Massively Speaking

The Virtual Whirl: News of the Whirl

Tateru Nino — Sat, 20 Mar 2010 20:00:00 EST

Filed under: Business models, Economy, Events, real-world, News items, Opinion, Second Life, Education, Virtual worlds, The Virtual Whirl

This week, in The Virtual Whirl, we're having our monthly roundup of news items. Things that got missed, things that didn't make the cut, things that got buried, and things that really should have gotten your attention anyway.

Continue reading The Virtual Whirl: News of the Whirl

The Virtual Whirl: News of the Whirl originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 20 Mar 2010 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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How online gaming can change the world

Justin Olivetti — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 16:00:00 EST

Filed under: World of Warcraft, Culture, Academic, Education

Jane McGonigal (a 10-year game designer of projects such as the I Love Bees ARG for Halo 2) has a self-professed "crazy idea" -- that gamers have the potential to change the world for the better by doing what they're already doing. At her speech, people chuckle when she first says this, but twenty minutes later they're giving her a standing ovation.

She begins by stating the obvious: we are a gaming culture that flees the "broken" world to a virtual one that offers a better and more rewarding collaborative environment. "When we're in game worlds I believe that many of us become the best versions of ourselves," she said. "The most likely to help at a moment's notice, most likely to stick with a problem as long as it takes, to get up after failure and try again."

Continue reading How online gaming can change the world

How online gaming can change the world originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 18 Mar 2010 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Wasteland Diaries: Community guide to Fallen Earth

Shawn Schuster — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 15:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Fallen Earth, Guides, Opinion, Education, Wasteland Diaries

With community being as important as it is in any MMO, accessibility to that community might sometimes be daunting. You want to learn more, but maybe you don't want to look like a noob by asking in-game. Maybe you want to start crafting, but you don't even know where to start. In keeping with our influx of community guides that have kicked off our new game-specific columns, we bring you Wasteland Diaries for all fans of Fallen Earth.

While the game is still in its infant stages, the community has established itself quite nicely so far. There are wikis, podcasts, fansites and social media hubs to help you get started on your way. If you're a high-level player, you might find yourself starving for complete information at this point, but that's why this guide will be continuously updated as the resources grow. Follow along for our guide to Fallen Earth's community.

Continue reading Wasteland Diaries: Community guide to Fallen Earth

Wasteland Diaries: Community guide to Fallen Earth originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 29 Jan 2010 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Registrations open for SL Pro! conference, February

Tateru Nino — Sat, 23 Jan 2010 15:00:00 EST

Filed under: MMO industry, News items, Second Life, Education, Virtual worlds

Registrations are presently open for SL Pro! a two day conference being run by Linden Lab for 'serious' professional Second Life content-creators to take place in late February this year, in Second Life itself, with a bit of help from NMC (the New Media Consortium).

Unfortunately, it's a conference with more than one track, where the two tracks generally have a fair bit of overlap, so that's a bit of an issue. The two tracks are building and scripting, each with eight sessions.

Continue reading Registrations open for SL Pro! conference, February

Registrations open for SL Pro! conference, February originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 23 Jan 2010 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Daily Grind: How do you learn the game?

Eliot Lefebvre — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 08:00:00 EST

Filed under: Game mechanics, Opinion, The Daily Grind, Academic, Education

MMOs are complicated beasts. In most games you have at least a detailed set of game mechanics and combat systems to learn. That's not even getting into things like Fallen Earth with its maddeningly expansive crafting, or EVE Online and the detailed economy, or Champions Online and a costume creator that some find more engaging than the actual gameplay. There's a reason why most popular games spawn countless websites, forums, chat channels, and so forth -- because there's a great deal to learn, a large number of mysteries, and often a limit to how much useful information the game itself gives you.

So how do you learn your game? Do you browse forums and ask questions, building up advice from a community? Do you read the numerous sites devoted to the games, such as databases and wikis? Do you buy print strategy guides and try and adapt to the changes as they come, piece-by-piece? Or do you eschew all of the above, preferring to just let yourself amble along and learn things by example and inference? There are a lot of resources out there, and we all have our preferred ones, but today we want to know about yours.

The Daily Grind: How do you learn the game? originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 20 Dec 2009 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Take part in space exploration with NASA's coming MMO

Eliot Lefebvre — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 12:00:00 EST

Filed under: Real life, New titles, Previews, Academic, Education, Virtual worlds

How would you like to take a trip into space? No, not the stylized science fiction that Star Trek Online promises, or the fantasy-with-spaceships of Star Wars: the Old Republic. We've heard the announcement about NASA's coming space MMO, Astronaut: Moon, Mars and Beyond, but the game hasn't been making the rounds in the usual gaming circuit. An in-depth article about the game's development and planned release is interesting for any fans of the rigors and challenges of spaceflight, not mention a look at a game that's moving far outside the usual realm of our genre.

Much like America's Army, the goal of the game is to try and give players a taste of what it's like to actually work in the field being simulated. While the game is focusing on creating enjoyable gameplay first, players can expect to see landscapes and tasks grounded in solid scientific principles and based upon actual astronaut missions, complete with the real and tangible challenges of exploring inhospitable worlds. The article also discusses the MoonBase module, which is set to be launched as a free standalone component on Steam in January to serve as both a preview and a testbed for the game. Take a look at the full article for a closer examination of what the game could mean, and what it might be like to play a space game where you were less concerned about arming weapons and more concerned with understanding the world around you.

(Or, if you have to, start imagining an expansion set in the 1980s adding the Soviet space program as a new faction. Which is only slightly less realistic.)

Take part in space exploration with NASA's coming MMO originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 15 Nov 2009 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Daily Grind: Where else do your MMO skills come in handy?

Eliot Lefebvre — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 08:00:00 EST

Filed under: Culture, Opinion, The Daily Grind, Education

Those of us that have been playing MMOs for quite some time have probably developed more than a few skills in the process. It's pretty much inevitable, after all -- while you might not be able to learn to dance from a boss fight, you can at least get a good sense of how to move and work as a group, just by way of example. And we all know that learning to play the holy trinity of MMO roles (tank, healer, and DPS) can be ported over to a variety of other games, since odds are high there will be an equivalent.

Today's question, however, is asking about when you've reached beyond other games and have been able to apply your game skills to a real-world problem. Do you have an easier time handling budgets from all the time spent stat crunching? Are you able to be more diplomatic from dealing with random party members over and over? Maybe you just have an easier time reacting in stressful situations, or a better system for remembering obscure details. Whatever the skill, let us know about how it's boosted you in real life. (Of course, the ability to actually shoot fireballs or fly would be pretty useful in real life -- and if you've figured out how to bring over some of those skills, please share.)

The Daily Grind: Where else do your MMO skills come in handy? originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 29 Oct 2009 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The perils of covering game addiction

Eliot Lefebvre — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 20:00:00 EST

Filed under: Culture, MMO industry, Opinion, Education

Gamers will argue almost endlessly over which games are the best, which ones were most important, what the proper way to play is... but one thing we almost universally agree on is that we are not addicted. We all know the arguments -- the guy who plays sixteen hours a day in his parents' basement would have acted like that anyway, it's just a game, he doesn't have a substance addiction. Why even bring it up?

Neils Clark, author of Game Addiction, wrote up a post about ten fallacies in addressing game addiction. The point of the piece, rather than concluding whether or not it's worth discussing, is to point out the ways in which many of the arguments on both sides are inherently flawed. The first point, for instance, is taking on the oft-quoted stance that "well, games aren't drugs" by laying out the many kinds of repeated behaviors that psychologists already recognize as potential addictions and treat accordingly.

MMORPGs, more than perhaps any other genre, are usually replete with tales of utter addicts and non-stop players. The article is worth reading if you care even the slightest bit about the topic, because it reminds us that the elephant is not a part of the furniture. It's an elephant, and it's the sort of thing that needs to be addressed -- especially as the genre expands its appeal and its user base.

[ via GamePolitics ]

The perils of covering game addiction originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 05 Oct 2009 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Linden Lab explanation alienates educators

Tateru Nino — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 16:00:00 EST

Filed under: Culture, News items, Opinion, Second Life, Legal, Academic, Education, Virtual worlds

When news broke about Linden Lab sending a takedown notice to the core Second Life education community Web-site, our colleagues over at the Metaverse Journal put a number of questions about the matter to Linden Lab.

The Linden Lab response to those questions yesterday seems to have generated a reaction among educators akin to pouring gasoline on a blaze, coupled with a vigorous fish-slapping. While there's a undeniably a spectrum of reaction to the Lab's response, most of what we've seen seems to cluster around the livid end.

Continue reading Linden Lab explanation alienates educators

Linden Lab explanation alienates educators originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 03 Oct 2009 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Linden Lab punctures education community with newly registered trademark

Tateru Nino — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 09:00:00 EST

Filed under: News items, Second Life, Legal, Academic, Education, Virtual worlds

Jokay Wollongong, one of the premier promoters and supporters of the educational uses of Second Life, and keeper of the largest single resource for Second Life educators, suffered something of a reversal this week, when Linden Lab decided that that very same resource, sleducation.wikispaces.com, infringed on their SL trademark (which has now only been registered for nine days), and sent Wollongong a takedown notice.

That's something of a surprise considering Linden Lab's ongoing endorsement of the site on the Second Life Education mailing-list. The site, which has been up since late 2006, documents over 100 case studies of educational projects in Second Life, as well as providing key community resources and information for educators who are just getting started with virtual environments.

Continue reading Linden Lab punctures education community with newly registered trademark

Linden Lab punctures education community with newly registered trademark originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 01 Oct 2009 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Hit the Virtual Goods Summit 15% cheaper this year

Tateru Nino — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 12:00:00 EST

Filed under: Business models, Economy, MMO industry, News items, Education, Virtual worlds

The Virtual Goods Summit has been an annual event since 2007, and features speakers from organizations all over the world, all focused on virtual goods, and virtual economies. This year's summit in San Francisco features quite a lineup, including the delicious Steve Meretzky, Turbine's accomplished Fernando Paiz, the engaging John Smedley of SOE, and plenty more.

Through the Virtual Goods Summit, developers and publishers share knowledge and get a deeper understanding of virtual goods and economies, how they function, their challenges and how to maximize the opportunities inherent in them. The Virtual Goods Summit runs on 30 October (with an optional half-day seminar on the 29th, covering the fundamentals and drivers of virtual economies, called Virtual Goods Summit University.

Want to get to the summit with a 15% discount on general admission? Register for the summit and use the code MASSIVELY at the checkout, and save! There's also discounted early-bird registration until 29 September.

Hit the Virtual Goods Summit 15% cheaper this year originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 24 Sep 2009 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Fallen Earth dev journal: Character builds

Dev Blogger — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 19:00:00 EST

Filed under: Betas, Sci-fi, Screenshots, Fallen Earth, Classes, Guides, New titles, Education

Although classless advancement in Fallen Earth gives players more freedom to build the characters they want and level with skills of their choice, learning how to navigate a wide-open system can be a bit daunting for even the most experienced players. With a little help from the dev team and some crib note suggestions, players can learn how to make the most of the classless advancement system.

In Fallen Earth, characters may advance in rank and abilities regardless of their class or faction, and they can do so steadily. For each rank a character gains, players earn 2 AP (20 AP per level). Some APs can also be gained by completing missions, and all APs are spent however the player desires. The resulting system allows players to raise the skills and stats they think are most important for the character they play.

Continue reading Fallen Earth dev journal: Character builds

Fallen Earth dev journal: Character builds originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 04 Aug 2009 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ten great tips for new Second Life users

Tateru Nino — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 11:00:00 EST

Filed under: Guides, Tips and tricks, Second Life, Education, Virtual worlds

Over the last couple of weeks, a larger number of our readers than usual have decided to give Second Life a try (in some cases, a second try after some years). It seems appropriate therefore to lay out some essential tidbits to help you get to grips with your first few hours in Second Life.

From quick graphical tune-ups to how to get help, we've got the stuff you need to know first.

Continue reading Ten great tips for new Second Life users

Ten great tips for new Second Life users originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 20 Jul 2009 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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EVE Evolved: Untangling the mystery of the Sleepers

Brendan Drain — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 18:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, Culture, Events, in-game, Expansions, Game mechanics, Guides, Lore, Making money, Raiding, Endgame, PvE, Player Housing, Hands-on, Education, EVE Evolved

When EVE Online's Apocrypha expansion was released, details on how wormholes and the 2500 new systems that came with them worked were sketchy. The advanced Sleeper AI found protecting these systems were a force to be feared, unknown and mysterious. There were no guides, no stories of encounters on the forums and anyone that had mounted a successful expedition was keeping their closely guarded secrets to themselves and raking in the ISK.

My corporation (Pillowsoft) were among the first to launch their expedition, having previously prepared an Orca with a medium POS, fuel, equipment and everything else we thought we'd need. We set up in an unknown system and explored this new frontier with a cautious optimism. Over the months that followed, we learned a great deal about EVE's new wormhole systems and the Sleepers that lived in them. After striking gold many times and making each of our expedition members over a billion ISK richer, we began telling our story and giving up those secrets we had been so careful to protect. Today, a great deal is now known about the "unknown" wormhole systems and with ever more corporations launching their own expeditions, it's now more important than ever to research the Sleeper menace before venturing into the abyss.

Join me for this extensive three-page article where I dole out the fruits of my research on wormholes and begin to untangle the mystery of the Sleepers.

Continue reading EVE Evolved: Untangling the mystery of the Sleepers

EVE Evolved: Untangling the mystery of the Sleepers originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 19 Jul 2009 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The importance of good audio in an MMO

Brendan Drain — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 10:00:00 EST

Filed under: World of Warcraft, Fantasy, Sci-fi, Age of Conan, EVE Online, EverQuest II, Culture, MMO industry, Academic, Education, Virtual worlds, Black Prophecy

In recent years, there has been a dramatic increase in the development budgets of new MMOs. To stay ahead of the technological curve, a large portion of the budget invariably goes toward the graphics department. Studios produce impressive graphics engines and mountains of art assets in an effort to make their game one of the most visually impressive out there. Amidst all the fuss over graphics and gameplay, audio is often overlooked and underfunded. It's been shown that good music and sound effects can have a significant impact on the perceived quality of a game. This is something that some development studios recognise and support but many continue to neglect this vital part of the gaming experience.

In this article, I examine the importance of good audio in an MMO and explain the underlying psychology involved.

Continue reading The importance of good audio in an MMO

The importance of good audio in an MMO originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 15 Jun 2009 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Should MMOs have sequels?

Brendan Drain — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 13:00:00 EST

Filed under: World of Warcraft, Fantasy, Sci-fi, EVE Online, EverQuest, EverQuest II, Lineage, Lineage 2, Business models, Culture, Expansions, MMO industry, Opinion, RuneScape, Academic, Education, Virtual worlds

From movies and books to computer games, the concept of the sequel is firmly embedded in the entertainment industry. It's usually a much safer bet to make a new part to an existing successful intellectual property than it is to back an untested product. In the games industry, sequels are a great way to make more money from the same game concept but as usual MMOs have proven to be something of a different animal. Subscription MMOs don't conform to the same rules as non-subscription games, favouring recurring orders and longer-term customer commitment over single purchases. While development studios often take sequels for granted, I'm forced to ask whether MMOs should have sequels at all or if a different paradigm is more appropriate.

In this article, I explore the games industry's obsession with repetition as I ask the question "Should MMOs have sequels?"

Continue reading Should MMOs have sequels?

Should MMOs have sequels? originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 11 Jun 2009 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The MMO launch subscriber bubble

Brendan Drain — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 15:00:00 EST

Filed under: World of Warcraft, Betas, Age of Conan, EVE Online, Business models, Culture, Launches, MMO industry, New titles, Warhammer Online, Academic, Education, Virtual worlds, Star Wars: The Old Republic

It feels like a new MMO is being released every month these days and the market for persistent online games is certainly expanding. At the head of this market is a set of games commonly referred to "triple A" titles. These are popular games from big name studios or games using popular intellectual properties. New games that are considered "triple A" have a unique ability to build unparalleled levels of anticipation and hype around themselves prior to release. In order to draw in as many players as possible, an obscene amount of cash is often spent on advertising to hype these games up for release. But is this appropriate and cost-effective or does it show a fundamental misunderstanding of of the MMO market?

In this article, we look at what can go wrong with over-hyped MMO launches and what happens when the subscriber bubble bursts.

Continue reading The MMO launch subscriber bubble

The MMO launch subscriber bubble originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 09 Jun 2009 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Massively Hands-on: Neo Steam

Shawn Schuster — Thu, 14 May 2009 17:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Historical, Galleries, New titles, Massively Meta, Hands-on, Education, Massively Hands-on, Neo Steam

Yesterday, Massively was invited to the first official developer tour and hands-on for Neo Steam: The Shattered Continent. This tour took us through some of the game's gorgeous landscapes, travel mechanics, pet system, mounts, PvP and even a light-hearted race around the fountain in the middle of town square.

You may remember our coverage and first look at Neo Steam at GDC earlier this year. Since then, the game has come a long way, and this hands-on tour will show the latest and most current state of the game as we enter the beta stages. Follow along by clicking on the first image in the gallery below for a closer look at our time with Neo Steam.

Gallery: Neo Steam Hands-on

Massively Hands-on: Neo Steam originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 14 May 2009 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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MMOs as team building exercise?

Seraphina Brennan — Mon, 04 May 2009 19:00:00 EST

Filed under: World of Warcraft, Fantasy, Culture, PvE, Opinion, Massively Meta, Academic, Education

It's not the first time we've heard that MMO gamers might be a force in the workplace, but the American Society of Training and Development's webzine, Training + Development, has added to the viability of the MMO gamer in the workforce.

Their article, "Slash, Burn, and Learn", focuses on how MMOs closely mimic team building exercises through their game design. Players are encouraged to progress through the game by solving challenges, only to be presented with harder challenges to solve as the game continues onwards. Certainly rewards provide incentive to keep plugging away at hard challenges, but players also learn how to manage personnel and look for diversity in the team to make sure all aspects of combat are accounted for. Players even submit to optional performance reviews just to see how much they've improved over time.

The article provides an interesting read and shows many of the parallels between raid management and workplace skills. While not every MMO player will gain all of these benefits, it is amusing to see how much our games sometimes parallel our lives in more ways than one.

MMOs as team building exercise? originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 04 May 2009 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Black Rabbits Academy teaches piracy in EVE Online

James Egan — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 18:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, EVE Online, PvP, News items, Education

Among all the massively multiplayer online games on the market, EVE Online is perhaps the most complex game running, which is part of the title's appeal. The learning curve has, in the past, dissuaded some MMO gamers from really digging in to EVE, but that curve has been getting a bit less steep as the tutorial improves. The Apocrypha expansion's New Player Experience also aims to make those first weeks in New Eden easier. That said, the best resource available to new EVE players is the game's playerbase itself. It's always best to learn from others and when possible, with others. That's one of the unique things about EVE -- players form corporations for various purposes, one of which is to provide schools or academies where various facets of the game are taught by experienced players. Players can learn alongside others who share similar interests.

You want to learn the ropes of the game? You can join EVE University and take part in their organized classes or listen to speakers on various topics in New Eden. Want to learn how to kick ass in PvP? Take a class at Agony Unleashed and they'll turn you into a killer in no time. But EVE University and the other training-focused corps tend to focus on the more 'legitimate' aspects of the game. But what if you want a training course that lets you learn about and become part of New Eden's criminal society? There are options.

Continue reading The Black Rabbits Academy teaches piracy in EVE Online

The Black Rabbits Academy teaches piracy in EVE Online originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 16 Apr 2009 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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