Massively http://massively.joystiq.com Massively http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/http://massively.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gif Massively http://massively.joystiq.com en-us Copyright 2012 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[The Daily Grind: Are ARGs MMOs?]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/05/13/the-daily-grind-are-args-mmos/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/05/13/the-daily-grind-are-args-mmos/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/05/13/the-daily-grind-are-args-mmos/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,

ARGs (Alternate Reality Games) take the normal boundaries between games and reality and skew them just enough so that the two overlap, offering a new way to think about entertainment interaction. Perhaps one of the most famous of these is the "I love bees" campaign, which was developed to promote Halo 2. Certainly hundreds played, and part of the gameplay mechanics was taking clues from various places on the Web to complete the puzzles and solve the mystery.

However, is "hundreds" enough to typify the term "massively"? Given that you could play alone and never see another player, only becoming part of a grander, more widespread team, is that really "multiplayer"? If the entirety of gameplay isn't online, does that satisfy the "O" requirement? How precise does the "MMO" definition need to be?

MassivelyThe Daily Grind: Are ARGs MMOs? originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 13 May 2008 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>alternate-reality-gamesargshalo-2i-love-beestdgthe-daily-grindTue, 13 May 2008 08:00:00 EST<![CDATA[GDC 08: Entertainment content convergence in online worlds]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/02/19/gdc-08-entertainment-content-convergence-in-online-worlds/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/02/19/gdc-08-entertainment-content-convergence-in-online-worlds/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/02/19/gdc-08-entertainment-content-convergence-in-online-worlds/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , , ,


We spent most of Monday ensconced in the GDC Worlds in Motion summit track, which made "standing room only" seem extremely spacious -- most of the sessions were packed to the gills and then some. It seems like more than a few industry types are interested in the intersections between gaming and virtual worlds. Case in point, the following session we've paraphrased (hopefully not too liberally!) from Reuben Steiger, CEO of Milllions of Us, a company that builds marketing campaigns and content for virtual worlds.

Reuben: Storytelling is the bedrock of human culture. (Looking at a slide with a real campfire on the left and a user-created campfire in Second Life on the right) -- users in virtual worlds are recreating this storytelling tradition. I'm going to make a contention: the internet has failed as a storytelling medium. Instead, the norm is bathroom humor and ridiculous jokes.

So virtual worlds: are they games or not? What defines a game -- linguists and semioticians get real worked up about it. The audience might say "virtual worlds are games without rules, competition, goals or fun." And it's hard to blame them. Extreme openness has defined virtual worlds, where fun can be in a way you define as opposed to what some game developer feels is fun. But the appeal of virtual worlds is that we can tell stories on a broader and less walled playing field.

Continue reading GDC 08: Entertainment content convergence in online worlds

MassivelyGDC 08: Entertainment content convergence in online worlds originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 19 Feb 2008 08:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>ARGsclub-penguindisneyenitechlabsfeaturedfox-tvgaia-onlinegdc08gdc08fanboygossip-girlmillions-of-usmoureuben-steigersarah-connor-chroniclessecond-lifeSLsocial-networkssony-homestorytellingsummer-slamvirtual-worldswebkinzworld-wrestling-entertainmentwweTue, 19 Feb 2008 08:30:00 EST