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Dragon Con 2013: Goodbye, MMO track (as we know it)
Dragon Con 2013 has come to an end, and tens of thousands of people are already trying to figure out what type of crazy costume they'll have next year. As the wildly popular sci-fi and fantasy fan event caters to more genres than you realized existed, the MMO track is the one most up our alley. But sadly enough, 2013 marks the final year of the MMO track as it will be renamed the online gaming track next year. This includes the always-fun MMO trivia event that will be converted to "online gaming trivia" for the first time next year. If you'd like to see more from this year's Con, check out the list of galleries and an official video of the traditional costume parade just after the jump. [Edit: Clarified that the MMO track is only changing its name and website, but not going away completely.]
Dragon Con 2013: Star Citizen's Lesnick and Haddock on player feedback, CitizenCon, and more
It's been a whirlwind couple of weeks for Cloud Imperium Games. The makers of Star Citizen jetted to Cologne, Germany, for Gamescom, released the game's first live module, and traveled to Atlanta, Georgia, to chat up the BDSSE (that's best damn space sim ever, for the uninitiated) at Dragon Con. We caught up with designer and community manager Ben Lesnick and lead writer Dave Haddock for an update on all the Star Citizen things. Well, OK. Some of the Star Citizen things. Join us after the cut for tidbits on the dogfighting alpha, CitizenCon, and more.
Dragon Con 2013: A guide to the MMO track
This year marks the 27th year of the Dragon Con fan convention, and since it's the largest gathering of its type in the world, we know quite a few of you will be attending this year. So we're rounding up some important info on the conference and its MMORPG track to help you make the most of your experience. Let's go!
SOE publishes panel schedule for PAX and Dragon Con
Going to PAX or DragonCon this weekend? Excited for news about the EverQuest franchise or SOE's other MMORPGs? You should check out the firm's convention schedule, then, because there's a little something for everyone. Whether you're hungry for EverQuest Next tidbits, you're looking to break into the game industry, or you're wanting to brush up on your online gaming history, SOE has a developer panel with your name on it. And of course don't forget to check in with Massively through the weekend and on into next week as our on-site staffers bring you the best DragonCon and PAX scoops! Massively's on the ground in Seattle during the weekend of August 30th to September 2nd, bringing you all the best news from PAX Prime 2013. Whether you're dying to know more about WildStar, The Elder Scrolls Online, EverQuest Next, or any MMO in between, you can bet we'll have it covered!
Vote for the community in the Dragon Slayer awards at Dragon*Con
World of Warcraft has a large presence in the online gaming community, and that presence is you guys, the people playing the game, reading about it and discussing it. Now, our friend Zarhym the floating, burning skull reminds us all that we can vote for WoW in the Dragon Slayer awards. You can even vote for yourselves in the Most Passionate Fan Base category. As someone who writes about this game and has spent years interacting with you, I think you guys definitely count as passionate. You should totally vote for yourselves. Also, vote for Zarhym for Community Manager of the Year, since he asked nicely and he reminds me of Morte from Planescape: Torment. Community spirit isn't something WoW players lack, in my opinion. With the Dragon Slayer awards being aimed directly at community, here's a chance to show it off. The awards will be presented Sept. 2 at this year's Dragon*Con, which runs from Aug. 31 to Sept. 3. It's open warfare between Alliance and Horde in Mists of Pandaria, World of Warcraft's next expansion. Jump into five new levels with new talents and class mechanics, try the new monk class, and create a pandaren character to ally with either Horde or Alliance. Look for expansion basics in our Mists FAQ, or dig into our spring press event coverage for more details!
Lord of the Rings fan film to screen at GenCon and DragonCon
Tolkien fans are many, but few have the opportunity to see their creative works honoring Lord of the Rings presented before large audiences. One lucky group of fans will have just that. The fan film The Fellows Hip will be screened at GenCon in Indianapolis this year. Fans can catch the movie on Friday, August 17th, at 1:30 p.m. EDT in the Westin Grand Ballroom IV and Saturday, August 18th, at 9:30 p.m. EDT in the Westin Grand Ballroom V. Folks who miss these showings can also watch the film at DragonCon or even this weekend's Return of the Ring celebration in the UK. In the film, a fellowship of four gamers embarks on their own epic journey to fight injustice, right a wrong, expose evil, and possibly even conquer at a Lord of the Rings Online gaming competition. While noting that the film does include parody, the creators emphasize that the film is an homage to Tolkien's great works, one that combines their love of LOTR with their love of MMO gaming. Watch as a black rider makes the heroes dive for cover in the teaser trailer after the cut. And to learn more about the film, be sure to read Massively's interview with the creators.
Massively's Guide to Dragon*Con 2011
PAX Prime is freshly finished and Gamescom 2011 is a distant memory, but con season isn't over yet! Not by a long shot, in fact. Dragon*Con is just around the corner, and we have undertaken the monumental task of putting together a what's-what for all of our adoring MMO fans. Now, just because Dragon*Con isn't as internationally renowned as Gamescom or as well-publicized as Penny Arcade's brainchild doesn't mean you should write it off by any means. There's still a whole truckload of events for MMO players at Dragon*Con. From Q&As to panels (including one on MMO podcasting that includes our very own Shawn Schuster!) and more, there's a little something for every MMO player at Dragon*Con. So whether you're attending or just want to see what kind of news you have to look forward to coming out of Dragon*Con (news that will, of course, be covered right here on Massively), jump on past the cut and see what the Atlanta-based con has in store.
The Road to Mordor: A talk with the crew of The Fellows Hip: Rise of the Gamers
Buzz has been increasing about an intriguing independent film that looks to blend Tolkien love, geek pride, and Lord of the Rings Online fandom into one epic adventure. Called The Fellows Hip: Rise of the Gamers, this movie is about a group of friends who undertake a journey to a convention in order to participate in a LotRO gaming competition (and stick it to some bullies while they're at it). Many blogs, such as LOTRO Reporter and A Casual Stroll to Mordor, have promoted this up-and-coming film, and after seeing the trailer, we too became fascinated with what could be a fun movie that puts MMO gaming front and center. One may not simply walk into Mordor, but with the right connections, one could phone the folks up there. We got on the line with three crew members for The Fellows Hip -- Ron Newcomb (producer, director and writer), Scott Mathais (producer and writer), and Shane McClung (producer) -- to see just what type of lovable insanity would cause a group of people to throw together such a movie.
WoW-a-thon for Dragon*Con MMO track staffer
Many people, when they think of online gaming, think of 13-year-olds on Xbox Live shouting expletives and teabagging your freshly killed corpse, but those of us who have spent enough time in the community know that there's much more to it than just that. Kevin Stallard, of Dragon*Con MMO track fame, is setting out to prove just that. Kevin's close friend and Dragon*Con staffer Jay Sturrock was recently diagnosed with cancer, and anyone who has ever been diagnosed with cancer or known someone who has can tell you that treatment is not only emotionally exhausting, but financially taxing as well. With this in mind, Kevin is looking to put his World of Warcraft habit to a good cause. On July 9th, Kevin will be holding a 24-hour "WoW-a-thon" at Battle & Brew Gaming Pub in Marietta, GA. Throughout the course of this gaming marathon, Kevin invites fellow gamers to join him either at the pub or in Azeroth and, if they're able, to pledge some money toward covering Jay's medical bills from the treatment. Can't make it to the event itself but still want to help? No problem, just keep an eye on the official event page where PayPal information will soon be posted. We wish Kevin and Jay the best and hope the Massively community will pitch in for this noble cause. [Update: Grim was nice enough to jump in on the comments to inform us that the PayPal link is live. You can find it on the right sidebar of the Dragon*Con MMO track's official site. Get those donations going!]
Guild Launch sponsoring DragonCon 2011 MMO track
DragonCon isn't far over the horizon, and both genre fans and companies are making plans to descend on Atlanta for the annual Labor Day weekend nerd-a-thon in September. One such outfit is Guild Launch, and the hosting company has just announced via press release that it will be sponsoring the MMO track at this year's convention. Guild Launch, founded in 2006 and renowned for its ability to ease the HTML-ignorant into the creation and maintenance of their own guilld-related websites, will be participating in various MMORPG panels as well as exhibiting its services throughout the convention. "After attending DragonCon for the last few years we decided we wanted to promote the DragonCon MMO track more directly. We've found DragonCon to be an awesome place to meet the members of our service and we look forward to meeting more of them in 2011," says company founder Stephen Johnston.
The Daily Grind: Did you go to a game convention last year?
It is, in many ways, the ultimate gamer's pilgrimage -- to make the long trek to attend a gaming convention. Whether it be PAX, Dragon*Con, Fan Faire, BlizzCon, Leipzig or GamesCom, it's surprising the amount of money, time, effort and willingness to stand in line with sweaty people that we put up with just to see the latest games and talk to our favorite developers. It's hard to explain the allure of these conventions to outsiders, but there's something thrilling in seeing crowds of people who share your same hobby and get excited over all the same stuff you do. Plus, there's the swag. OH, the swag! Did you make your pilgrimage in 2010? Did you manage to get away to a fabulous retreat (from reality) and attend a game convention? And was it everything you'd hoped, or did it let you down? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
iPhone-controlled LED suit is actually not going to Burning Man
Usually when we see apparel of this caliber completed around this time of year we can be sure it's headed to the Nevada desert, but no -- this exhilarating piece of wearable rave architecture is headed to DragonCon in Atlanta. Either way, dang! Video of the insanely-customizable blinkage after the break.
DragonCon 2010: MMO track listing
It's time once again for our yearly invasion of Dragon*Con in Atlanta, Georgia! While, yes, we will have several members of our team covering everything going on at PAX, Dragon*Con offers us a chance to get involved with the community and give back some of the love we get during the year. (Oh yes, and some of the snark too.) Of course, it doesn't hurt that Dragon*Con is also an enormous 4-day long party for just about everything any geek would ever be interested in! If you've been wondering what's going on this year with the MMO track, which we'll be back to help with for our fourth year straight, then join us after the break for this year's panel listing! Also, for those friends who haven't picked it up (or anyone curious), the online pocket guide to the overall con is available for download.
Massively Mob Meetups: Dragon*Con 2010 & PAX 2010
Labor Day weekend is coming up and you know what that means: Dragon*Con 2010 and PAX 2010 are here! The two dueling conventions are back to capture the hearts of nerds across America, and Massively.com is going to be in full force at both conventions this year -- a first for us! To celebrate, we're having not one, but two MMO fan gatherings, so our fans from both sides of the country can attend! If you're a PAX person, then come visit us at 8:00 p.m. PDT at The Night Kitchen in Seattle! The Night Kitchen is equipped with a lovely lounge and free wi-fi, so bring your laptop and show off your l33t epics to the mob and the staff! Rubi Bayer, Larry Everett, and Justin Olivetti will be hosting the party, so be sure to drop by, say hi, pick up some late night snacks, and tell us all about your favorite games! If you're a Dragon*Conite, then be sure to drop by the Sheraton's Capitol Ballroom at 10:00 p.m. EDT for the MMO Gathering of Heroes! This is the Dragon*Con MMO track's official dance party, and it's also being hosted by Massively's own Krystalle Voecks and former Massively.com columnist Rafe Brox. Rafe and Krystalle will be laying down the beats for the party, but Grand Poobah Shawn Schuster and I, Seraphina Brennan, will be in attendance as well. (Most likely in costume!) Plus, we can't forget about Kevin Stallard, the leader of the MMO track and former Ask Massively man! So if you want to come meet some fellow MMO-lovers, dance, or meet some of the Massively.com staffers, then this is your party. (P.S. -- A Dragon*Con 2010 pass is required to get into this party.) So, to recap: Saturday, September 4th at 8:00 p.m. PDT at Seattle's Night Kitchen, or Saturday, September 4th, at 10:00 p.m. EDT at Dragon*Con's MMO Gathering of Heroes, located in the Capitol Ballroom of the Sheraton hotel. If you need help, or reminders, join our Steam Community group, The Massively Mob! We hope to see you at one of our events!
Buffing for BlizzCon: The Convention Challenge
Buff(ing) for BlizzCon is a bi-weekly fitness series written by ShrinkGeek authors Rafe Brox and Michael McGreevy. Join the WoW.com team in getting in shape for the ultimate WoW geek event: BlizzCon 2010. BlizzCon is still three months away, but convention season is in full swing. The San Diego Comic-Con ended a few days ago, and in the seemingly endless days that stretch out between now and Blizzardpalooza, there are several huge conventions that may be occupying your time. I'll be leaving next week for Gen Con, and a month after that you'll be able to find Rafe and me (along with a large handful of staffers from Massively) at Dragon*Con. I often wonder if we geeks have not subconsciously scheduled some of the biggest conventions of the year over the summer months as a result of the countless dull hours in our youth because we didn't appreciate the "traditional" summer activities. Whatever the reason, though, this is the time of the year when it's truly grand to be a geek. It is not, however, such a grand time if you are trying to make healthy dining choices.
Dragon*Con 2009 in pictures
Oh, Dragon*Con, I missed you before I even left. Though I'm not entirely certain if you can really enjoy the MMO track's annual World of Warcraft party -- which included Gnome punting and Horde vs. Alliance dodgeball -- vicariously, I tried to catch the experience in photographic form nevertheless. (Note: if you want to really experience the meaning of the "war" in Warcraft, you need to do so in a room filled with hundreds of WoW fans cheering for their faction of choice.) Of course, Dragon*Con is more than parties (after all, some of the parties had Tesla coils), there was some great MMO programming and we had a chance to talk addons with the infamous ckknight. With twelve long months to wait until Dragon*Con 2010, we'll all have to live on memories until then. So, until 2010, I leave you with photo galleries.%Gallery-72666% Gallery: Dragon*Con 2009: General convention gallery
The best of WoW.com: September 8-15, 2009
The World of Warcraft is brimming with anticipation lately, from next month's anniversary activities (the game is almost five years old) to next year's expected Cataclysm expansion. Whether you're a Northrend veteran or still haven't seen Elwynn Forest, Joystiq sister site WoW.com has you covered. If it's in Azeroth, we can tell you all about it.
WoW Add-ons panel at Dragon*Con 2009
While at Dragon*Con this weekend, I was able to attend a World of Warcraft add-ons panel hosted by Cameron Knight, commonly known as ckknight, the developer of such add-ons as Cartographer, Pitbull, Chinchilla, and FuBar. As a day job, he is currently the Lead Developer for both Curseforge and WoWAce.com as well as working as an add-on developer liaison with Blizzard to make sure the major add-on developers get access to the Cataclysm beta. The questions during the session ranged from how to write add-ons, add-on recommendations for newcomers, and even funny bug reports and anecdotes. After the break is the summarized version of the panel.
Dragon*Con 2009: Costumes, the parade and more!
Didn't get a chance to check out the costumes at Dragon*Con this year? No problem! We spent the last weekend grabbing literally hours of video footage to stuff into a small, digestible 10-minute chunk for our readers. We have some footage of the costumes around the hotels, the mass of people outside and of course, the epic parade that is held every year.Follow along after the jump for just a tidbit of our favorite moments from Dragon*Con 2009, and look for a photo gallery of even more wonderful imagery coming soon.
Blizzard at PAX 2009 wrapup
PAX wrapped up over the weekend in Seattle, and from what we've heard of our friends' experiences over at Joystiq, it was a wild, wild time. Blizzard was there as expected, and it sounds like the setup was pretty awesome. They had all three playable demos up from BlizzCon, including the Starcraft II singleplayer game, the Diablo III monk class, and of course the Cataclysm Worgen and Goblin race starting areas. We hear that Blizzard had their GMs in attendance as well, and reader Aveiceae (whose pictures you can see in the gallery below) reports that she saw both Drysc and Bornakk there. She also says that Blizzard gave away some of their famous hand sanitizer throughout the show -- very important, especially at a gaming convention during swine flu season.Tisoi also has a report over on WoW LJ, including a few pictures of the setup on the convention floor, as well as a few (sneaky) screenshots of the Worgen and Goblin areas. He also got to meet Jeff "Vork" Lewis and Sandeep "Zaboo" Parikh of The Guild. Felicia Day wasn't there (she spent the weekend at Dragon*Con, where there was other WoW-related shenanigans going on), but as Sandeep reported on his Twitter, she wasn't needed, thanks to cosplayers. Sounds like a great time was had by all. Next year, PAX is headed out east -- we'll have to keep an eye out and see if Blizzard is going there as well.%Gallery-72105%
