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The Daily Grind: Does your guild like to party down?
As has become tradition for this blogger, every year on Memorial Day (aka 'the birthday') weekend, lots of people from our guild like to get together and party down. There are friendships in our guild that span many years and almost as many games. Of course, beyond just discussing whatever is going on in MMOGspace, there's lots of good food, beer, and geekery to be had for everyone! Since this is the perfect weekend for getting together with friends and family here in the States, we thought that we'd ask you -- do you ever have guild parties in meatspace? Are there any particular times of the year that you and your guild-mates like to get together, like at a convention or fan faire? Or is your guild a strictly online-only guild?
WoW locations based on real-life
This is something that I had never known before about World of Warcraft (and I've been studying this game for quite a while): some of the ingame locations are actually based on real-life buildings and environments. Tree of Life has a terrific post (based on one of our own Around Azeroth screenshots) up showing comparisons of the ingame reproductions and the real-world influences, and some of them are almost perfect recreations.Most of the dances I at least recognized as their real-life counterparts, but other than maybe the Stormwind Castle (and Stonehenge -- duh), I don't think I recognized any of these overtly. Of course, the influences are there -- you can definitely see the Oriental flavor in the Night Elf architecture, and Human buildings are definitely inspired by English and French architecture, but did you know that Durnholde's wreckage compares to a ruined castle in France, or that Zul'Farrak is a take on Macchu Picchu?Very cool finds. Definitely shows you how much Blizzard borrowed from the real world to make this fantasy setting as believable as possible.
Smed speaks about RMT, Free Realms and The Agency
Who'd win in a cage match between SOE's upcoming MMOs, spy-themed The Agency and family-friendly Free Realms? On one side, you have all the guns, explosives, and "M"-ratings. On the other side, you have cartoon-inspired graphics, Real Money Trading, and loads of fun from-7-to-70 minigames. And right in the middle of them both, there'd be John "Smed" Smedley keeping score. These are the kinds of things that come to mind while reading the latest interview with Smed. He talks, again, about the new MMOs and the innovations they bring to the genre, in a pleasantly relaxed tone. Absent are mad, loud proclamations to Funcom, EA Mythic and Blizzard describing how, in great detail SOE MMOs will KICK THEIR MMO'S BUTT.He may not see his games in direct competition with the others, but players do. They want to know HOW the games will kick butt, WHERE they will do it, how PAINFUL it will be, and where they can get a front row seat. In this ION interview, Smed talks about how children who play Free Realms can be given an allowance in the game to limit the amount they spend on in-game goods. If you get your friends to try Free Realms, hey, you can find some shiny nickels in your account to perhaps buy that lovely outfit you've been eying. With The Agency, on the other hand, you want boom? They will have boom. You want bleed? Bleed will happen. SOE is committed to getting an "M" rating for the game, even if they need to have an NPC cuss to do it. We want passion and we get bullet points. We want butt-kicking and get fireside chats. Smed, please tell us how The Agency is going to slam Age of Conan to the ground. Tell us how Free Realms will make players around the world go "Maple What?". We want to believe!
The secret society of WoW players
Rufus on WoW LJ had something happen last weekend that I'd be happens to a lot of us players: He was introduced to someone who he had nothing in common with... except that they played World of Warcraft. It happens a few different ways -- sometimes, it's like what happened to Rufus, in that you share a mutual friend who knows you both play WoW. Sometimes, it's just someone (or you) overhearing something about WoW and realizing that you've found a fellow player. And sometimes it's just your guildies -- out of game, you have almost nothing at all in common, but the game has brought you together.In my experience, it's usually just as awkward as Rufus makes it out to be -- especially when you're brought together by someone else, they have no idea that there are different factions and realms and that there are probably a good nine million, nine hundred and ninety thousand people you haven't ever met in game. There are some things that we have in common, obviously -- everyone has died to the Defias pillagers at some point, and almost everyone knows how tough it was getting past Moroes that first time. Sometimes, people can actually come together on these things -- I had a good old friend whose husband and I bonded a little for no other reason than that we both played Shamans.But usually, especially if introductions are made by a third party, it's just awkward. Have you been in this situation? Did you come away as awkwardly as Rufus did or did you make a new friend thanks to your time in Azeroth?
Sunday Morning Funnies: Rouges in Azertoh
This week we have an NPC coup, a battle of the bands, two strikes, and of course, the much beloved mischief. In the Scout Report, #37, a new activist wanders onto the scene. From the Noob Comic comes Area Effect. Sometimes, a mage just can't help himself. Messy Cow has some adventures in Skinning, although she should have been healing. The best part? The "rouge" who was stealing corpses! Teh Gladiators battle their stealthed opponents, and the Murlocs heat up the scene. This week, the commentary beneath the comic is decidedly worth the read. Sockpuppet holds the "Azertoh Battle of the Bands." Yes, I said "Azertoh." Want to see a raid with the characters from Real Life? NoObz #9 brings you to a special mob-held meeting of sorts, where you get to meet the gray kangaroo (wolf). The old computer has finally broken him. A friend of Monkey Punchers is finally Losing It. In LFG this week, my favorite character breaks into a song and dance! Shakes and Fidget have made their Preparations, and with proper hilarity ensuing. This week on Dark Legacy Comics, the NPCs launch plans to take over the world, through Operation: Horace. From Action Trip comes Impressive Knowledge. Seriously, kids these days really know their stuff! Sure, they might lose a finger or a hand, but then they'll know which faction they're dealing with, right? Pass through the break to vote for your favorite from this week's selection.
Real Bowser stalks our nightmares
Back in March, this realistic depiction of Mario made us hide beneath our beds, though that was nothing compared with the horrors of what followed.Now, some twisted internet japester has reinvented Bowser in a similar fashion. Gone is the happy-go-lucky Bowser, the ultimately lovable, pantomime-esque villain with an addiction to kidnapping royalty. And in his place? Teeth. Scales. Leathery flesh. Claws that could rip through a plumber's torso like a warm knife through butter. Please, won't somebody think of the children us?Creep apprehensively past the break for the full image.
The real-world impact of virtual identities
Can you truly be held responsible for something you've done in a virtual world? Should the implications of your actions carry over to "the other side"? If so, then to what extent? This has been a daunting subject, even since the days of Tron, but a recent book by Jacob van Kokswijk entitled "Digital Ego" addresses this very issue.The comparison of the virtual identity to our real-life identity is becoming of ever-increasing importance. This not only pertains to consequences and responsibilities in both realms, but also economic factors such as an advertising target audience. Will this trend continue to grow as the casual virtual world blossoms, and we begin to blur the line between a physical and virtual existence? Let us know your opinion.
Why we solo
Lauren of the Mystic Worlds Blog has a new post up called "Why we Solo in MMOs," offering her perspective on why, over many years and many MMOs, she has always tended to ignore the grouping game and instead go it alone. While I'm not against grouping at all -- I was very active in the 40 man raid game, and tend to run Heroics around once a week and Karazhans around 1.5 times a week across my 3 70s -- I've always felt that the solo game has a valid spot in MMORPGs, and I've often indulged in it myself. In fact, I'd bet that most WoW players do so on a regular basis these days, whether leveling up or doing their dailies. She rattles off the usual list of reasons for going solo -- having a weird schedule, needing to take frequent "real life" breaks, not having enough time to go LFG for a dungeon, unwillingness to deal with the infamous horrible PuG group -- then takes it a step further. She believes that many people use these types of statements as excuses or defense against people who can't understand why they wish to solo in a multiplayer game, or actively flame them for it, and that the real reasons are a lot less complicated.
The Gaming Iconoclast: Max Mynn
Our characters spring forth, fully-formed, after just a few clicks, a few deft keystrokes (we're not doing anything so archaic as rolling dice anymore, are we?). They stride into their world built to face down epic challenges, confront any adversary, and never, ever break a sweat. They are engines of pure utility, supremely crafted to take on whatever they encounter and emerge victorious.Min-Maxing (Min-Max or Min/Max) is the road of ultimate optimization. Allocating every available resource, from racial traits and alignment to equipment selection, to the pursuit of fitness to a specific purpose. This sort of focus and dedication serves our digital minions well, and by extension makes our play more fruitful.There are plenty of folks on both sides of the argument as to whether Min/Max is a good thing. That's a conversation for another time in this space, though. No, today we're taking a step outside of the myriad virtual spaces where we spend time smiting our foes, fragging our friends, and considering what this would be like out here in the messy organic world.Would you ever want to meet these characters? They'd be insufferable. Look at this guy -- can you imagine what life would be like for his tailor? Let's take a few minutes to speak with a Max Mynn and his wife Mindy, to see what it's like for them.
When a game is no longer a game
With the advent of the next generation of social networking MMOs on the rise, and the retirement announcement of Disney's Virtual Magic Kingdom, we can't help but wonder what is the real definition of an MMO these days? Where is online gaming headed, and what is there a real demand for anymore?After VMK's closing announcement last week, users let it be known that they were not happy with Disney's decision. As we reported yesterday, there were several comments concerning the fact that taking down this virtual world was like taking down their real world. Many of them were not only fiery and disparaging, but the retorts to these comments were even more dramatic. Yes, this happened on the internet! Can you believe it? The fact is, this makes us wonder if we're approaching dangerous ground with the immersion factor of these virtual worlds, especially as they pertain to our children and their interpretation of the world. The real world, that is.
Real Mario just got a lot scarier
If a the above image wasn't enough of a scare for you, then know that some person who is very much interested in causing you nightmares has decided to go and animate the thing. That's right, this "real-life Mario" now actually speaks and blinks its eyes. We suggest you only click through to the animated picture if you want to: scare children not sleep tonight know what the face of evil looks like
Breakfast Topic: If you could have any spell in RL...
We get our motivation today from Thongsnapper (nice name) of Gorefiend who asks, if you could have any spell in Warcraft in real life, which one would you have? Hearthstone would be an interesting choice for sure, and Polymorph would make for an interesting life (though its uses might be pretty limited, considering that real life doesn't actually have aggro management), but I think personally I'm going to have to fall back on the old superpower standby: stealth. Moving around unseen just seems too fun to pass up.Actually, I might second guess that -- in terms of practicality, healing spells might actually be more beneficial to the world. Wave your hands, and any ailments, no matter how big or small, are done away with. I'll have to give this some serious thought. In the meantime, let's hear it: if you could have any spell from the game in real life, which one would you choose?
Forum Post of the Day: I'm a WoW Widow
And Belfaire doesn't care.Reader Kyver tipped us off to a gem of a post on the Customer Service Forums today, titled "I'm a WoW Widow" (moderately NSFW, PG-13 rating). The story goes like this: A girl, Missmegan, lost her boyfriend to the Burning Crusades [sic]. They used to play together horde side, but after buying the expansion he turned to the alliance and is dedicated to his guild mates. All is lost, as he's no longer interested in his girlfriend's "assets" and rambles like a two-year old.Of course this makes our forum posting protagonist upset, and she needs her boyfriend back. Now obviously this is a joke. At least I hope it is. And Katie (my girlfriend), if you're reading this I promise I'll never let it get this bad. I mean, I only play for 5 hours a day, not 13 as the boyfriend in the story does. And I make money with all this, so it's okay, right? Sweetie? Darling? Honey... D'oh....Tagging the first response to this thread is Belfaire The Mighty, with the simple response "Dear WoW Widow, It's actually Burning Crusade. Yours, Belfaire." This had myself and the other writers here laughing. We had to share it.So dear readers, I ask you, are you a WoW widow?
Are MMO communities growing beyond the game?
The whole concept of community within an MMO is constantly being redefined and improved upon, but in a recent article, we take a glimpse into the jobs of a few community liaisons for NCSoft Europe. They talk mainly about some of the exciting experiences they've had during their time with NCSoft. Most of these involve real-world events such as fan meet-ups and contests thrown by the community managers. Martin Kerstein, community team lead on Guild Wars relays a story of a player who brought shortbread villains and heroes for the CoX team during an event. Community manager Jen Bolton describes her appreciation for the high-quality fan art and fan fiction they see from players on a regular basis.A main point of this article addresses the fact that MMO players aren't always those you think of, locked away in their parents' basements, turning transparent from the lack of sunlight. A growing number of people who come to these events are outgoing socialites dressed as Boba Fett or a blood elf, just there for a good time with like-minded people. Just as any event should be.
Top 5 real life lessons we've learned from MMOs
Game designer Steve Danuser, AKA Moorgard, recently posted a musing on his blog where he speculated on the greatest lessons he's learned in all his time playing World of Warcraft. After all, after investing dozens, if not hundreds, of real days into the game, surely he had to have learned something from the experience that was applicable to real life? For Steve, the lesson was, if they look different than you, and speak differently than you, kill them before they get the chance to kill you. While we know hope Steve is kidding, it did get the old gears turning.We've taken up Steve's line of discussion and mulled it over a little bit. What follows is our (mostly) sincere look at the top 5 real life lessons that we've learned from MMOs.
Super Real Mario Brother is super unpleasant
Poor Mario. Thanks to this simulated image of what he might look like in real life, the internet has turned against him. You often don't hear words like "creepy" and "pedophile" associated with the portly plumber, but with this picture, it's hard to think anything else.Even so, this image (which was created by Pixeloo using Photoshop CS2) isn't completely fair to the lovable Nintendo hero. For example, why are his eyes so unrealistically big? Also, that thing on his mouth looks more like a raccoon tail than an actual 'stache. Still, this is certainly an interesting conversation piece -- one that makes us hope that Mario will continue looking cartoony for eternity. A realistic looking Mario definitely enters the Uncanny Valley, which is one place our favorite plumber should never dare to venture.[Thanks, Mark and Mikey!]
Do you drive people nuts talking about WoW?
Is this you? (image from Real Life Comics.)Because man, it's me. I talk about this game way, way too much. I stir up hornet's nests in my columns because I love to back and forth about it. I love it when people agree with me, and I love it even more when people tell me I'm full of crap. I like arguing, debating, and speculating about World of Warcraft. Frankly, I bore the heck out of my friends who don't play. I once sat in a crowded restaurant with a friend and his wife and went over the minutia of rage generation with so fine toothed a comb that not even light could escape, and only realized by the stricken, panicked look on their faces that they would have welcomed an axe wielding maniac at that point if he'd only kill me first so that the discussion of threat per second vs rage from damage dealt would finally somehow end.I guess it's a good thing I ended up here at WoW Insider. It's not like there are a lot of socially acceptable venues in which rambling for solid hours about 2.6 speed fist weapons is considered perfectly normal and acceptable. My wife, who plays as much as I do, manages much better at presenting a normal facade, and yet is still capable of explaining how ranged weapon speeds can affect hunter shot rotations in frightening depth and with extraordinarily broad references with which to make her point. The Wolfslayer Sniper Rifle has no idea how much she knows about it.So again, how about you? Are you truly casual, barely ever discussing the game? or are you seething with the potential to explain spell damage and haste rating to passing strangers?
Cinemassively: The Edge of Real Life
We're covering today for our regular diva of all things machinima, Moo, who is gearing up to bring us great MMO Moonews from SXSW! Today's Cinemassively is an older piece that is perhaps one of my personal favorites for the ability to blur the lines between MMO and real life in a humorous way. But as the video says at the end -- all things in moderation. If you're playing so much of any MMO that chat bubbles are popping up over your head, seek help.For those who would like to check out the high-quality version of this movie so that you can see just what's in those chat bubbles, the file is available over on beyondmovie.net. While you're there, drop 'em a note on the forums and let them know that you're also interested in seeing the follow-up to this project.
Insert cute pet story here
About 3 months ago I got my first pet. His name is Max, and is a grey domestic short hair cat. He was a stray that was scratching at my apartment door on a very cold November evening. At the time it was decided that he was just going to stick around for the night, but he grew on us so quickly that we weren't able to let him go. He now is a happy member of my family, and just like the rest of them, he has to put up with me playing World of Warcraft.Except, it's not really "putting up with" WoW, it's more like "intensely interested in what's going on." Max will often times spend the whole four hours of the night's raid spread across the desk staring at my computer screen. He'll react to the sounds, the bright flashes of light, and occasionally even other in game cats. When someone says "lol" and their character laughs, he'll jump and stare down the speaker the laugh came from.
Reader WoWspace of the Week: Shaard
Along with Reader UI of the Week, we're also bringing back the Reader WoWspace of the Week, just in time for your downtime enjoyment! (We're thoughtful like that.) Of course, much like the Reader UI column, this column survives or dies based on your submissions! We've got some in the mailbox still, but we want more pictures and stories! If you've ever thought about submitting a WoWspace, now is a good time to do it! (And remember, we like 'em candid. -- Besides, I did it, you can too!)For this week's entry, we've got four pictures from Shaard -- and we're even keeping with our Druid theme today! (Although the WoWspace isn't perhaps very Druid-y.) For an in-depth look at a candid and unedited WoWspace, join us after the jump when Shaard tells us all about it.
