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Free for All: Why MMOs are still the greatest value in gaming
If you are the type of gamer who has access to a number of ways to game, then you probably do not need me to remind you that the hobby can be an expensive one. Consoles are becoming slicker, and the games they run are sure to go up in price, maybe someday soon close to $100 for a single game. A good gaming PC can still be an expensive thing to build and maintain especially as newer and better graphics cards and processors are introduced at a higher rate than we've ever seen before. Luckily, we have outlets like Steam that offer staggering sales and indie titles that can be bought for close to nothing. There's also the mobile market with its tens of thousands of games that can be played essentially for free. So while the prices at the highest end of technology go up, there are still plenty of places to get a cheap yet fulfilling gaming fix. Even with all of the deals out there, however, there is no better value than a modern MMO.
Newzoo releases 2011 MMO Games Market Report
Newzoo, a research and consultation firm for the gaming industry, has released its 2011 MMO Games Market Report, and it includes some interesting -- albeit not terribly surprising -- statistics on the state of the MMO genre. The study found that only about 36% of 39 million players in "European and emerging markets" played games with a "sci-fi or space theme." This is especially relevant considering the next big player in the MMO market -- Star Wars: The Old Republic, for any rock-dwellers -- falls into this category. Peter Warman, Newzoo's CEO, remarked on the matter: You will not catch me making any predictions about Star Wars: The Old Republic. But I am very curious to see how much F2P SciFi gamers EA will be able to convert to P2P gamers and what part will come from outside the current pool of SciFi gamers, being complete newcomers as well as the subscribers to EVE Online, WoW, RIFT or any other triple A P2P MMO game. With big F2P SciFi titles also scheduled to launch pretty soon I expect to see significant differences in uptake of the various SciFi titles in US, Europe and Emerging markets. How will his prediction play out? We'll be finding out soon enough.
The Game Archaeologist: Why I write
We're going to take a brief detour this week from our normal excavations and six-hour-long lectures to address a fundamental question to The Game Archaeologist series. Namely, why write it? Why give attention to games that are "past their prime," have been canceled, or never got off the launch pad in the first place? It's no secret that bigger games and newer titles get the lion's share of the attention and love. It's how it is, and not just here at Massively. I love looking forward to the next hot thing like anyone else, and I will gorge on all the juicy infos if given the opportunity. Yet it's a little-known secret that many staffers here at Massively are passionate about the old guard of MMOs, up to and including playing them on a regular basis. Bree won't let pass any opportunity to tout Ultima Online's "did it first!" superiority on every occasion, Eliot and City of Heroes make out on a regular basis, and several writers are in group therapy as I write this because of the impending shutdown of Star Wars Galaxies. To be an MMO fan is to love the genre as a whole, not just one game. Today I'm going to crack my chest wide open and bare my soul to you as to why I write about older MMOs and why they're still incredibly important to our hobby.
Bashiok comments on WoW's difficulty, accessibility
Players have remarked on the changing difficulty and accessibility of WoW (as well as the MMO genre in general) over the years. What once was a raiding environment based on the grueling EverQuest model has evolved into a new type of accessible/challenging hybrid. One of these discussion posts on the forums has been addressed by Bashiok, who gave quite the answer to players who long for the days of grueling grinds and oppressive content.
