to both grow their market share beyond the core 18-34 male purchaser/player and, in some cases, beyond gamers themselves.

Throughout the year, my eye has been on the Nintendo Wii. This is likely the first console I'll actually buy since the Nintendo 32bit machine from the mid-1990s.

Today this decision was nailed home for me.

Continue reading Blue Ocean Thinking: Nintendo Wii…

Supply and Demand at IGE

Over at Grimwell Online, Mank points to a post by Edward Castranova over at Terra Nova in which he mentioned IGE has stopped buying WoW gold. That post, and the thread at Grimwell, cover some of the significance of this.

I have some other thoughts.

Continue reading Supply and Demand at IGE…