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Storyboard: Making character relationships work
Character interrelationships are the heart of roleplaying. The interesting part of your character isn't his background or his personality; it's what happens when you put him in a room with several other people and let the whole thing move from there. You're trying to create an entirely different person who will build an entirely different set of relationships in an entirely different world. Unfortunately, some of those relationships can feel a bit... forced -- as if you're trying to find a connection where none exists, or as if you've jumped past some important elements of characterization that would make everything seem clearer. In short, a lot of your relationships feel as if they were cut from the Star Wars prequels. I harp on verisimilitude a lot in this column, but that's precisely because roleplaying depends on the illusion of reality in each interaction. If your relationships in roleplaying feel real, it does wonders for grounding the characters and their interplay in reality and giving substance to everything else you do. So I think it's worth noting some obvious stumbling points and some ways to help relationships feel more organic.
WoW geek love brings two players together on a reality show
While I'm loathe to promote the tired idea of WoW gamers being lonely, misanthropic geeks without the ability to connect normally with normal people ... this video is kind of hilarious. Essentially, two contestants on this speed dating show were failing to achieve chemistry when they discovered a mutual love of WoW! With this common ground firmly in place, the two spontaneously had a successful conversation about characters, raiding, and the game in general. While I'm not ready to say this video proves how awesome WoW performs as a social dating tool, it's still kind of cute to see two reality show peeps suddenly start chatting about raids. I wasn't entirely shocked to see the chap's a WoW player, though -- that hair is straight out of the sin'dorei catalog. [Thanks to many, many for the tip!]
The Call of Nyorloth: Your favorite Azerothian relationships
Nyorloth, the newest blue poster on the forums and a lore specialist, has already opened up the floor for lore discussion with a great topic for Love is in the Air. There are many types of relationships all over Azeroth, from romantic to bromantic, friendly to rivalrous. The question is which work the best? I think my favorite relationship in Cataclysm was the father/son bonding and relationship building that went on between Eitrigg and his son Ariok. Eitrigg seems to want to bring his son along for the ride as he redeems his people and weeds out the bad blood amongst the Blackrock clan. Ariok is proud to serve under his father, and that relationship feels real, honest, and not forced. Just a father and son doing something together that they love -- subterfuge and war. Head on over to the thread and help out Nyorloth with his first post on the lore forums. Another hearty welcome to Nyorloth!
Study shows MMOs help make friends ... and lovers
Although this may come as a gigantic "duh" to anyone that's been part of a guild long term in their MMORPG of choice, but recent research by Nottingham Trent University shows that MMO players are sociable creatures. The study looked at 1,000 online gamers across the planet and found that almost half end up meeting in real life and one in ten go on to develop "physical relationships" with other players.The findings of the study are actually fascinating: 40% of people discussed sensitive issues with online friends rather than real-life friends. 30% were attracted to another player. Women were more likely than males to be attracted to other players ... and more likely to date them. Women said "therapeutic refreshment" was their main reason for playing, where men did it for "curiosity, astonishment and interest." 1 in 5 believe MMORPGs have a negative impact if their partner doesn't play. Over two-thirds said it was a positive experience if their partner did play. 50% says World of Warcraft is the MMO of choice The full study called Social Interactions in Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Gamers will be published in US journal CyberPsychology and Behavior. The study may not help break any stereotypes of online gamers, but it does show that these online games can have the same social interaction possibilities that playing on a real-life sports team could have.
Echo Robotics kicks out matchmaker bears for the socially impaired
Alright fellas, you've got just over a fortnight remaining before what could possibly be your one and only shot (at least for this year) at hooking up with your dream gal, but if all the singles still in the pool end up toting one of Echo Robotics' latest creations, the hard work will already be done. In what looks to be the next step in finding true companionship for the socially impaired, the Echo team has unveiled a prototype bear which "serves as a nucleation point for conversation," and gives off your choice of signal when you've just brushed by your (potential) soulmate. Essentially, you program your "interests" into the Echo via Bluetooth, and when coming into range of another Echo (which can be housed in any "skin" or stuffed animal) with similar interests (hobbies, work, alma mater, etc.), it will start acting up by waving to alert you to start breakin' that ice. Of course, these little guys are only effective when being carried around by perfect strangers you come near, but the idea is intriguing nonetheless. So if you're interested in carrying around a conversation starter with you at all times, and want to bring back the Tamagotchi craze in a whole new light, be sure to click on through for the prototype in action.[Via RobbotGossip]
