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 you ashamed of being a gamer?]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/07/19/the-daily-grind-are-you-ashamed-of-being-a-gamer/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/07/19/the-daily-grind-are-you-ashamed-of-being-a-gamer/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/07/19/the-daily-grind-are-you-ashamed-of-being-a-gamer/#commentsFiled under: , ,

This past week, blogger Tobold dusted off the issue of gamer pride -- and more specifically, gamer shame. While we have strong affection for our beloved hobby, gaming has a stigma that's yet to completely wear off, even though our ranks swell every month. It's a frustrating double standard when friends openly chat about sports, movies and TV, and yet give you an odd look when you gush about your favorite game.

While I'm not shy about being a gamer, I don't exactly go about broadcasting it, either. For one thing, a lot of people still associate video games with either mindless violence or childish play. For another, it's simply hard to explain the attraction of games to those who have limited or zero experience with them.

As a result of this stigma, there's a temptation to keep your gaming persona on the down-low, or "DL" as kids a decade ago put it. Do you hide your identity as a gamer from friends, loved ones and co-workers? Are you cautious about bringing it up in conversation until you know you're among like minds?

MassivelyThe Daily Grind: Are you ashamed of being a gamer? originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 19 Jul 2010 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>ashamedhide-identityhobbyidentityopinionshametdgthe-daily-grindtoboldyo-dawg-you-on-the-dlMon, 19 Jul 2010 08:00:00 EST<![CDATA[GamersFirst promoting anonymity in response to Blizzard's Real ID system]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/07/08/gamersfirst-promoting-anonymity-in-response-to-blizzards-real-i/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/07/08/gamersfirst-promoting-anonymity-in-response-to-blizzards-real-i/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/07/08/gamersfirst-promoting-anonymity-in-response-to-blizzards-real-i/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

Unless you have sealed yourself away from the internet for the past few days, the odds are good that you've heard about Blizzard's decision to make the Real ID service mandatory for forum usage. The result was the sort of enormous fiasco that makes the phrase "PR nightmare" sound far too gentle. And if that wasn't enough injury, GamersFirst is adding a bit of well-deserved insult with its newest promotion -- which re-affirms how important the option of staying anonymous really is while offering a new home for those packing up and leaving Casa de Azeroth.

Executive director Tracy Spaight pulled no punches in a statement on the matter -- "It is an unwarranted intrusion to player privacy to force [players] to disclose their real world identity." The team behind Sword 2, War Rock, and Knight Online (among others) is offering special bonus items until August 9th to players who register in War Rock or Sword 2 with the promotional code StayAnonymous. It's the first public response regarding this debacle we've seen from the industry, but odds are good that it won't be the last. And who doesn't like to get free things just for remaining anonymous?

MassivelyGamersFirst promoting anonymity in response to Blizzard's Real ID system originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 08 Jul 2010 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>anonymityblizzardf2pfree-to-playgamersfirstid-failidentityknight-onlineprivacyreal-idsword-2sword-of-the-new-worldswotnwar-rockThu, 08 Jul 2010 19:00:00 EST<![CDATA[The Daily Grind: Be yourself or someone like you]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/05/11/the-daily-grind-be-yourself-or-someone-like-you/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/05/11/the-daily-grind-be-yourself-or-someone-like-you/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/05/11/the-daily-grind-be-yourself-or-someone-like-you/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

It wasn't one of the biggest news items of last week, but Blizzard's announcements regarding Battle.net and the RealID system did turn a few heads. The fact that it uses the real name of players was a bit surprising, but at the end of the day it's not the first game allowing people to track players across alts. City of Heroes has always had a global chat handle integrated with the client, and both Star Trek Online and Champions Online integrate your name directly with the name of a given character.

On the one hand, this can be seen as a good thing. Rather than friending an army of alts that your friend cycles through on a regular basis, you friend somebody once and you know them. There's also no hiding behind alts for disrespectful or unpleasant players. On the other hand, it means that no one gets to advantage of taking a night off on an alt no one knows about, and it can raise some security and identity concerns. (Especially in Blizzard's case, what with the real names being used.) What do you think about global identities in MMOs? Are they a good move as a whole, or are they a bit too Big Brother for your tastes?

MassivelyThe Daily Grind: Be yourself or someone like you originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 11 May 2010 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>battle.netchampions-onlinecharacter-nameschat-handlescity-of-heroescocohglobal-handleshandlesididentificationidentitynamesopinionrealidstar-trek-onlinestotdgthe-daily-grindworld-of-warcraftwowTue, 11 May 2010 08:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Will the real topic please stand up? Anatomy of a community communications breakdown]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/01/29/will-the-real-topic-please-stand-up-anatomy-of-a-community-comm/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/01/29/will-the-real-topic-please-stand-up-anatomy-of-a-community-comm/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/01/29/will-the-real-topic-please-stand-up-anatomy-of-a-community-comm/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

Traditionally, Linden Lab's blog communications have seemed to be reserved for things that had been finalized, were being finalized but already set in stone, or may not have been set in stone but gave that appearance by being nearly identical both before and after user-feedback. All this punctuated by a smattering of video tutorials, infomercials and statistics.

Wallace Linden's recent attempt at (what we think might possibly be) a productive conversation on Second Life identification linking looks like a bit of a failure, mostly because it seems to have failed to distinguish itself from these traditional developer/operator communication patterns.

Continue reading Will the real topic please stand up? Anatomy of a community communications breakdown

MassivelyWill the real topic please stand up? Anatomy of a community communications breakdown originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 29 Jan 2010 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>communicationcultureidentificationidentitylinden-labmark-wallaceopinionsecond-lifevirtual-worldswallace-lindenFri, 29 Jan 2010 09:00:00 EST<![CDATA[The Virtual Whirl: Community guide to Virtual Worlds]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/01/24/the-virtual-whirl-community-guide-to-virtual-worlds/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/01/24/the-virtual-whirl-community-guide-to-virtual-worlds/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/01/24/the-virtual-whirl-community-guide-to-virtual-worlds/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , ,

Welcome to The Virtual Whirl, a new weekly Massively column covering virtual environments generally. The term 'virtual world' is slowly seeing less use, being supplanted by the more general 'virtual environment', but the world term still has a fair bit of life left in it.

Virtual environments covers a whole lot of ground. From William Crowther's original efforts in 1976 that based a game in a virtual version of the Mammoth Cave in Kentucky, virtual environments have been a part of gaming, artificial intelligence and behavioral research, modeling, telemetry and process control and more.

Nowadays we're seeing Second Life, Blue Mars, There.com, IMVU and others trying to find places in non-game contexts, like content-development and prototyping, publishing and performance, entertainment and social, education and business; efforts that are met with varying amounts of success.

Continue reading The Virtual Whirl: Community guide to Virtual Worlds

MassivelyThe Virtual Whirl: Community guide to Virtual Worlds originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 24 Jan 2010 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>blue-marscopper-robotdusan-writerfacebookfeaturedforterraforterra-systemsfrenzoohaitiidentityimvulinden-labm-lindenmammoth-cavemark-kingdonmark-zuckerbergmetanomicsmichael-wilsonmitch-wagnernew-world-notesprivacysecond-lifesecond-life-2.0second-life-viewersimon-newsteadthe-metaverse-journalthe-virtual-whirlthere.comvirtual-worldsvirtual-worlds-newswilliam-crowtherwindlightworlds-in-motionSun, 24 Jan 2010 15:00:00 EST<![CDATA[MMOGology: Identity crisis]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/03/10/mmogology-identity-crisis/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/03/10/mmogology-identity-crisis/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/03/10/mmogology-identity-crisis/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

Ed Norton is a mild mannered claims adjuster. He's a friendly fellow and a model employee. He's never late to work. He keeps his workspace nice and tidy. He always speaks in a pleasant and clear manner during staff meetings and never raises his voice. But underneath the freshly pressed shirt and polished shoes lies something sinister. Mr. Norton has a dark secret. As night falls on the quaint suburbs where Ed resides, a blue-white light flickers in the otherwise dark bedroom of his modest home. Ed hovers in front of his PC's monitor; the glare reflecting eerily off his horn rimmed glasses. He smiles wickedly as World of Warcraft finishes loading. Suddenly, Ed undergoes a hideous transformation. His perfectly shellacked hair becomes a wild jungle of frizz. His eyes sink back into his skull. A demonic, green light leaks from between his pointed teeth. Ed has become Durden, the blood thirsty, undead warlock. Using his epic staff of carnal destruction, Durden reaps the souls of his victims with reckless abandon, laughing at their pathetic pleas for mercy. He is guildmaster and raid leader and wields ultimate power. All shall obey his commands or be forever be exiled from his presence.

Does this sound like you? If so, please seek psychiatric help immediately.

While most of us don't undergo the dramatic personality change illustrated by Mr. Norton when playing our favorite MMOG, many of us do have an online persona quite different from the one we present to the real world. Akela Talamaska's recent post about the Daedalus Project lead me to a fascinating survey that examined player role reversals. The survey highlights several different scenarios in which the roles of the players are completely inverse from the roles they play in real life. What are some of these roles swaps and how do they tie into our personalities? Why do we chose to act they way we do in our virtual worlds? Find out after the break!

Continue reading MMOGology: Identity crisis

MassivelyMMOGology: Identity crisis originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 10 Mar 2008 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>avatarDaedalus-Projectfeaturedidentityjoystiq-featuredpersonalitypsycherole-reversalroleplayingWorld-of-WarcraftWoWMon, 10 Mar 2008 10:00:00 EST<![CDATA[The Second Life/Orange Island Identity Summit]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2007/11/14/the-second-life-orange-island-identity-summit/http://massively.joystiq.com/2007/11/14/the-second-life-orange-island-identity-summit/http://massively.joystiq.com/2007/11/14/the-second-life-orange-island-identity-summit/#commentsFiled under: , , ,


Orange Island, previously reported upon here, will be holding a day-long summit this Friday, November 16, on the nature of identity and how it relates to one's avatar in Second Life. It's a packed event, with a host of SL luminaries presenting, including Ordinal Malaprop, Torley Linden, Celebrity Trollop, Michi Lumin, and Forseti Svarog.

The day's line-up looks like this:
  • 9am - 10am - Avatar as a Personal Brand
    Speakers: Torley Linden, Celebrity Trollop, and Saeya Nyanda
    Moderator: Haver Cole
  • 10am - 11am - Open Discussion on Avatar and Brand Identity
  • 11am - 12pm - Persona and Identity Transparency in Business
    Speakers: Ordinal Malaprop, Forseti Svarog
  • 12pm - 1pm - Open Discussion and Gallery Showing of Avatar Showcase Winners
  • 1pm - 2pm - Non-Human Avatars
    Speakers: NeoBokrug Elytis, Kumi Kuhr, Michi Lumin
    Moderator: Adri Saarinen
  • 2pm - 3pm - Open Discussion and Gallery Showing of You and Your Avatar photos
  • 3pm - 5pm - Wind Down Mixer and Discussions
    Music and entertainment by DJ Doubledown Tandino
Finally, leading up to the event, the preceding Thursday will witness the Avatar Showcase, where "Residents are invited to present their most unique and interesting avatar in this two hour event. The top three avatars will have their portraits made and displayed during one of the gallery exhibitions during the following day's discussions." Full information on Orange Island's website. I plan to be there on either day; if you've an SL account, come enjoy the festivities!

[Thanks, Adri!]

MassivelyThe Second Life/Orange Island Identity Summit originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 14 Nov 2007 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>adri-saarinenavatarscelebrity-trollopdoubledown-tandinoforseti-svaroghaver-coleidentitykumi-kuhrmassivelymichi-luminneobokrug-elytisorange-islandordinal-malapropsaeya-nyandasecond-lifesummittorley-lindenWed, 14 Nov 2007 13:30:00 EST