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 2015 AOL, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[Storyboard: Sadface]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/03/16/storyboard-sadface/http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/03/16/storyboard-sadface/http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/03/16/storyboard-sadface/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

For those of you who identify the middle picture, yes, I've beaten the game, and yes, I liked the ending. If you want to talk about it, do so via mail, not in the comments.
I have, on occasion, joked that all of my roleplaying characters are either looking for a tragedy or recovering from one. It's not an intentional thing, but for whatever reason, an awful lot of my characters tend to have a whole lot of pain and sorrow wrapped up in their heads. My attempts at making a joke character usually derail to the point that said character is even more depressing, like the mage I played who was supposed to be eccentric and wound up being desperately lonely due to her horrendous inability to focus on any one thing for too long.

While it's very easy to go into the depressingly morbid side with a tragic character, we're not going into that this week. (Another week -- you know how I roll by now.) No, this week's problem is much simpler. If you're playing a character who's beset on all sides by misfortune, eventually you're just going to wind up with sadness-induced apathy. You're going to get tired of the fact that your character always fails and never wins and that things get worse every time he or she tries to fix problems. In short, you're going to not want to play the character because said character is just plain depressing.

Continue reading Storyboard: Sadface

MassivelyStoryboard: Sadface originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 16 Mar 2012 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>depressingdepressiondownersfeaturedopinionroleplayroleplayersroleplayingrpsadsadnesssorrowstorystoryboardFri, 16 Mar 2012 19:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Raph Koster: Immersion is not a core game virtue]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/01/13/raph-koster-immersion-is-not-a-core-game-virtue/http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/01/13/raph-koster-immersion-is-not-a-core-game-virtue/http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/01/13/raph-koster-immersion-is-not-a-core-game-virtue/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,

Star Wars Galaxies - Cantina gambling
Yeah, you read that right, virtual world fans. One of the more celebrated sandbox MMORPG developers is apparently throwing in the towel when it comes to immersion. Raph Koster wrote what can only be termed a lament on his personal blog today, saying that "immersion does not make a lot of sense in a mobile, interruptable world."

Koster characterizes immersion as a style whose time has come and gone, and he concludes that games are no longer for dreamers due to their far-reaching popularity. "I mourn the gradual loss of deep immersion and the trappings of geekery that I love," Koster writes. "I see the ways in which the worlds I once dove into headlong have become incredibly expensive endeavors, movies-with-button-presses far more invested in telling me their story, rather than letting me tell my own."

Whether you agree with him or not, it's a sobering read coming from one of the chief creative forces behind Star Wars Galaxies and Ultima Online.

MassivelyRaph Koster: Immersion is not a core game virtue originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 13 Jan 2012 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>at-least-it-has-a-karateka-screenshotcasualdepressingdesignhardcoreimmersionkosterMiscellaneousopinionraph-kosterroleplaysandboxstar-wars-galaxiesswgultima-onlinevirtual-worldsFri, 13 Jan 2012 21:00:00 EST<![CDATA[The Daily Grind: What big reward was a big disappointment?]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/02/18/the-daily-grind-what-big-reward-was-a-big-disappointment/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/02/18/the-daily-grind-what-big-reward-was-a-big-disappointment/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/02/18/the-daily-grind-what-big-reward-was-a-big-disappointment/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

It's taken months of farming in City of Heroes, carefully storing up Alignment Merits and Merit Rewards and Mission Architect Tickets and that all-important Influence. You've had to get into annoying price wars on the auction house, you've had to use up a couple of Veteran respecs, but you've finally done it. You've fully slotted your powers with the best of the best, the most spectacular Invention sets possible. And after all that work, you feel... well... just bored. As it turns out, reaching the apex of power was actually kind of a hollow goal after all.

We've all spent a bunch of time climbing toward something only to find out at the end that it really wasn't worth it. Maybe it was assembling a full set of best-in-slot gear in World of Warcraft, or maybe it was just trying to get the perfect cosmetic armor set for your Warden in Lord of the Rings Online. When have you earned a big reward that felt like a massive letdown? When has all that hard work felt like it was in service to a goal you no longer cared about?

Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!

MassivelyThe Daily Grind: What big reward was a big disappointment? originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 18 Feb 2011 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>Black-rainbowCity-of-heroesCity-of-villainsCohCovCoxCultureDepressingDisappointingDisappointmentEndgameGoalsLord-of-the-rings-onlineLotroPlayer-achievementsPlayer-goalsTdgThe-daily-grindWell-that-was-a-month-of-my-life-i-will-never-get-backWorld-of-warcraftWowFri, 18 Feb 2011 08:00:00 EST