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Introducing: The Soapbox!
We hear you loud and clear. While many of the Massively readers enjoy us for our news, many others come here for our opinions on hot issues. As a general rule, these opinions are restricted to individual columns that cover either specific games or specific topics by a specific writer. But what if you want to know a staff member's opinion on something outside of his or her game-of-choice? We have a solution. Starting next Tuesday, a new weekly column will emerge. The Soapbox is our chance to speak our minds on what we love or hate about the industry, certain games, current events in the genre, etc. This is our chance to get out what we essentially discuss all day with each other anyway, outside of the site. What bothers or annoys us? What are we excited about? While those opinions aren't appropriate for an informational news post, it's no-holds-barred in The Soapbox. Follow along after the jump for more info on what to expect.
ArenaNet LFM for Guild Wars 2
Do you have mad programming, writing, or art skills? (We're going to assume you love MMOs since you're here.) If you do and are either in the Bellevue, WA area, or are willing to relocate, then you'll want to check this out. The ArenaNet team have over a dozen positions currently posted on their website, and looking for more people to help them bring Guild Wars 2 to life. Current openings are for a host of positions: animators; QT specialists; web services and game programming; writing; and even a French community manager. So if you've ever wanted to join the ranks of the games industry and have the chops, get your resume and cover letter together and send them over to ArenaNet! Who knows -- perhaps we'll wind up interviewing you for Massively some day!
Farewell and thank you, WoW.com
I've told this story a few times before: I actually started out on WoW.com as a comment troll. A few years back, Jennie Lees was the lead blogger here, and she posted something silly about a wallpaper or a plush doll, I don't remember. I was also reading the forums at the time, and Blizzard had just dropped new priest patch notes. "Why are you posting this junk," I commented angrily, "when the priest notes just dropped?" She was nice about it -- she actually emailed me and said that the priest updates post was coming soon. And I felt so bad about it, I never activated the comment. But a little while after that, when WoW Insider posted that they were looking for some new writers, I applied, and said that I was sorry for that comment, but that I was working on becoming a writer and could help out with posting on the site when needed. When I started writing for WoW Insider (now WoW.com, obviously), I was working retail in Chicago, writing part-time in the evenings. The site itself got only a few thousand hits a month, with one or two weekly features and maybe ten comments per post. Now, over three years later, I'm a fulltime freelance writer, I've been to three BlizzCons, I've written over 1.7 million words in over 3,300 posts here about everything in Azeroth, and the site itself rivals some of the best blogs on the Internet, routinely garnering millions of hits a month. I helped build this site with my own two hands, and while I definitely can't claim all the credit (there was and is a huge team of people who keep this thing running), it's with a fair amount of sorrow that I'm here to tell you today will be my last day on WoW.com.
Fluent in Simlish? Unemployed writer? EA has a job for you
The Sims 2 website has a job posting seeking experienced freelance writers for "a variety of projects." This variety includes, but is not limited to: game manuals, in-game text and marketing copy. They would also prefer writers that live near the Sims HQ in Redwood Shores, California. Applicants must have a love for the Sims and should email their resume, along with two professional writing samples, to MaxoidDrea[AT]ea[dawt]com.Times are tough, and most of us don't automatically get a selection of jobs by reading a newspaper or checking the computer like those Sims. Best of luck to the applicants.[Via Twitter] [Image]
Chris Metzen to attend NY Comic Con
Our friend Medivaldragon over at Blizzplanet brings word that the mind and man behind Warcraft himself, Chris Metzen, will be live at the New York Comic Con in just under a month. The con takes place in New York over February 6-8, 2009, and Mr. Metzen, the creative director and central creative force behind all of Blizzard's modern universes, will be signing books at both the DC Comics and Pocket Star Books booths (apparently for the promotion of WoW's comic books and novels). As Turpster is often inclined to say (along with many other Blizzard fans), "Chris Metzen is a god," so here's your chance to meet the deity himself.There'll be some other expanded universe notables there as well, including Jim Lee (who'll no doubt be promoting DC Universe Online as well) and Walter Simonson will be there, and there will likely be some other familiar faces, either signing books or just stopping by. Those of you in New York who are free, consider yourselves lucky and head on over there. And bring a camera -- if you can capture the elusive Metzen on film (random adventurers are always freeing him), send us the pics.
Four years of World of Warcraft
Yes, as you know from the little Blizzard Bear in your mailbox, yesterday was the fourth anniversary of our favorite game, World of Warcraft. It's been a huge four years -- we've seen Blizzard develop and change massively multiplayer games as we know them, and gaming as a whole in some ways. We've grown our own characters up all the way from level one to 30 and 60 and 70 and beyond, and we've gone through two expansions, eight endgames, countless patches and class changes, endless guild achievements and breakups and many, many "dings" and "grats."We at WoW Insider would like to congratulate Blizzard on four years of World of Warcraft -- it's been an amazing ride so far, and it's not over yet. After the break, some of our writers have posted their own thoughts and memories on the game's anniversary, and please add your own in the comments below.It could seem silly to celebrate the anniversary of a videogame, especially one that, if you've been playing since day one, you've spent over $800 and countless hours on. But then again, look at what this game has given back: groups and guilds full of friends (and some spouses), weeknights full of gear upgrades and XP gains, Saturday afternoons spent slaying dragons and Sunday evenings spent picking herbs in the Swamp of Sorrows or admiring the sunsets in Hinterlands. We've played this game for four years, and for most of us, it's been worth every quest. Here's to many, many more.
WoW Insider Weekly
Once again, we're breaking down the most popular weekly features of the past seven days. Our writers work hard to get terrific weekly features up for your enjoyment, so if you missed these the first time around, don't make the mistake again. Guildwatch: Going too farGuildwatch has drama, downed, and recruiting news from all over the realms all in one place. Did your guild show up this week? Spiritual Guidance: 30 if statements that priests should adhere toMatticus himself walks you through the ins and outs of being a Priest (and there's some good advice in here for you other classes, too). Scattered Shots: Why certain pet families are so popularAre bears better than boars? Should snakes shank scorpids? Are Ravagers more radical than Raptors? Daniel Whitcomb lays it all out. Around Azeroth: Grand Theft AzerothAround Azeroth asks readers to mix up their WoW with a little GTA. Arcane Brilliance: Level 70 checklistYou're a mage, and you've just hit level 70. What now? More after the break!
Announcement: WoW Insider is now HKO Insider
We've got an exciting new direction to announce here today on WoW Insider. Because patch 2.4 has just released, and information about Wrath of the Lich King, the next expansion, is pretty much nonexistent (we haven't even been told a release date by Blizzard yet), AOL, the company that owns the Weblogs, Inc. network of blogs, of which WoW Insider is a part, has determined that instead of covering World of Warcraft every day, we will now be covering a new, surely more exciting and surely soon to be more popular massively multiplayer online game.Yes, starting today, WoW Insider is becoming HKO Insider, and instead of WoW, we will be covering the very popular MMO Hello Kitty Online. With no changes at all coming to Azeroth anytime soon, it's time to say goodbye to the Barrens and Stormwind, and "hello" to Hello Kitty, Sanriotown, and the entrancing world of the Flower Kingdom. Playing with Illidan and Kael'thas was fun for a while, but now HKO Insider will bring our daily insight and coverage to the world of Badtz-Maru and Keroppi. Want guides on how to make your garden grow, or the best way to PvP against the My Melody class? They'll be right here on HKO Insider.All of your favorite WoW Insider features -- Know Your Lore, Moviewatch, Shifting Perspectives, and 15 Minutes of Fame, are all here (and you'll be able to see them posted later today). But instead of covering World of Warcraft, all of our writers, whether they like it or not, will be covering Hello Kitty Online from now on.Please enjoy the new focus of the site, and thanks for reading as always. While Hello Kitty Online is still in closed beta, we're almost sure it'll come out before Wrath of the Lich King, and we've been asked to point our site towards the real MMO winner of the year in 2008.
Striking writers could migrate to videogames
Thankfully for all of us missing The Daily Show, there are signs that the writer's guild strike could be coming to a close. But what if we're not so lucky? What if the strike continues for months? Sure, it'll be bad for you, but think of the writers! You'll be suffering through reruns, but they'll be digging through the trash outside your house looking for scraps. ... Well, maybe it won't be that bad. But they'll at least be bored.Variety says that some of those scribes could make a little side money on video games, if the situation is right. With around $50,000 for six month's work, games may not be for every union member forced to sit out of Hollywood work. But if a few talented writers make the leap to games, TV and film's loss could very well be our gain.
HP to launch desktops with Blu-ray / HD DVD combo writers?
Regrettably, there's not a lot to go on just yet, but DigiTimes has it that HP will soon be launching "next-generation PCs with a Blu-ray / HD DVD dual-format burner." The announcement was reportedly issued at a product presentation held in Singapore, and while no model numbers were doled out, we can purportedly expect the two-faced machines to land in Europe and America sometime next month. Notably, HP has hemmed and hawed between formats in the past, but we're all for a rig that burns (and reads) both.[Via TG Daily]
Writers and blocks in the industry
With the lack of respect given to writers in the industry it's only a matter of time before collective frustration causes The Shining. Richard Dansky, writer of numerous games, most recently Splinter Cell: Double Agent and Rainbow Six: Black Arrow, held a roundtable on tips, techniques and concerns for writers in the industry.After convincing a developer to actually hire a writer, which is apparently an issue all on its own, much of the conversation revolved around cutscenes. Some saw it as a reward and others thought it took players out of the game. Currently most story progression in games is handled by cutscenes so debate over the proper way to handle a cutscene is key. Dansky points out that one thing he thinks is important in a cutscene is to not show anything that the player can't actually do with the avatar in the game. One of the most interesting concepts brought up in the discussion wasn't necessarily even a "writer issue." After some conversation about unskipable repeating cutscenes when a player consistently dies, Brett Tosti of Factor 5 said, "What if we saw a brief game cutscene that told us how they failed their mission, that might be helpful." Hmmmmmm, that might be helpful in a game like Gears or War or tactical games where you can't really get a sense of the big picture with all the fighting going on.
Power to bloggers
This ain't strictly gaming related, but there's no doubt that the decision last week by a California appeals court to grant bloggers the same First Amendment rights that are afforded to traditional journalists can be a good thing for gamers. In a nutshell, the ruling means that we can't be forced by some wicked company to divulge the source of leaked information that we post on the blog. That means that information Joystiq sources send to us (either directly or via our anonymous tips form) and that we subsequently publish is generally protected under the First Amendment. This matters, because it improves the quantity and quality of information through us to you. Of course, company insiders who are considering divulging information to an online or offline writer of any sort still need to consider whether they can trust the writer to whom they intend to dish. The basic rules of relationships still apply, but this ruling should at the very least remove worry that those who publish online are somehow less protected than those who publish on dead trees.
