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As the Worlds Turn: Get your fix
My therapist keeps telling me video games are addicting. She says they provide brain stimulation very similar to narcotics or a very productive afternoon of watching the home shopping network. They will grab hold of your very soul and whisper vile thoughts straight to your subconscious telling you things like 'Forget the garbage, it can take itself out' or 'Shower? Who needs a shower?' I'm just kidding. I don't have a therapist. I do wonder, however, about this draw, this interest that turns to desire. With so many games out there, presenting different worlds, different rules, different ways to play, what is it that grabs hold of players and, for some, doesn't let go? One thing is certain: it grabs hold of both male and female gamers. The big question we hear often today is "Are video games addicting?" We're probably not going to definitively answer this question but we'll have fun laughing at doctors and crazy politicians along the way!
As the Worlds Turn: What if?
Richard Garriott did it. A critically acclaimed game designer, whose previous modus operandi regulated itself to PC and console games, created a successful MMO in a market overshadowed by Thrall and Co. Some say that his only claim to fame is the Ultima series but then again, those that say such things, their only claim to fame is a blog read by their mother and a few old college buddies. Big names attaching themselves to MMO projects are becoming commonplace. With 38 Studios making the news and podcasts these days, with starry-eyed fanboys salivating over visions of Drizzt vs. Spawn in an MMO that may or may not contain baseball, one wonders: who else might throw their hat into the MMO ring? Of course, each such entry runs the risk of the 800-pound gorilla, with epic gear, stomping it into oblivion. But what if ...
As the Worlds Turn: Learning from the past
2007, by some accounts, has been one of the best years for video games ever. While most would think of the tremendous console releases, MMOs have also seen their fair share of greatness. However, as the saying goes, you can't win them all. We're going to take a look back at 2007 at some of the higher, and lower, points in MMOs and game development. New Year's is over, so take some aspirin, get yourself a stiff cup of coffee and take a brief stroll through MMO memory lane.
As the Worlds Turn: Land of the Free
Free. Everyone likes things that are free. Well, except when it involves a free kick to the twig and berries. These days, free things are often accompanied by plenty of small-type that make it anything but free. Requiring you to sever a limb or to sign over half of your first born does not constitute free. However, there has been a glut of free-to-play MMOs emerging on the market. Some of these have been around for a while that somehow lost the desire to charge people and others have come out of the gate with no fees like a naked hippy at an outdoor music festival. What I'd like to do this week is take a look at some free-to-play games and see what they have to offer in the realm of game design and development. If you're looking for a review or a first-impression on any of these games, you're in the wrong place. There are far more capable people than I who can do just that. So put the wallet away, we're about to go free ... just keep the clothes on.
