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[MMO Family: A parent's look at Toontown Online]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/04/16/mmo-family-a-parents-look-at-toontown-online/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/04/16/mmo-family-a-parents-look-at-toontown-online/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/04/16/mmo-family-a-parents-look-at-toontown-online/#commentsFiled under: , ,

MMO Family is your resource for leveling a gaming-specced family ... From tips on balancing gaming with family life to finding age-appropriate niches for every family member, MMO Family offers you advice on MMO gaming of the family, by the family and for the family.

Kids may not even realize they're playing an MMO (you know, one of those games that Mom and Dad talk about all the time and play after bedtime) when they log in to Toontown Online. All the traditional elements are there -- missions, combat, grouping, pets -- but they're all couched in the incomparable cartoon stylings of Disney. In fact, "couched" is probably the most apt descriptor possible, because Toontown is familiar and welcoming, just like that cozy couch you've been nestling into to watch Saturday morning cartoons for ... well, your whole life.

That's not to say that the action in Toontown is laid back. It's anything but. Kids gobble up the zany, cartoon slapstick approach to "combat" (think cream pies and banana peels) and mini-games. In fact, they'll be so busy squirting the boss in the face with their lapel flowers that they won't even realize they're "working" on levels. This is kid-flavored MMO gaming at its candy-coated best.

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MassivelyMMO Family: A parent's look at Toontown Online originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 16 Apr 2010 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>chat-filterchildchildrenESRBESRB-ratingfamilyfamily-friendlyfamily-funfamily-gamingfeaturedkid-friendlykidsparental-controlsparentspay-as-you-goFri, 16 Apr 2010 16:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Anti-Aliased: "Cash shop" shouldn't be a dirty phrase]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/03/04/anti-aliased-cash-shop-shouldnt-be-a-dirty-phrase/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/03/04/anti-aliased-cash-shop-shouldnt-be-a-dirty-phrase/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/03/04/anti-aliased-cash-shop-shouldnt-be-a-dirty-phrase/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

A not so long time ago in an interview located not too far away, one of our intrepid readers asked Alganon's David Allen if they ever considered a free-to-play model for their game. His response was the following:

"Right now, the industry standard is to squeeze as much money as they can out of players by introducing cash shops, and forcing them to pay for things that ought to have been part of the game. We don't want to do that. We want Alganon to be a service. You pay us a subscription so we can continue to develop and run a game that you enjoy playing. It's not a product where you hand us money and we hand you a vanity pet, or mount, or epic sword and then walk away. "

So, David... not to be "that girl" but... um... how's that cash shop working out for ya?

So, now that I've said what pretty much everyone was thinking when they heard that announcement from Quest Online, let's talk about cash shops this week and how we seem to royally keep screwing them up in our culture. Because, as the title says, "cash shop" just shouldn't be a dirty phrase in our industry.

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MassivelyAnti-Aliased: "Cash shop" shouldn't be a dirty phrase originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 04 Mar 2010 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>alganonanti-aliasedbusiness-modelscash-shopdavid-allenfeaturedfree-to-playitem-shopmicrotransactionspay-as-you-gopopcornquest-onlineThu, 04 Mar 2010 19:00:00 EST<![CDATA[MMO Family: A parent's look at Wizard101]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/02/19/mmo-family-a-parents-look-at-wizard101/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/02/19/mmo-family-a-parents-look-at-wizard101/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/02/19/mmo-family-a-parents-look-at-wizard101/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

MMO Family is your resource for leveling a gaming-specced family ... From tips on balancing gaming with family life to finding age-appropriate niches for every family member, MMO Family offers you advice on MMO gaming of the family, by the family and for the family.

Wizard101 is the game your youngest gamers have been begging for. With stringent chat filters atop relaxed, turn-based game play, Wizard101 looks almost unbeatable for young players seeking an MMO with traditional fantasy appeal. It plays like a collectible card game with all the MMO trimmings: housing, armor and clothing, player houses, pets, mini-games ... Family subscription plans plus the most complete, well presented web documentation that we've found keep parents as happy as the kids. (And they just might find themselves tempted to start a character and build their own spell decks, too!)

Continue reading MMO Family: A parent's look at Wizard101

MassivelyMMO Family: A parent's look at Wizard101 originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 19 Feb 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>chat-filterchildrenESRBESRB-ratingfamilyfamily-friendlyfamily-funfamily-gamingfeaturedkid-friendlykidsparental-controlsparentspay-as-you-gowizard101Fri, 19 Feb 2010 12:00:00 EST