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Google Play adds 'Offline Games' section
Those worried that the games they play on their Android devices might be subtly pushing them ever-closer to their carrier's data cap can rest a bit easier by perusing the offerings in Google Play's newly-launched "Offline Games" section. Like the name says, all games found in the Offline Games section require no Internet connectivity beyond the initial download. While this means the games (which include Plague Inc., Jetpack Joyride and Minecraft - Pocket Edition) won't automatically tap into the cloud for leaderboard updates and in-app purchase reminders, it also means your monthly phone bill won't suddenly inflate to ludicrous levels simply because you spent an especially boring afternoon at the DMV with only your portable device for entertainment. As Engadget points out, the Offline Games section is currently paltry when compared to the thousands of games otherwise available on Google Play, but it's a start. Hopefully more mobile developers will see this move as a reminder that not everyone has an unlimited data plan. [Image: Google]
The Daily Grind: Are there MMOs you would play offline?
In theory, a lot of us are perpetually online. In practice, connections go down, routers get fried, network cards go kaput. Not even broadband is faultlessly reliable. So we deal with games that can be played without any connection required, and life continues. But are there MMOs that you wouldn't mind playing in an offline mode? Speaking personally, I know I would be happy to tool around in Star Trek Online as an offline playground. It has its faults, but it's a nice little dose of thematic space adventure, certainly something fun for whiling away a disconnected afternoon. Some elements would have to be tweaked for an offline mode to work, but that's not the point. So what about you? Are there MMOs you would play offline if you had the opportunity? Or are you more interested in the social aspects and not interested in just playing the game itself as a stopgap? 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!
MMO Blender: Eliot's online brother from an offline mother
We don't need to go online to have a good time, oh no. Obviously Massively's writers like us some online games. I am no exception to the rule. But I also started playing video games back when the internet existed only in its most nascent form. I started out by liking video games, period, and the online component came much later, with a lot of benefits, to be sure, but I still love some offline action just as well. I don't feel the need to bring every game into the online arena. There are games that just don't work as well in a multiplayer environment. But there are also a lot of offline games that translate quite well to an online space, and I'm not just talking about ones that play like MMORPGs stripped of the first three letters. Today's MMO Blender is taking inspiration only from games that do not have a primary online component. Let's see about making a nice big MMO from single-player offline offerings.
The Daily Grind: Would you play a single-player version?
Whether we mean to or not, we get pretty invested in the online worlds we inhabit. It's a natural step to go from a single-player setting that's already gotten our emotional investment to a larger one (as proven by, oh, some game or another), but oddly the reverse happens far less often. We only occasionally see a game that takes the setting of an MMO and uses it as the basis for one person's adventure. This despite the fact that we're usually more attached to our characters than we are in a single-player game, since our avatars in an MMO are defined entirely by us. Of course, part of this is the narrowing of scope, and part of it is the difficulty of marketing to people that they can take a break from their characters online to play the exact same character offline. But for the times when you don't want to log in and deal with assembling a group or competition for farming or any of the slings and arrows of playing online, it could be a nice diversion. What do you think? Would you like to have a single-player game based off of your MMO of choice, or would you rather that the online games you enjoy not creep into your single-player time?
