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Anarchy Online gets its own convention in 2012: AO Con

Justin Olivetti — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 13:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Anarchy Online, Events, real-world, Free-to-play, Massively Event Coverage

Most MMO communities can only dream that their game would be as popular and supported as to get their own convention. A rare few see either studio- or fan-based efforts make this dream a reality. In 2012, Anarchy Online gamers will finally -- after 11 years -- join these revelers with their own convention: AO Con.

GridStream Productions is putting on the first-ever Anarchy Online convention in Grand Rapids, Michigan on August 10th through 12th, 2012. The convention will take place at the Grand Rapids Airport Hilton, and is scheduled to have DJs, costume contests, panels, and meet-n-greets.

Registration is affordable -- it's only $25 to attend the three-day convention, but you have to be 18 by August 2012 in order to go. GridStream Productions is an in-game organization that primarily focuses on putting out Anarchy Online broadcasts.

Anarchy Online gets its own convention in 2012: AO Con originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 07 Dec 2011 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Guild Wars rolling out the annual Halloween contest

Eliot Lefebvre — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 20:30:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Guild Wars, Contests, Events, real-world, News items, Free-to-play

We're still a month away from the holiday that invariably fills every game with ghosts and ghouls, but that's no reason not to get started on your Halloween plans. Especially if your plans involve the annual Guild Wars contest, a chance for players to show off their creativity by designing some game-themed art. And this year, one of the prizes includes the small sensation that's sweeping the nation, the Charr plush doll pictured above.

Running until October 13th, the contest calls for players to submit a photo of their work in .JPG format for ease of viewing. This year's prizes are split between the general art category and costumes, with both sides receiving the same lineup of offerings. Win the Grand Prize, First Prize, or Second Prize, and you'll be able to call one of the adorable fiery harbingers of destruction your own. Make sure to take a look at the official rules, and then you should probably buckle down and start working on that Dervish outfit.

Guild Wars rolling out the annual Halloween contest originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 22 Sep 2011 20:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Gamescom 2011: ArenaNet announces Guild Wars costume competition!

Larry Everett — Wed, 13 Jul 2011 11:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Guild Wars, Events, real-world, New titles, Guild Wars 2

ArenaNet always makes an outstanding appearance at the video game fan conventions. Last year at Gamescom, developers allowed players to play Guild Wars 2 for the first time, and fans -- begging to get a bit of swag -- would literally swarm the stage each time the staff would speak. This year will likely be no different.

Holding to tradition, ANet is sponsoring a Guild Wars and Guild Wars 2 costume contest for those who attend the event in Cologne, Germany. Come to the convention dressed in your best Guild Wars-related outfit on Sunday, August 21st to earn prizes and display your love for all things Guild Wars.

ArenaNet is also happy to announce that it will attend the Eurogamer EXPO this year on September 22nd through 25th in London, England. The team promises to have game demonstrations at the NCsoft booth so that you can grab some personal playtime with Guild Wars 2. A full list of convention activities can be found on the Guild Wars 2 official site.

[Also, check out some of the amazing Guild Wars costumes, like the one pictured above, by Katerina Maria on DeviantArt.]

Gamescom 2011: ArenaNet announces Guild Wars costume competition! originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 13 Jul 2011 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Behind the Mask: The art of costume contests

Patrick Mackey — Thu, 06 Jan 2011 17:30:00 EST

Filed under: Super-hero, Culture, Opinion, Behind the Mask

Costume contests are just part of the culture of Champions Online. When a game has huge potential for character customization, celebrating that aspect seems like a natural conclusion. Costume contests also provide an interesting method of wealth distribution; rich players tend to hold costume contests that anyone, even low-level heroes, can win. It's truly a level playing field.

The real problem: Is it really? I've judged numerous costume contests, and they all end up with the same problems. Hivemind voting and kingmaking are real problems when it comes to fair treatment of potential candidates. Also, friendships between judges or contestants can create a sort of community bias that keeps a deserving hero from winning.

I'm definitely not going to talk about costume design, but I can discuss how to create a judging and voting system that lends to fairer selection of winners. In the end, costume judging is subjective, but these methods avoid some of the big pitfalls in costume voting.

Continue reading Behind the Mask: The art of costume contests

Behind the Mask: The art of costume contests originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 06 Jan 2011 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Deck the halls with Coralax costumes in City of Heroes

Eliot Lefebvre — Wed, 08 Dec 2010 21:00:00 EST

Filed under: Super-hero, City of Heroes, City of Villains, Contests, Events, real-world, News items

At one point in development, the Coralax were going to be the new epic archetype for the villainous crowd in City of Heroes. Now, they're just another low-level villain group with some memorable looks to them. But for the next twelve days, they can be something more -- namely, they can be your new clothing. No, you aren't getting missions to skin the Coralax and wear what's left as a hat. The Paragon Studios team is taking the opportunity to give away the never-before-seen costume code for the aquatic humanoids via social networking through December 23rd, skipping the weekends.

While similar giveaways have happened in the past, they've always been with costume codes from a recent convention. The Coralax costume is totally new and unprecedented, and that means whoever snags one owns a unique part of the game's history. Since the team won't be announcing where the codes will be dropped next, it's up to players to keep a close eye on Twitter, Facebook, and the forums to try and snag a code in time. Good luck to City of Heroes players eager for the new costume, because nothing says the leadup to the holiday season like a mad dash for something everyone wants.

Deck the halls with Coralax costumes in City of Heroes originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 08 Dec 2010 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Free for All: Thirteen spooky free-to-play Halloween events

Beau Hindman — Wed, 27 Oct 2010 19:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Horror, Flyff, MapleStory, Contests, Culture, Events, in-game, Free-to-play, Casual, Global Agenda, Humor, Free Realms, Mabinogi, Kids, Alganon, Allods Online, Free for All, Vindictus, Family

Ah, Halloween. The dark Xmas. Around our house, Halloween is king. Despite the fact that we have no kids to dress up and parade around the neighborhood, we will still hand out tons of candy to all the trick-or-treaters. Until that spooky night, however, we love to spend the time exploring different Halloween events in our favorite MMORPGs.

MMOs are perfect for such events -- they have the players to fill them out, the ability to host whatever kind of event they want, and a lot of optional blood and gore. Some of the events fit perfectly in their game-world, and some stick out like a stock broker on D&D night. Either way, there is always a lot of fun to be had, and sometimes very cool loot to snag! (Like that sweet ride pictured above -- got it on my first try.)

Read on for some of my favorite events -- none of them costing a dime.

Continue reading Free for All: Thirteen spooky free-to-play Halloween events

Free for All: Thirteen spooky free-to-play Halloween events originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 27 Oct 2010 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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TERA talks costume contest, shows off new screenshots

Jef Reahard — Mon, 18 Oct 2010 11:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Galleries, Screenshots, Contests, New titles, News items, TERA

Looking forward to TERA? Like cosplay? If so, En Masse Entertainment has a Halloween costume contest just for you. Send in a picture of yourself dressed as a TERA player character, NPC, or monster, and you could snag TERA merchandise and multiple beta invites.

The contest will also feature five runners-up, each of whom will take home t-shirts, posters, and lanyards as well as one beta invite. Entry requires a Twitter account, and you'll need to reply to the official TERA Twitter with a link to your costume photo and the hashtag #teracostume. Be sure and have a look at the costume contest rules on the official forums.

Speaking of costumes, you can also check out the latest Screenshot of the Week featurette for a potential idea in the form of a Castanic Free Brotherhood farmer.

Gallery: TERA Screenshots of the Week

TERA talks costume contest, shows off new screenshots originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 18 Oct 2010 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Behind the Mask: An anniversary well-spent

Patrick Mackey — Thu, 09 Sep 2010 18:00:00 EST

Filed under: Super-hero, Culture, Events, in-game, PvP, Opinion, Roleplaying, Champions Online, Behind the Mask

Over the last week, I've been spending a lot of time playing Champions Online's anniversary event. In fact, I'd go so far as to say it rekindled my enjoyment for the game. While I've been playing CO, here and there, I think like many players, I suffered from a little burnout.

The anniversary event itself wasn't really what cured my ills. The extra things involved in the event were just little fun add-ons to the game. The main tasks in the game were still there for me: run Serpent Lantern, run NemCon, maybe level an alt, mess around on PTS, and roleplay. Even the "big bang" Destroid attacks were only a decent diversion for a half hour or so.

What really got my excitement going was the increased socialization. A lot of people claimed "the zones are empty," but that couldn't be further from the truth. I logged out one night in Millenium City #7 and logged in the next afternoon to Millenium City #20, with most of the lower instances completely full. That's close to 2000 players in just MC alone. I participated in a lot of roleplaying and hung out with the CORP guys during their RP event. I added over 10 people to my friends list last week.

The main reason my burnout was cured? I gained an optimistic look at where the game is headed.

Continue reading Behind the Mask: An anniversary well-spent

Behind the Mask: An anniversary well-spent originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 09 Sep 2010 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Fallen Earth costume contest winners announced

Krystalle Voecks — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 20:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Fallen Earth, Contests, News items

The apocalypse: place of beat up armor and scavenged and repurposed items galore. While this means you're in great luck for making an outfit in-game, it makes things a bit more difficult when it comes to making a Fallen Earth costume in the real world. Do you stay true to the game and only use things that look the same as existing gear? Or do you get creative in your costume scavenging and let your imagination run wild? Well, this year it would appear that the entries for the second annual Fallen Earth costume contest did both.

The three categories awarded for this year's contest winners were Most Original Setting, Most Accurate Game Costume, and Best Inside Joke on Scavenging, which went to Sinoth, blackenedlegions, and spookdi respectively. There were also four honorable mentions (faust, Schipperke, Beorend, jac428) and a shout out to one of our staffers who sent in a costume too. Be sure to go check out the gallery of winners for some pretty cool post-apocalyptic costumes!

Fallen Earth costume contest winners announced originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 29 Oct 2009 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Second annual costume contest announced for Fallen Earth

Eliot Lefebvre — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 10:30:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Fallen Earth, Contests, Events, real-world

Some people would say that the complete end of the world as we know it kind of precludes dressing up in costumes and going out for candy. And there's a word for those people -- quitters. Lucky for all of us, however, the end of the world as we know it has only come in video game form, and now the fans of Fallen Earth can earn some prizes in the second annual Halloween costume contest on the official site.

Running until October 21st, the contest calls for players to send in their faction-themed costumes, with all of the entries being displayed on the site on October 23rd. In addition, the top five entries will receive a Fallen Earth prize pack, which includes a game t-shirt, a messenger bag, and a game poster autographed by the development team. The full rules are available at the official site.

If you're a fan of the game, it's a nice chance to dovetail putting together a costume and winning some nice bonuses from the developers. And, on the off chance that the end of the world really does roll around, you'll have the added benefit of being dressed for the occasion.

Second annual costume contest announced for Fallen Earth originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 08 Oct 2009 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The beauty of MMO fashion shows

Shawn Schuster — Thu, 15 May 2008 19:30:00 EST

Filed under: Galleries, Screenshots, Contests, Culture, Events, real-world, Events, in-game, Forums, Roleplaying

As our MMOs get more immersive in regards to graphical environments and especially character models, it is an inevitable progression to introduce fan-driven beauty contests into the mix. Fansites and forums are always finding new ways to boost the community in our MMOs, and competition is a natural element of our favorite games anyway, so why not combine the two? This type of community-based event showcasing the beauty of in-game graphics tends to be something that can most effectively be done in an MMO, and works quite well as a distraction from the typical killing, looting and questing.

So are these in-game character beauty contests an extension of roleplaying, or are they focused more on the competitive aspect? Do you think they're trying to over-compensate for real-world qualities as a form of escapism? Are they simply good-natured fun, and a way to pass the time? Regardless of the reason, they're becoming more popular with each new MMO. In fact, we anticipate one of these in Age of Conan very soon.

What becomes even more fascinating though is the conversion from in-game character beauty contests to real-world costume contests. Many players are willing to take it that extra mile for the love of their game, and this certainly isn't a new phenomenon. We've seen this for decades with Star Trek and Star Wars conventions, but are MMOs replacing this type of event?

Check out the gallery below for a walk down the runway of MMO fashion shows.

Gallery: MMO Beauty Contests

The beauty of MMO fashion shows originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 15 May 2008 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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CoX Costume Contest winners announced

Jonathan Northwood — Sat, 22 Dec 2007 16:00:00 EST

Filed under: City of Heroes, City of Villains, Contests

NCsoft has announced the winners of the annual CoX Halloween costume contest, and the results are up on the official forums. We'd like to congratulate CutestLilHero for winning the Best Overall, and kudos to both Reginold Longbarrel and Komic Kitten for Best Villain and Best Hero, respectively. The Community Pick winner was Dark-Hammer.

A gallery of the official winners -- as well as images of the Community Pick contestants -- is available, so check out the creativity your fellow players show in matching life to art. Each year, this contest lets you know who wears the Spandex in the City of Heroes/Villains universe. And, as always, if you have any questions or concerns, a discussion section has been opened on the official forums.

CoX Costume Contest winners announced originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 22 Dec 2007 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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CoX community choice costume contest

Jonathan Northwood — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 11:00:00 EST

Filed under: City of Heroes, City of Villains, Contests

When the CoX team announced their annual Halloween costume contest, they knew they'd get a boatload of entrants, and they were right. They've sorted through them to cull their pics; however, they always save one of the best moments for the very end. While the judges have already chosen the three top selections -- Grand Prize, Best Hero and Best Villain -- you need to help them decide who gets to claim the honor of creating the costume that's chosen as a winner by the players.

It's time, my friends, to cast your votes. Show your support for our spandex-clad colleagues, and choose who you think best deserves the "Community Pick" prize. There are seven contestants, and each of you gets one vote to try to push your candidate to the top of the pile. But hurry: NCsoft is ending the voting at 10 a.m. Pacific on Monday, 26 November.

CoX community choice costume contest originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 21 Nov 2007 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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First semi-final event for the CoX costume contest tonight

Amanda Rivera — Tue, 06 Nov 2007 17:30:00 EST

Filed under: City of Heroes, City of Villains, Events, in-game

Guardian's Best Dressed Costume Contest has been running for a couple days now, and today is the last day to enter. If you consider yourself the master of character creation, then you'll want to hop on over to the Pocket D dance floor Tonight at 7pm EST for the judging. You know, I might do it myself just to see all the awesome costumes that will be out there.

A few specifics about the contest. There are seven categories, and the prizes range from 1 to 10 million influence and a title for your winning character. The final event will be held on November 27th at 8pm EST in Pocket D. In order to qualify for the finals you have to win a semi finals round, which will be held on the 6th, the 11th, the 13th, the 20th and the 25th. Even the semi-finalists will receive influential gifts, or infamous gifts, depending on what side of the game you play on. Personally, I would love to get third prize, since that's an Invention Origin Costume Piece of Choice, and my controller really needs her a pair of fairy wings.

First semi-final event for the CoX costume contest tonight originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 06 Nov 2007 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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LotRO celebrates the Harvest Festival

Dan O'Halloran — Thu, 25 Oct 2007 18:03:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Lord of the Rings Online, Events, in-game, Quests

There are a lot of Fall seasonal festivals going on in MMOs right now. From WoW's Hallow's End with its flying broomstick mount and Headless Horsemen event to City of Heroes' Costume Contest.

Lord of the Rings Online is celebrating the season in its own way with Middle-earth's first annual Harvest Festival. Announced today, but starting on Friday, October 26th and running through November 11th, Tolkien lovers can enjoy a number of unique events.

Continue reading LotRO celebrates the Harvest Festival

LotRO celebrates the Harvest Festival originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 25 Oct 2007 18:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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