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The Escapist introduces The Virtual Policy Network
The Escapist is carrying a deliciously cogent piece from multimedia writer Wendy Despain, tantalizingly entitled Legislating the Virtual World. In it, she introduces The Virtual Policy Network, founded by Ren Reynolds to help governments, universities and businesses mediate their interests in online worlds. The Virtual Policy Network includes such names as Richard Bartle, Mia Consalvo, Randy Farmer, Thomas Malaby, Jessica Mulligan, and David Pullinger. The issues in virtual environments, however, may be at once simpler and more complex than they appear on the surface. 'As an example, consider how landlord laws might apply to virtual worlds. If it's assumed the "residents" are renting their virtual space from the people who make and maintain the game, does banning a player equate to evicting them from an apartment?,' writes Despain, 'Now consider the fact that landlord laws vary from city to city, not just internationally, and you have an idea of how complex a simple account ban can become with a little creative litigation.' However, we'll defer to the combined wisdom of Belgian surrealist painter Réné Magritte and philosopher, historian, intellectual and sociologist Michel Foucault, who more accurately stated, Ceçi n'est pas une pipe.
The Escapist explores hilarious family happenings when giving gold as a gift
This week the online magazine The Escapist is once again delving into online interactions. They've previously talked about everything from failure cascades in guilds to the 'curse' of WoW addiction. Today they've got up a humorous piece about a family misunderstanding around the always contentious act of buying gold. In this case, the gold in question is Guild Wars gold, purchased for a young man enjoying a birthday. Once the gold is purchased, miscommunications within the family lead to some tense moments and inter-generational conflict. Check out the piece and find out how the story ends, in Brendan Sears' piece "Careful What You Wish For".
Professor: Epic drops have epic literary origins
The conventional game mechanics of today's WoW-like MMORPGs are thousands of years old -- at least dating back to the Ancient Greeks. That's the thesis of Classics professor Roger Travis of the University of Connecticut in an article he wrote for The Escapist, called "Achilles Phat Lewtz."He compared the excitement he experienced when gaining a rare drop in The Lord of the Rings Online to similar instances in Greek poet Homer's epic war story The Iliad. He also located examples of quests, guilds, character classes, grinding and boss fights in Homer's work. Check out the article; it's insightful and entertaining.Travis also runs his own blog on the subject of relating games and ancient literary epics called "Living Epic: Video Games in the Ancient World." The various posts there are substantial and fascinating. Give it a look-over.
A look into the psyche of a tank player
In a highly interesting look into the psyche of a longtime tank player, The Escapist takes us on a short, two-page journey down the rabbit hole of an MMO player's outlook on his hobby. We always appreciate a more heady approach to the how and why of class choice and this feature definitely delivers. It's a subject that can bring about lengthy time-passing discussions. What does it say about a person who always plays a healer? Why do they constantly choose to even be a healer? Everyone will have a slightly different set of reasons for playing the class that they do, which makes it such an interesting group discussion.We also have to approve of the message the article sends out at its conclusion: A positive outlook on the social aspects of playing an MMO and the feel-good nature of the guild experience. It's always nice to see someone espousing an honest take on why they enjoy the genre.
NCsoft to push evolution of Korean-style MMOs through Aion
We love The Escapist over here at Massively. Take for instance Jared Rea's recent article, "Beautiful 21st Century" -- a piece about one company's attempt to overcome the stigma attached to most older Korean MMOs that make it to the western market: beautiful but grindy. Perhaps the most notable Korean title currently played in the west is NCsoft's Lineage II which, despite being a beautiful game, has drawn some flack from gamers about its steep grind (although this is becoming less of a problem). NCsoft is working to change this perception of their forthcoming Korean-developed titles, particularly in light of their upcoming MMO Aion: The Tower of Eternity. Much of the problem that NCsoft faces is similar to what all companies, game or otherwise, face when taking their brand overseas -- being recognized as a global brand rather than seen in the limited light of their offerings in a given region of the world.
Zero Punctuation braves interstellar spreadsheets in EVE Online
Zero Punctuation's Yahtzee has reached geek culture superstardom by sacrificing sacred cows. By profanely slamming popular franchises such as Halo and Super Smash Bros., he's brought down the wrath -- and the web traffic -- of virtually the entire gaming community. There's a running joke through many of his animated reviews, though: he hates MMORPGs.Both Tabula Rasa and Age of Conan got the full treatment, and Yahtzee has even criticized some single-player games (such as The Witcher) just for sharing gameplay elements with MMORPGs. His fans apparently thought he was being a bit too harsh. "Not all MMORPGs are the same," they presumably said. "Try EVE Online. It's different!"And so he did. It turns out that "different" might be in the eye of the beholder. Or just as likely, MMORPGs can never be different enough for Yahtzee! The humorous (and as usual, NSFW) video review is embedded above, courtesy of The Escapist.
Western MMO fan plays Eastern MMO, gets disoriented
There's an article over at The Escapist that tells the story of a hardcore Western-style MMO player who tries out an Eastern-style MMO and experiences a bit of culture shock. The article is written by WarCry Senior Editor John Funk.The game he tries to play is Mabinogi (of which we've published our own first impressions), and he dedicates himself to playing it for one week. During that week, he plays it for a total of 30 hours. That means he played the same game four and a half hours a day for seven days straight. We're not sure there are many games Western, Eastern, or otherwise that can stand up in that kind of intensity but he weathers through it! Comedy occurs as he struggles to understand random owl visits and perplexing user-interface functionality.At first it seems like the article is asking if the game mechanics of an Eastern MMO are destined to be completely lost in translation for Western players, but in the end Funk cops out into another direction. Still, it's humorous and occasionally almost insightful, so check it out if the topic interests you.
The CSM speaks, will CCP Games listen?
EVE Online's delegates elected to the Council of Stellar Management (CSM) have made headlines in recent weeks, both in the gaming press and mainstream news. Amidst all the media attention, EVE players have been debating to what extent the CSM will be able to work with CCP Games on changing the game to better accommodate the playstyles of the subscribers. An article at The Escapist called 'Politics in a Vacuum' explores this interaction between the CSM and CCP Games, focusing on the Council summit in Reykjavik. CSM delegate Alison Wheeler (aka Inanna Zuni in EVE) told The Escapist: "I'm not totally sure yet how much agreement there is between CCP management and CCP development teams. They've opened this can of worms that said, 'These people get elected by other pilots and players, they have the right to say, "We want this to happen; please make it so!" Predictably, this could lead to some problems where the expectations of EVE's players, conveyed through the CSM, are unrealistic in terms of what CCP can deliver on.
Goodbye, virtual environments. Hello, real environments.
With all the talk about virtual environments (virtual world is, after all, something of a misnomer), what if you could use the real environment and bring the virtual to you? That's been the fundament of Augmented Reality for some time, and the core of many a spirited discussion -- the overlaying of information, images, representation onto what we perceive of the real world. Information about products, places, people, directions to destinations. What about games? What if you could layer a gamespace into your physical environment? Or a non-game virtual environment, like Second Life, for example? The Escapist's Howard Wen talks to Blain MacIntyre, Associate Professor at the Georgia Institute of Technology who has been one of several researchers there hacking on the Second Life viewer, adding Augmented Reality features to the software. Are you a part of the most widely-known collaborative virtual environment or keeping a close eye on it? Massively's Second Life coverage keeps you in the loop.
A personal account of the devastation wrought by virtual theft
In the mainstream media it's not entirely uncommon to hear tales of virtual theft cast in a mocking or sometimes even light-hearted tone. Given the right set of details, we're sometimes guilty of it ourselves. In any case, when you actually read a first-hand account of such an experience, you quickly see how devastating a personal blow it can be to a person. A recent article in The Escapist explores one such experience, going into the depths with one unfortunate Paladin who had her Final Fantasy XI account hacked.Much the same way that a real life burglar can rob somebody of their sense of safety, virtual thieves rob players of the joy and security they get from building up a character in a virtual world. The Paladin followed in the article lost her will to play altogether, which we think is an even sadder outcome than losing her highly-valued account.
Recognizing Champions Online's tabletop roots
One of the unexpected benefits (at least from our perspective) of Cryptic's shift from Marvel Universe Online to Champions Online is the professional relationship it fostered with the guys who managed the Champions pen and paper IP. While the crossover from paper RPG to MMO is far from straight-forward, there is a considerable brain trust from which Cryptic can draw in the creation of their game. The Escapist recently posted a terrific article which went into some depth with one such mastermind -- 16-year veteran of the franchise, Steve Long.While Long maintains some unadulterated affection for the HERO character creation system of the pen and paper game, he seems to be of the belief that the current arrangement (with Cryptic buying the Champions IP outright and licensing it back to Hero) is going to be beneficial for both parties. While MMOs seem to be driving the overall simplification of pen and paper RPGs, Long thinks that MMOs have a lot to learn as well, especially in the areas of customization and interactivity with environments.
Mini-fascist kiddie MMOS are a-ok!
Unlike most seasoned adult gamers, whose first introductions to online play were usually in the cut-throat world of the first-person shooter or real-time strategy genres, kids today are largely insulated from the bullying behavior that once typified the online experience. Creating a safe, collaborative environment that still manages to challenge gamers is one of the chief design goals of MMOs aimed at children, as Richard Aihoshi explores in a recent article for The Escapist.Gathering opinions from developers working on titles like LEGO Universe, FusionFall, and Magi-Nation, Aihoshi explores how these titles seek to eliminate anti-social behavior like ganking and trash-talking through calculated design decisions. While Aihoshi establishes something of a consensus among the developers, he doesn't reflect on the potential ills of setting up these "mini-fascist utopias," as they are referred to by LEGO Universe's Ryan Seabury. One wonders whether this digital extension of helicopter parenting is actually desirable at all. Instead of teaching kids that fighting and cursing is wrong, we take away their freedom to do those things altogether. Lesson learned? This blogger doubts it.
Zero Punctuation vs. Oblivion [Update]
Update: We're experiencing issues with the embedded video player from The Escapist. To watch the video you can click through to Zero Punctuation's section of The Escapist site by clicking the image above.Zero Punctuation has decided to reach into a bag marked, "Games History Deemed Better Than Life" to find out exactly what the appeal is. Victim number one is everyone's favorite open world role-playing game, The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. From Bethesda, the guys working on the upcoming Fallout 3, Oblivion takes players on an epic adventure that Yahtzee suspects is really just a poor copy and paste extravaganza. Of course, the video is NSFW and can be found after the jump.
Editorial expresses dissatisfaction with slow trickle of MMO innovation
Gamers With Jobs co-founder Sean Sands contributed to The Escapist a two-page article lamenting the state of the MMO industry. The article is aggressively titled "The Fallacy of MMO Innovation," and uses the example of Age of Conan as the springboard for a discussion of industry-wide issues.We've already asked questions about just how innovative AoC is, but Sands seems certain of the answer, saying "in reality it really brings very little to the table that hasn't been tried before." But who can blame Funcom for not revolutionizing the genre? MMOs are so expensive to make, and their successes are uncertain to begin with, says Sands, so it's no surprise that developers and publishers are afraid to innovate. He also suggests that polish is just as essential as innovation; that's what makes World of Warcraft successful, after all.It's a good read, although its contents might not be anything new to the minds of experienced MMO players. There's one question the author doesn't answer, though; is there a way out of this rut? We'd be fools if we tried to provide a definitive answer to that, but it's what the article left us wondering in the end. AoC pushes things forward a tiny bit in some ways. Some hope Warhammer Online will as well. But neither will totally revolutionize the genre. Is there anything on the horizon you're hoping will take the genre to a new level, or are you just as pessimistic as the rest of us?
Zero Punctuation is an army of one in Army of Two
The normally solitary Yahtzee (he is a PC snob after all) takes on Army of Two this week, a game designed to be played co-op -- so we already know this is going to end badly. After becoming frustrated with his computer partner's AI, he decides to invite a friend over and proceeds to become frustrated with his human companion's abilities as well. Like any listener of the Joystiq Podcast already knows, Army of Two has a lot of issues, the least of which is forgetting that for a co-op action shooter it sort of missed the boat on creating an enjoyable co-op experience. This week's NSFW review of Army of Two can be found after the break. Watch it with a friend, or if you're a PC gamer your favorite plant.* *Oh, calm down ... this is coming from the blogger who can spend days playing Civilization IV and Sins of a Solar Empire.
Zero Punctuation hunts Turok and other FPSs
Zero Punctuation tries to be helpful this week by beating Turok with blunt vocabulary and attempting to help other first person shooter developers not make the same mistakes. The six minor points Yahtzee lays out ask shooters not to be cheap imitations of Halo, which itself is a cheap knock-off of ... oh, let's avoid finishing that sentence for the sake of being able to turn on the car tomorrow morning with reasonable knowledge it won't explode.This week's NSFW review of that game with dinosaurs, Turok, is embedded all cozy-like after the break.
The Escapist goes virtual this week
Gaming commentary magazine The Escapist has gone all-online this week, with an issue entitled "It's a Small, Virtual World". Probably best known among gamers for the excellent video series Zero Punctuation, The Escapist's editorial side is always full of thought-provoking commentary. This week features thoughts on the alternate reality game spawned by "The Office", a discussion of this year's Building Virtual Worlds show at Carnegie Mellon University, and the harsh reality of life online. They liken living in a virtual world to the travails of the old West, complete with opportunity, outlaws, and more than a few dirty deeds. It's a great read, and The Escapist in general is well worth looking into.
An interview with a Lead Producer, on Jumpgate Evolution
In an interview with Hermann Peterscheck, The Escapist squeezes out a bunch of information -- some new and some old. A lot of the interview is spent on talking about getting new players into Jumpgate Evolution, an important issue for NetDevil. Largely, it seems like Hermann and his team get what they need to do to win over people who try the game for the first time. He states that the team is focused on getting the first 30 seconds to 5 minutes down pat. Also, he talks about making sure their game looks beautiful while not choking computer hardware to death. The screenshots that have been coming out of NetDevil certainly point to a game that's looking quite pretty -- although we'll have to wait for some in-game video before we call it all good. It's important to note that NetDevil seems to be thinking about all the angles, because we're very certain they want Jumpgate Evolution to avoid a similar fate as their previous title. With a heavy focus on making the basic game fun, pretty and simple with a hidden depth -- we're willing to say JE has us here at Massively excited for it.
The Escapist spends a day in the life of a WoW addict
So when you read the title up there, did you think that this story was going to be a downer? We did too, until it read through this very engrossing article. Written by Stacey Allen, the entire thing explores her rise to a gamer with the help of her husband and her (and his, of course) eventual magnetic meeting with World of Warcraft. It's a very enjoyable read that explores her various experiences with gaming more than anything else.We couldn't help but feel a bit moved by the whole thing, which does end with a snap back to WoW. Still, when you hear about all those relationships destroyed or families torn asunder and then read this article it really puts a contrastive light on the whole issue. Stacey and Michael have found a way to stay close to each other, even if that happens to be traipsing around Azeroth each night. It would be nice if there were more stories like this, not just about WoW but about gaming in general.
An analysis of the quest formulae in MMOs
Michael Fiegel, a gent who formerly worked on the late, lamented Gods and Heroes, has up an article in the Escapist magazine this week. He's turned his talent on a piece comparing the epic tales of yore with modern quests in Massively Multiplayer online games. From the shortest kill or collection quest in World of Warcraft all the way up to the Odyssey or Illiad, he argues that they all outline a formula. Fiegel examines this formula, noting the basic structure, the outline that every quest has. In his conclusion, he notes that ultimately these formula, this storytelling shorthand, is done for our benefit. As 'once upon a time' puts the audience in the right frame of mind for a fairlytale, dwarves, elves, and mages are all hallmarks of the familiar modern fantasy.It's interesting to think of the possibility that this might work in reverse someday in the future. Perhaps the 'you are the hero' nature of online gaming will one day influence the nature of storytelling?
