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Mat McCurley says goodbye to WoW Insider
Well, here we go. This is my last day at WoW Insider, after two and a half years of writing, podcasting, and interacting with one of the greatest communities online. Having the opportunity to write for you and with these wonderful people has been one of the greatest experiences of my life. I started playing World of Warcraft back in May of 2004 during the closed beta test. My time and tenure in Star Wars: Galaxies was winding down, and Dark Age of Camelot was far in the rearview mirror. None of us knew what World of Warcraft would become or how much the game would influence some of our lives. For me, World of Warcraft represents time, effort, passion, and drive; when every other option available was lacking, uninteresting, or just wrong, I wrote about my passion. I'll never stop playing because I see no reason to stop.
WRUP: A farewell to Mr. Mat McCurley and Ms. Kelly Aarons
Every week, just at the start of the weekend, we catch up with the WoW Insider staff and ask them, "What are you playing this week?" -- otherwise known as: WRUP. Join us to see what we're up to in and out of game, and catch us in the comments to let us know what you're playing, too! Hello, everyone! I've finally returned from my pseudo-vacation roadtrip across the country. It was a lot of fun. I got to meet Anne Stickney (again), see a dude freak out on the floor of the Illinois House of Representatives, go skydiving, check out the Art of Videogames exhibit at The Smithsonian, survived being stranded for 10 hours in the blazing California desert, and -- well, it was pretty damn action-packed. But as much as I'd love to regale you with tales of my adventure, we have some sadness today. Beloved WoW Insider columnist Mat McCurley has gone to a better place. (The better place, in this case, being a totally rocking job with Riot, the folks who make League of Legends.) If you're the type who reads WoW Insider without checking out the bylines, it's hard to fathom how much of a loss this is. Mat is a huge part of what makes WoW Insider what it is. I first met Mat as part of a somewhat impromptu one-day trip. Mike Sacco and I drove from Massachusetts down to New York city, meeting up with McCurley and (then writer) Rich Stoneybaby Maloy for a really awesome evening or drinking and WoW talk. By the next morning, the groundwork for one of the most amazing working friendships I've ever had was laid. My favorite thing about Mat was his almost child-like enjoyment of WoW. He shows such an incredible enthusiasm for the game that it's infectious. If you met him at BlizzCon or saw him perform at PAX East, you know exactly what I'm talking about. It really sucks that we're losing Mat as a columnist. The only consolation: He's going to go on to do even more amazing things for Riot. And also he's going to come out to live in Los Angeles, right down the street from me. Awesome. And making matters worse, we're also losing Kelly Aarons here at WoW Insider as well. I wish I knew Kelly as well as I knew Mat, but I never got a chance to drive up to Canada. From what I do know about her, though, she's awesome. Her drawings were awesome. Byron rules. As a farewell, I figured I'd republish Mat's Birthday Wish one last time. It was an epic effort on my part -- a children's book I wrote to pay tribute to one of the coolest dudes out there in the WoW-verse. And while we're WRUPing, we'll all answer this week's bonus question: What's your favorite Mat McCurley/Kelly Aarons moment?
WoW Moviewatch: The Lich King: Part 4: The Wrath Gate
This intro is going to be a little brief because I think this piece can largely stand on its own two feet. The Lich King: Part 4: The Wrath Gate is a creation of Mathew McCurley (you might have heard of him) when he asked the question, "What if Ken Burns had created a video to document the events of the Wrath Gate?" The result is an evocative, moody piece that questions the history of Wrath of the Lich King's most memorable quests. The music is incredibly well chosen, and the low-key, laconic documentary dialogue lends the video a sense of gravitas. Check it out and let Mat know what you think. Interested in the wide world of machinima? We have new movies every weekday here on WoW Moviewatch! Have suggestions for machinima we ought to feature? Toss us an email at moviewatch@wowinsider.com.
WoW Insider Weekly News Update for Dec. 2, 2011
The WoW Insider Weekly News Update is your source for all the biggest stories from the past week wrapped up in a neat little video package. Mathew McCurley hosts your quick look at this week's biggest news. If you haven't already subscribed to the WoW Insider YouTube channel, you should! This week's top stories include: Raid Finder bosses explained in 5 seconds Tips for succeeding in the Raid Finder Watch the Dragon Soul cinematics Watch Cataclysm's ending cinematic SPOILERS! New patch 4.3 mounts and where to get them
WoW Insider Weekly News Update for Nov. 18, 2011
The WoW Insider Weekly News Update is your source for all the biggest stories from the past week wrapped up in a neat little video package. Mathew McCurley hosts your quick look at this week's biggest news. If you haven't already subscribed to the WoW Insider YouTube channel, you should! This week's top stories include: Patch 4.3 valor and conquest point changes coming GuildOx reports 1,000+ guilds have killed heroic Ragnaros New WoW advertisement this weekend NetEase revenues go up in China GameStop Black Friday deals Preorder the new WoW novel Jaina Proudmoore: Tides of War now
Weekly WoW News Videocast for Nov. 12, 2011
For the past month, we've been secretly developing plans to introduce a new weekly videocast of all the WoW news, to replace (or potentially complement) the Weekly News Podcast. We're pleased to bring you the first episode of our videocast today, right from the desks of the WoW Insider staff. This is just the beginning ... We want to know what you think, what you'd like to see, and any tips you have at making it more informative. Some things we're looking at doing in the future including moving it to a true HD format, adding a bunch of interstitial images, and potentially using some in-game video footage where appropriate. We're starting small and will build up, just like other projects we've undertaken. So take a look, let us know! This week's top stories include: Subscribers down to 10.3 million PvP Season 10 ending Nov. 29 Patch 4.3 valor and conquest conversion policy WoW designer Q&A Darkmoon Faire on the PTR Rumors of mass layoffs at Blizzard are 100% false And of course, stay tuned for our normal podcast, which runs every week on Tuesday morning.
WRUP: WoW Insider's first children's book
Every week, just at the start of the weekend, we catch up with the WoW Insider staff and ask them, "What are you playing this week?" -- otherwise known as: WRUP. Join us to see what we're up to in and out of game, and catch us in the comments to let us know what you're playing, too! Ladies and gentlemen, this is a very important weekend we are about to undertake. Important, you see, because it is the anniversary of Mr. Mathew Genzer McCurley's birth. Mat's having a birthday party down in New York City this weekend, and I'm driving down to attend. But what's a birthday without presents, right? That's why I've written and illustrated my first-ever children's book, titled Mat's Birthday Wish. And because I figured you'd want to see it, too, I'm giving the book its world premiere right here, tonight, in WRUP. So, without any further delay: Mat's Birthday Wish.
WoW Insider Show episode 131: Stuffed full of news
The WoW Insider Show podcast broadcast this Saturday, and your hosts Sacco and Rossi welcomed lore columnist Anne Stickney and UI/addon columnist Mat McCurley on the show to talk about the crop of exciting news harvested from the Twitter dev chat, as well as the fuzzy, lovable, entirely clever WoW plushies. Get the podcast: [iTunes] Subscribe to the WoW Insider Show directly in iTunes. [RSS] Add the WoW Insider Show to your RSS aggregator. [MP3] Download the MP3 directly. Listen here on the page:
WoW Insider Show live today at 3:30 PM Eastern
Every week, we broadcast live from several places worldwide to present you with the WoW Insider Show podcast -- an hour's worth of WoW community discussion, covering everything from the week's top stories here on WoW.com to emails from our readers to what's been going on with our particular characters in Azeroth. Along with your hosts, WoW.com editor Michael Sacco and contributing editor Matthew Rossi, we also feature rotating guest hosts, whether regular WoW.com contributors or personalities from other sites. Today's WoW Insider Show features: Guest hosts: Lore columnist Anne Stickney and UI/addon columnist Mat McCurley News from the Twitter dev chat Cataclysm world events in the Patch 3.3.3 PTR files The ridiculously cute (and, marketing-wise, ridiculously clever) WoW plushies Reader emails And more! Want to participate? Join in the conversation in the chat channel on our Ustream site while the show's broadcasting! Want to have your question read on the air? Drop us a line any time at theshow@wow.com! Just want to listen? Follow the jump.
WoW Insider Show episode 129: House of cards
This Saturday's WoW Insider Show featured regular standbys Mike Sacco and Matt Rossi as well as two special guests -- Mat McCurley, our new addon/UI columnist, and Amy Schley, our new legal columnist. Love was, apparently, In The Air, but so was an hour or so of WoW discussion ranging from what's going on with the WoW TCG to a sort-of-confirmed Cataclysm release date thanks to the Activision-Blizzard financial report, on top of answering reader emails and talking amongst ourselves. A good time was indeed had by all. Get the podcast: [iTunes] Subscribe to the WoW Insider Show directly in iTunes. [RSS] Add the WoW Insider Show to your RSS aggregator. [MP3] Download the MP3 directly. Listen here on the page:
