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The Daily Grind: Have you gotten spouse aggro?
The couple that plays together may very well stay together, but sometimes only half of the couple is interested in playing in the first place. There's nothing wrong with that, of course -- until the issues start up about how much time you spend on your favorite game. That's where the dreaded spouse aggro comes from, when the biggest threat you'll encounter in Guild Wars comes not from parties of healers and anti-caster NPCs, but from your significant other yanking the power cord mid-pull. Sometimes the non-playing half of the couple has a legitimate point and you really are spending more time on the game than with your partner. Other times it's just a case of your partner not being interested and expecting you to give up the hobby obligingly. Have you ever gotten a bad case of spouse aggro? Was it from your spouse, or was it a girlfriend or boyfriend? Did you work matters out, or was that the signal for better or worse that it was time to move on?
Acclaim CEO says Spellborn version 2.0 is on the way
If you're a fan of The Chronicles of Spellborn, Beau Turkey at Spouse Aggro found something today that will make you very happy. There have been rumors floating around lately about a restructuring of the game, and those rumors were recently confirmed on the official forums by Howard Marks, the CEO of Acclaim Games: "The rumors are true! Spellborn Version Two is on the way." Marks went on to explain that the new version has already been released in Japan to great success. They've been fine tuning it, and plans for the English version are underway. If you are a current player of The Chronicles of Spellborn, be sure you have a valid email address on file with Acclaim, because everyone playing the current version will be invited to beta test the new version via email. While details are minimal at this point, it's great news for players to know that more is on the way. You can take a look at the forum announcement here, and Beau's take from a fan point of view here.
Drama Mamas: Wife aggro
Dodge the drama and become that player everyone wants in their group with the Drama Mamas. Lisa Poisso and Robin Torres are real-life mamas and experienced WoW players -- and just as we don't want our precious babies to be the ones kicking and wailing on the floor of checkout lane next to the candy, neither do we want you to become known as That Guy on your server. We're taking your questions at DramaMamas (at) WoW (dot) com. Wife aggro (GF aggro, SO aggro -- whatever you call it at your place) isn't about WoW. Let's get that misconception out of the way right now. Wife aggro is about balancing a relationship with a hobby that tantalizingly dangles one person physically in front of yet emotionally light years beyond the reach of the other partner. Wife aggro is about attention – who's giving it where, who's not getting enough. Wife aggro is about what happens when couples lose their grip on how to separate "me" time from "us" time, on how "being at home" is different than "being available." Wife aggro is about what happens when the wires of "my" time, "your" time and "our" time become crossed and start arcing angry, white-hot sparks. And left unchecked, wife aggro is about demands that cast one partner as the shrill arbiter of what the other partner is "allowed" to do and be. Dear Mamas: I started WoW this year after many years of patient waiting until all the planets and resources aligned for me, and I was completely rewarded. During those times I was able to play 3-4 hours (at least) almost daily, having no personal issues because of the game (I'd still go to work, the gym, dancing classes, read, watch TV, out with friends, and last but not least, my girlfriend), and started getting invited to my Horde guild's raids. But then I got married. In spite of having talked about it with my fiancé before the big step and agreeing I'd still play it casually, the first weeks were hell ... Every time I'd even try to look at my computer, she would invent something for us or me to do, and my gaming "time" was pushed back and back. Finally the bubble popped and we had a huge argument, and the best I could get from her was one WoW day a week.
Spouse Aggro explores Darkfall's self-imposed limitations
Beau Turkey from Spouse Aggro took a look at Darkfall yesterday, a game he checked out earlier this year, and had an interesting perspective on the game and how it's painted itself into a corner with regards to its player base. "[...]the game really deserves more praise than it gets. It is fantastic looking, is very immersive and so far the developers have proven that updates will be frequent enough and great.", says Beau. So what's the problem? Whether it's a problem or not really depends on your perspective. Beau explores the combination of open PvP, hefty system requirements, and no ongoing free trial period and how they combine to aim toward a very specific target audience: young, male, and aggressively PvP-centered. What this means is that Darkfall is unlikely to enjoy the huge player base that WoW or similar games like EVE Online do. As Beau points out, EVE Online is similar in several ways, but gives players the option to get away from PvP areas/turn the graphics down and still enjoy them/use a free trial, which potentially opens the game up to many more paying customers. The entire post can be read over at Spouse Aggro.
Extra Life raises over $150,000
A little over a week ago, we told you about Beau Turkey (from Spouse Aggro) and his participation in Extra Life, the gaming marathon created by Sarcastic Gamer and the Texas Children's Hospital to raise money for the Texas Children's Cancer Center. He easily achieved his goal of $192 -- raising $270 -- but he was one of many, many people who pitched in their time and money to help out. Thanks to Beau and all the others who helped out, Extra Life hit quite a milestone. Yesterday they announced that they had raised over $150,000 -- an amount well over last year's total which will see 100% going to the Cancer center (Check out the header for a running total). Extra Life has designated this Saturday as "make up day," when participants can finish up their full 24 hours, if they couldn't make it before. Of course, the site will remain open for donations until then as well. We applaud Beau, Sarcastic Gamer, and all of you who participated. Thank you!
Blogger to play 24 hours of MMOs for charity
Beau Turkey, the guy-half of the Spouse Aggro blog and podcast -- and a regular guest on our own Massively Speaking podcast -- is participating in a very special charity event all day today. The charity is called Extra Life, and it is a 24-hour gaming marathon with the slogan "Play games, heal kids", created to raise money for the Texas Children's Cancer Center. Beau has chosen his games -- twelve games for two hours each -- and posted his list here. He's included in-game names and servers for each game to make it easier for those who'd like to join him. If you're more of a voyeur, Beau has been kind enough to set up live streaming video of the event as well. We're predicting that it's going to be pretty fun to watch, especially around hour eighteen or so, when he starts to lose feeling in his right hand.Of course, it's good if you want to watch; better if you log in and play with Beau, and best if you donate. Beau's goal is a pretty reasonable $192.00, and you can help him reach it here. Good luck Beau, we think you're doing a great thing. Hope you have plenty of coffee on-hand!
The Daily Grind: Short or long quest arcs?
A little while back, Beau from Spouse Aggro wrote a post about the fun of doing long quest arcs with cut-scenes in Dream of Mirror Online. While I can also say I've enjoyed questing in DOMO, sometimes there's something to be said for a quick "get in, get out" setup like, say, some of the one-off, well thought out missions I've seen created in the City of Heroes Mission Architect, or jumping in and doing something quick in Free Realms when you only have a short period of time. While there is a space for both, it almost seems like long quest arcs involving lots of time (and grinding) are becoming something of an endangered species. Games that have long time-requirements to complete them are often sparsely populated (as per Beau's mention of Final Fantasy XI) compared to many other MMOs on the market these days. Thus, we raise the question - are long quest arcs full of "grind for x drop" "must complete with a group" "run all over the place for a while fetching things" slated to go the way of the dodo, with players instead opting for quick bite-sized missions instead? Or do you think longer quests are better, as they require you to get out into the world more and see/do things you wouldn't if you just ran outside the five-feet-away gates and knocked over 10 wolves for their paws then ran back?
Parallels between free-to-play MMOs and the iTunes Store
Have you ever looked at your favorite subscription MMOs and thought about how much of the content available there you actually play through, use, or experience? Do you ever feel you're paying for more than you're actually using? Beau from the Spouse Aggro podcast points out an interesting parallel between how free-to-play MMOs vs. subscription titles relates to the iTunes Store vs. buying CDs. Even though many people embrace the piecemeal approach to buying music through services like the iTunes Store, there are still plenty of consumers out there who still prefer to buy their music on CDs. After all, that's just how it's been done for years and some people really like to own a CD. They might not listen to every track frequently, but the music's always there for them in case they choose to enjoy it at some point. But how many times have you bought a CD after having heard a certain track you like, only to find out that only a few tracks on that CD are actually good? Maybe your friends like the whole album but for you, there are only a few you'll ever listen to. Did this make you look at the entrenched idea of having to buy the whole CD differently?
