shorties
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The Daily Grind: Why do you play a short race?
Let me put my capital-b Bias up front and center here: Short races rock. Whether they be Gnomes, Gibberlings, Asura, Hobbits, or Dwarves, if I have the option to play a diminutive character in an MMO, I'll take it. Even my City of Heroes characters jacked down the slider to the shortest possible height. It's why I'm ecstatic that WildStar will be offering the Chua as an option, because my purpose in life is to play a small rabid kangaroo-rat-thing. So why do I play short races? Being somewhat short myself, I like putting my height out there in games as a point of pride instead of being ashamed of it. Plus, there's always something cool about watching a tiny dude beat up someone 1500% of his body mass. Plus plus, short races are often associated with a wicked sense of humor and irreverence. That's me, baby! Enough about me; why do you play a short race? Where are my gnomies at today? Speak up, tiny brothers and sisters! 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!
Excelsior! The cheerful insanity of the Guild Wars 2 Asura
It would have been easy for ArenaNet to make Guild Wars 2's Asura race just another batch of quirky MMO "shorties," playing into the standard fantasy trope. You know how it goes -- what the little guy lacks in brawn he makes up for in quick wit and charm. Throw in some floppy ears, a mischievous grin, and some mechanical gizmos, and you've got yourself a gnome by another name. So did ArenaNet rise to the challenge of porting and updating the Asura? We got a good look at the race and its starting zone in the game's final beta weekend event in the hopes of figuring that out. Follow on for our first impressions!
WRUP: Go gnome or go home edition
Last week, we asked the Massively readers whether or not short races are persecuted in MMOs. For some of you, shorties are the cutest, perfectest, most adorablest little gnomeykins in gaming, while for others, the altitudinally challenged are worthy only of a good old fashioned punting. But whether you love them or hate them, someone must play them, else developers wouldn't keep recycling them into fantasy and sci-fi games alike! So in today's What Are You Playing, we asked our own staff members to put aside their machismo and 'fess up their propensity for short stuff. More on point, we also asked them what they'll be playing this weekend. Hop on past the break to see what we're up to, then tell us in the comments how you'll be spending your holiday weekend. (Bonus WRUP points if you're a card-carrying member of a shorties guild like Gnomeland Security or Gnomercy.)
