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The Summoner's Guidebook: Getting friends to enjoy League of Legends
I find the mainstream success of League of Legends to be extremely baffling. If you break down the skills you need to be an effective player in the MOBA genre, they are daunting. The mechanical skill cap to be acceptable is unacceptably high, and the knowledge burden is enormous. Other MOBAs have dozens of characters and hundreds or thousands of matchups. League of Legends' character pool is so unbelievably large that even professionals cannot grasp the entirety of its design space. While I can't fathom how normal people find a game this hard fun, I can simply accept it. That makes it quite possible to get our friends and significant others hooked. However, because League is a hard game, it is probably best that we be careful when we try to teach our friends. It's pretty easy to scare them with the enormous difficulty in the game.
Study: Mobile gamers download five titles a month, mostly through word of mouth
A new study released by Applifier says that word of mouth is still the number one way mobile game players find the games they like. That doesn't necessarily mean in-person discussion about mobile games, however, though 36 percent of users did report that hearing from a friend or family member was a major source of games, and 25 percent of users said actually seeing a friend or family member play a game was one way they found out about their favorites. However, 43 percent of users say reading user reviews was the main way they found what they liked to play. Video is another big game pusher -- 70 percent of users polled by Applifier say that they watched online video about mobile games in the last week, and 45 percent of users said that watching the video had them downloading that same game right away. Most mobile game players, according to Applifier, download up to five mobile games a month, which is just a little more than one per week. Those games are played for about three hours per week, though obviously that's spread out across the entire week, so most likely little bits here and there rather than three hours at a time. And 20 percent of users, said Applifier, can be classified as "sharers," which means they are more likely to download more games, play more often and for longer and convert to paying users. All interesting stuff. For all of the infrastructure for app discovery built by Apple and others, odds are that you're still hearing about your favorite iOS downloads from the people that you know best anyway.
8 ways to stay in touch with all your old WoW friends
When it finally comes time for your ship to make a final departure from the shores of Azeroth, the lands you're leaving behind will almost certainly not be what your heart aches for the most -– it's the people. Skittering about atop superficial friendships with guildmates and situational acquaintances is easier than ever in the age of LFD and LFR, but we're sure it's unnecessary to remind you that lifelong friendships and marriages are forged and strengthened in Azeroth, as well. The people we meet here are most assuredly part of our lives – and stepping away from WoW (whether for a temporary sabbatical or on a permanent basis) doesn't inevitably mean losing touch. We never recommend sticking with the game solely to stay in touch with or please other players. It's no fun to play if your heart's not in it, and nobody has any fun if you're obviously slogging along with little real enthusiasm. If you need to take a break from World of Warcraft but you don't want to lose touch with the people here who've brightened your life, you can keep in touch so many other ways.
Budweiser's Buddy Cup makes Facebook friending a toast away
Making new friends over cold brew isn't particularly difficult, but making those friendships Facebook-official requires a bit more effort -- unless you have Buddy Cup, that is. Developed by ad outfit Agencia Africa and creative studio Bolha for Budweiser Brazil, the drinking vessel makes folks who toast with each other friends on Zuckerberg and Co.'s social network as soon as their beverages collide, with an LED lighting up to confirm the new acquaintance. Partygoers link their Facebook profile with the LilyPad-based grail by scanning a QR code underneath the glass with an app from the brewer, and they'll be on their way to making new pals. The Drum reports that the Buddy Cup will be used at concerts, festivals and parties sponsored by The King of Beers, but we're sure intrepid imbibers can hack some together for use at their own soirees. Hit the jump to for a video of the contraption.
Drama Mamas: Preemptive polyamorous preparations
Drama Mamas Lisa Poisso and Robin Torres are experienced gamers and real-life mamas -- and just as we don't want our precious babies to be the ones kicking and wailing on the floor of the checkout lane next to the candy, neither do we want you to become known as That Guy on your realm. Results! We want them! If you've written in to us and we've answered you, please send us an email letting us know what happened. We already have a few responses, but we'd like to collect a few more to fill up the next Drama Mama: Results Edition ... coming soon. On to this week's letter: I'm writing as a "preemptive strike". Like a good boy scout (err... girl who would be a good boy scout if she was a boy), I want to be prepared. This would be excellent material for a Soap Opera or a Greek Tragedy, so grab some popcorn and enjoy. I run a fairly big raiding guild (about 30 active raiders). Many of us are very close, and a few of us have hung out in real life. We know a lot about each others' lives and we laugh, cry and celebrate when life events occur. Now to the fun part. Two of my officers (We'll call them "Ross and "Rachel") are married to each other. Ross is a raid leader. They have an open marriage (I don't judge and neither should anyone reading this). They're happy and comfortable in their marriage so as long as they're happy, I'm happy. I consider myself very close friends with this couple.
The Soapbox: Using MMOs to relax and unwind
Every now and then, everyone needs to take a break from the hustle and bustle of everyday life to relax and unwind. The outside world can be loud, and the stresses of work and home life can add up quickly, so it helps to be able to switch off for a while. Some of us find relaxation in sitting down in front of the TV, others in zoning out to their favourite music, and an increasing number of people now wind down with computer games. I've personally found MMOs to be incredibly effective refuges from stress and anxiety, but until now I've never really thought about why that might be. Any game can provide a few hours of escape from the daily grind, but there's something special about MMOs that seems to make them more comforting places to be. Certainly MMOs are manufactured to give a sense of solid progress as you play, a fairness that the unpredictability of real life often can't deliver, but there has to be more to it. Do the music and ambient sounds in EverQuest II's virtual forests and glens produce the same reaction as walking through a real life wood? Likewise, does EVE Online trick us into slowing down, and is spending time in a virtual world just more appealing than slogging along in the real one? In this opinion piece, I look at some of the most relaxing areas and activities I've found in MMOs and try to figure out what makes them tick.
Amazon announces 'Friends and Family Gifting,' just in time for the holidays
Amazon is often coming up with ways to have folks like yourself (and us, too) spend some dough on one of its many, many offerings -- and, well, today's no exception. A short while ago, the online retailer announced a new service dubbed Friends and Family Gifting, which will give internet shoppers a one-stop hub where they can easily create gift / wish lists to use while readying for events such as an upcoming friend's birthday, other special occasions and, of course, the holiday season. The new Amazon feature also integrates with social networks like Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest, making it easier to share links of stuff you're thinking of adding to your cart. Friends and Family Gifting is live now, so hit the source link below if you'd like to give it a try.
Storyboard: Hey, I know you!
I am not a private person. I have a job that requires me to put my name on things, so that right there is a layer off the privacy shield. But beyond even that, I like to give shout-outs to people I think are cool and make my presence in a game known. It's no secret that I work here, it's no secret that I write columns here, and in most games that I play and write about regularly, my character names are kind of open secrets anyhow. Hence why I can walk around in Final Fantasy XIV and bump into people who tell me that they really liked an article I wrote, which is kind of a surreal yet awesome experience. All of this means that my reputation precedes me... which is not necessarily a good thing. While I'm all about keeping up the OOC communication, there comes a point for some players when their characters stop being Sven Ergunsdottir (played by Paul) and start being Paul's Norn guy with the name. There are challenges to playing alongside someone you know better in real life either because you know one another or because the person in question is a jerk who writes a bunch of readily available articles. So how do you handle roleplaying with people who know you very well?
Must See HDTV (November 12th - 18th)
While the fall TV premiere season may have cooled off (who's excited for the season premiere of Whitney? No one? Ok.) there's a slew of videogames and movies arriving for our home viewing pleasure. That includes several blockbuster titles, plus hits from the archives as varied as Lawrence of Arabia and Bill And Ted's Excellent Adventure. Look below for the highlights this week, followed after the break by our weekly listing of what to look out for in TV, Blu-ray and videogames. Call of Duty: Black Ops II It's fall, there's a new Call of Duty game. Killstreaks, multiplayer, elite, etc. A new tweak this time around is the ability to live stream matches via Youtube and other platforms, but we suspect you've already decided whether or not this year's update is a must-buy for you. Joystiq's review should be live soon of course, if you need a final go-ahead. ($59.99 on Amazon) Friends: the Complete Series Fans of the series can finally get every single episode in high definition (it was recorded on film and has been airing in HD in syndication for a while, so you should have some idea of the quality) this week. The better news is that while Friends: The Complete Series carries a $300 MSRP, the actual price for all 296 episodes is down to $149 if you're willing to dive in. ($149.99 on Amazon) Doctor Who: Series Seven, Part 1 While what could be* the final go-round of Matt Smith as the Doctor has not yet concluded, you can get the first half of the season on Blu-ray this week. Companions Amy and Rory are still along for the ride which includes encounters with (of course) the Daleks, and more. At five episodes, it may be worth holding off for the season to finish, but at least it's pretty cheap. (Update: Despite hinting at plans to leave the role, there is not yet confirmation about Matt Smith's Who plans past this season.) ($19.99 on Amazon)
FedEx makes shipping packages to Facebook friends easier with new 'Ship to Friends' app
What's better than saving some precious and valuable time, right? Well, if you're a power Facebook resident and FedEx is your carrier of choice, then you'll be happy to hear all about Ship to Friends. With this new Facebook app, the company previously known as Federal Express will make it easier for you to send your friends packages without ever having to virtually step out of Zuck's social network. Essentially, this means you'll be able to simply select a user from your Friends list, add the necessary shipping info and, finally, choose the delivery speed (i.e. Premium Choice or Best Deal) and pay for the service -- naturally, however, you'll still have to get the package ready and drop it off at the nearest FedEx shop. Unfortunately, Ship to Friends is only available to Stateside folks for shipments within the US, and FedEx made no mention of when, or if, it plans to start offering its new handy service elsewhere.
Drama Mamas: He's ready to plaaayyy ...
Time for a nostalgic trip back to Ulduar, boys and girls. This week's letter writer? Like a certain clockwork creation from our past, he might be just a little overeager to come out and play ... Hi WoW Insider Drama Mamas, So ... I'm a WoW n00b. I get the impression I'm a rarity these days (even with the release of Mists of Pandaria) (I'm so n00b I've only recently worked out that WoW means World of Warcraft and not like "Hey, man, WoW!" with a badly placed capital letter). IRL I'm a pretty outgoing bloke as well. I'm not short of mates, and friendly to most people I know. I even have a young family, and a wife I love very much. I'm an internet veteran who remembers ICQ and IRC chat. I've hung out on rock band and football club forums and successfully existed online there. I've played MMO style games before, in particular Second Life which is all about being social, and I've done well in the whole making friends thing there. But when it comes to WoW, I don't seem to be able to strike it, socially at least. I've got one mate on my friends list, who I know from RL; however, I worry I make him sick of me bugging him with my n00b questions. (What's the Dungeon Hunter? Where do I get leather from to make stuff with? Who's Leeroy Jenkins?) I had a brief "fling" with a girl kind enough to take me on my first dungeon run. I kept dying. I'm sure she was laughing her head off. But she was very gracious, kind, and friendly. I friended her, however I think she's since culled me from her friends list which of course makes me sad, but hey maybe she had to cull her list because it was too busy for her to concentrate on playing perhaps. I understand that sort of thing completely and I'm certainly not hurt over it. Other than that ... Every time I chat publicly to someone I'm either ignored or they run away. Comments in the casual guild I've joined seem to get ignored. And like I say, I don't want to drown my RL mate in-game either. Would love to see what you both have to say. What makes the WoW denizen different from other online hangout denizens? Many thanks, Scott Nofriends
Instagram 3's new Photo Maps feature adds location to your photo stories
Instagram 3.0, the free photo sharing app for iPhone, is available and provides a number of enhancements. The most impressive is the new Photo Maps feature. By grabbing geolocation information that is saved with each photo, Instagram creates a world map of your images by location. As you zoom in on each location, say Florida for example, you see locations in that state, then in each city. You can add new photos to your Photo Maps through the new photo upload screen, which features a prominent Add to your Photo Maps button. Instagram has also increased the length of the captions you can add to each photo, and provides a way to name a location. %Gallery-162651% The app has some other improvements that make life a bit easier. There's now infinite scrolling when you're looking at images; when you get to the bottom of a page, more images are added automatically without having to tap a "load more" button. On the iPhone 4S, the app seems faster and more responsive in some limited testing. It's also possible now to report individual comments as spam or obscenity by swiping right on the comment. You're given the choice of just deleting the comment, or deleting and reporting the comment. This addition is designed "to ensure Instagram is a safe and fun place to share your photos," in the words of the Instagram team. Fellow TUAW blogger Megan Lavey-Heaton noticed that the filters can now be applied before you take a photo. I verified that, and also noticed that the tilt-shift and other focus filter can also be applied before shooting. Photo Maps is a compelling feature that may just cause a lot of people to pick up their pace of posting to the Instagram photo sharing service. Instagram 3.0 is a free update; we'd recommend you update as soon as possible if you haven't already.
Blog Azeroth Shared Topic: Introducing friends to WoW
Each week, Blog Azeroth hosts a Shared Topic for bloggers to answer on their own blogs and then link to in the forum. This week, frinka from Warcraft Street asks: Have you ever tried to introduce real life friends to WoW? If yes, how did it go? If you never have, why not? All of my gamer friends are playing or have played WoW, and my non-gamer friends have neither the inclination for video games nor the systems to run MMO. So no on the friends. Moving on to family, I wanted to get my mother into it -- like I got her into Might and Magic, XCOM, and Spaceward Ho -- but her laptop was able to run Pogo, and that's about it. My gaming sisters tried WoW and other MMOs on their own. The Spousal Unit of course played; he's taking a break to be addicted to play Minecraft. That leaves The Spawn, my now 6-year-old daughter, with whom I've had both success and failure getting to play.
Drama Mamas: Too shy for an MMO
Drama Mamas Lisa Poisso and Robin Torres are experienced gamers and real-life mamas -- and just as we don't want our precious babies to be the ones kicking and wailing on the floor of the checkout lane next to the candy, neither do we want you to become known as That Guy on your realm. Dear Blizzard, Please give us a release date so that our friends will come back to Azeroth. Much love, Your Current Players My wife bought me a copy of WoW in the weeks before BC came out. There was a large percentage of WoW players among our friends and family: I, my wife, her brother, his wife- her two brothers, father, and mother all played. When my wife and I divorced, I still played with all of my extended real-life WoW family (in fact, my ex-wife's new husband was in our RL family/friend guild for a while, along with her sister-in-law's second husband, whew I know.). Among these and their real-life friends, I could easily play with any of over twenty different people I was friends with in the real world. Now, in the lull that is the waning days of Cataclysm, I don't have a single real-life friend to play with. It has been over six months since any of my RL friends on my friend's list have played. I'm in a new guild (my first lvl 25), yet their guild roster has many, many toons that haven't played in months.
Wings Over Atreia: It's time to liberate Aion from race restrictions
The shadows dance as the last of the rays of day filter through the window. A hush descends as fingers are poised over the keyboard. Maybe today is the day! Just maybe. Fingers fly. Clinging to that last shred of hope, the player types the code. Just one more step! Breath held, hand shaking, finally the selection made... *Race creation restrictions are in place. You cannot create an Elyos.* Race restrictions: a noble idea that causes harm in its quest to do good, an idea in Aion that has outlived its usefulness, at least in its current form. Perhaps you've never been party to the scenario described above, but I (along with countless others) have. It is not a pleasant experience; I contend that race restrictions are causing avoidable harm to the game. At the very least, it's a slap in the face to the idea of playing your way. But even worse than that, it is costing Aion players when the express goal was to avoid that very thing. This week, Wings Over Atreia looks at why the policies of race restrictions need to be reexamined, and if kept, reimplemented in a different way.
Friends: The Complete Series Blu-ray set arrives November 13th for just under three bills
The good news is that after many rumors, Warner Home Video has finally confirmed it's bringing the TV show Friends to Blu-ray this fall. The (potentially) bad news is that it's going to be an all or nothing affair, with all 236 episodes (90 hours) shoved into a 21-disc BD-50 set with the 17 hours of bonus features from the DVD releases, plus three hours of new special features. While the remastered HD episodes (in case you weren't aware, Friends, like Seinfeld, was recorded on film and has already been reformatted for HD and widescreen while airing in syndication) will feature DTS 5.1 audio, there's also a 32-page episode guide shoved into the case, which features lenticular shifting artwork that can be seen over on TV Shows On DVD. There's no price on Amazon yet but the MSRP will be $279.98 when it ships November 13th -- decide carefully how much having The Rembrandts "I'll Be There For You" video in 1080p is worth.
Bring your pals to The Old Republic with a newly extended Friends Trial
The galaxy can be a big, cold, and lonely place, and BioWare knows it. That's why the studio has decided to increase the number of friends that players can invite to join them in Star Wars: The Old Republic courtesy of a seven-day free trial. Whereas before players were only able to invite a paltry three friends at a time, now burgeoning social butterflies can drag up to 25 of their friends into The Old Republic. It's worth noting, of course, that the free trial period does come with some limitations. Friends invited for the free trial will only be able to progress to level 15, and trial characters can play only "on their Origin World, Capital World, at the Fleet, [in] a Warzone, and in their first Flashpoint." But if you've got some friends who are on the fence about subscribing to the game, those seven days just might be enough to get them hooked. So get out there, rally your friends, and get to conquering the galaxy.
Drama Mamas: Choosing between raiding and friendships
Drama Mamas Lisa Poisso and Robin Torres are experienced gamers and real-life mamas -- and just as we don't want our precious babies to be the ones kicking and wailing on the floor of the checkout lane next to the candy, neither do we want you to become known as That Guy on your realm. In the video above, Candace's friends are off having fun without her. Since she is unwilling to find her own fun, she takes a portal to Mars to hang out with strangers -- and breaks into song. There are parallels with this week's letter (except for the song part). Hi Robin & Lisa, I'm finally writing in with my own dilemma. Since I started playing this game in mid-Wrath, I've played with my girlfriend and our mutual friend. We have a strong bond and truly enjoy playing together, and GF and I have even met our friend IRL. In Wrath, I led our 10 man raid group, and we loved every minute of ICC. Once the Cataclysm was upon us, we expected to continue raiding. However, things rarely work out as planned, and we missed T11 completely, mostly due to the dissolution of our guild. Eventually I became frustrated with lack of progress and quit the game for a while.
Breakfast Topic: Do your WoW and real-life friendships overlap?
I had some sad news not long ago -- a friend of mine passed away in a freak accident while on holiday with his girlfriend in Thailand. I knew him through his girlfriend, and it had eventually come out in conversation that we both played WoW. He was Jacksonn of European Elite on Terokkar (EU). His guild ran ICC not long ago in his memory; they told me he had wanted bracers from there for his warrior, so it was a sweet tribute. He counted many great friends among his guild, just as in the world outside Azeroth, as do I among mine. I got into playing WoW through friends I knew from the local pub. They talked me into it one Christmas when I was on gardening leave and bored to tears. As I've played, I've made many good friends, strengthened my bonds with my real-life friends, and even met someone special. My WoW friends have helped me through some difficult times. It's a great form of escapism, and there's almost always somebody online to chat with about reforging, or cats, or complaining about PuGs, or nothing in particular. How about you? Do you have real-life friends you met through WoW? Do your real-life friends play too? How does your social circle spill over between the world and Azeroth?
Wings Over Atreia: Attitude of gratitude
For Solorius, I expounded on my wish list for Aion, detailing things I wanted to see in game. Now, however, 'tis the season to express thankfulness for that which we have. While contemplating the many things I am grateful for in my life, I also considered the things that I am grateful for in the world of Atreia. Sure, things are not perfect (what world, real or pixelated, is?), and there are problems, bugs, and things I still hope are changed or added, but that does not diminish the fact that Aion still offers many things to gamers in general -- and me in particular. Originally slated to release during the holiday, this topic was preempted by last week's announcement. No matter -- I certainly don't mind stretching out the season of gratitude. So while it might be more trendy to troll and spread hate, I dedicate this week's Wings Over Atreia to just saying thanks. Don't believe there are things to be thankful for? Step past the cut (or roll, if you enjoyed as much turkey as I did) to check out my reasons and a chance to express your own.
