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 Road to Mordor: Out of game on party business]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/01/14/the-road-to-mordor-out-of-game-on-party-business/http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/01/14/the-road-to-mordor-out-of-game-on-party-business/http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/01/14/the-road-to-mordor-out-of-game-on-party-business/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

Road to Mordor
Here's an odd confession for a Lord of the Rings Online columnist to make: I haven't been playing the game much in the past month. I've been, for all intents and purposes, on a gaming sabbatical from Middle-earth.

It's not as bad as it looks at first glance because I do this all the time with any MMO I play. I found out the hard way years ago that nonstop gaming in a singular dedicated title was a terrific recipe for spectacular, many-onlookers-injured flaming burnouts. No matter how good that pixelated pizza is, we've been told, if you have it for every meal, sooner or later it will taste like moldy routine in our mouth. And that's not good for anyone.

The good news is that my sabbatical is at an end after only flitting into LotRO on occasion over the holidays, and I'm rested up and recharged for another great year of slaughtering wildlife in Tolkien's honor. Before I do that, however, I'd like to take this opportunity to share why I feel that it's OK to "go on sabbatical" from LotRO... and why it even benefits the game as a whole for its fans not to play once in a while.

Continue reading The Road to Mordor: Out of game on party business

MassivelyThe Road to Mordor: Out of game on party business originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 14 Jan 2012 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>f2pfeaturedfree-to-playlord-of-the-rings-onlinelotroparty-businessquitquittingragequitroad-to-mordorsabbaticalturbineTurbine-EntertainmentTyrannosaurus-Rexworld-of-warcraftSat, 14 Jan 2012 12:00:00 EST<![CDATA[The Daily Grind: How many deaths before you call it?]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/03/28/the-daily-grind-how-many-deaths-before-you-call-it/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/03/28/the-daily-grind-how-many-deaths-before-you-call-it/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/03/28/the-daily-grind-how-many-deaths-before-you-call-it/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

The first time, okay, it happens. The second time is a bit worse, but again, these things happen to the best of us. Then comes the third death, and the fourth, and you start to wonder if you're actually playing the game or participating in some sort of bizarre computer-controlled death match where the server just wants you to go down in flames time and again. And almost everyone, in the right circumstances, will decide that it's one death too many and leave for greener pastures. In the case of games with a harsh enough death penalty such as EVE Online, even the threat of death can deter people.

We all have guidelines we use for determining when something is a lost cause, be it a group activity with friends or just a quest that doesn't want to play nice. What are yours? Do you have a set number of deaths, or something more game-specific such as losing a certain fraction of experience in Final Fantasy XI? If you're in a group, do you talk about it when you join, do you just quit when the limit is reached, or do you warn people and make excuses?

MassivelyThe Daily Grind: How many deaths before you call it? originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 28 Mar 2010 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>deathdeath-penaltyeveeve-onlineffxifinal-fantasy-xiopinionparty-wipequittingtdgthe-daily-grindtotal-wipewipeSun, 28 Mar 2010 08:00:00 EST<![CDATA[The Daily Grind: Do you vote with your wallet?]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/12/29/the-daily-grind-do-you-vote-with-your-wallet/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/12/29/the-daily-grind-do-you-vote-with-your-wallet/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/12/29/the-daily-grind-do-you-vote-with-your-wallet/#commentsFiled under: , , ,


There are certain changes, usually big ones, that don't exactly produce... positive reactions. In fact, they generally produce screaming rants and huge doses of rage at how they were handled and implemented. You know the sorts we're talking about. Star Wars Galaxies and the Combat Upgrade. Ultima Online and Trammel. Final Fantasy XI and the nerfs to Beastmaster "catch and release" tactics. All loathed changes, many of which led to an exodus of players.

Really, leaving a game can be the best way to express displeasure with a change. It's the surest way to send a company the message that they've done something that will no longer justify your monthly subscription. On the flip side, your individual impact is small, you once loved the game... a lot of players will choose to rough it out, in hopes that things will improve or with the knowledge that the changes can't be all that bad. And for games where you have a lifetime subscription or are experiencing it free-to-play, your absence isn't really a deterrent at all.

So, do you vote with your wallet? When you're fed up with what's been done, do you head off for greener pastures? Or are you of the mind that it's not even worth the bother, that they might well not even tie your departure to the change, even if you say so?

MassivelyThe Daily Grind: Do you vote with your wallet? originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 29 Dec 2009 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>beastmasterscancelingcombat-upgradef2pffxifinal-fantasy-xifree-to-playgame-changeslifetime-subscriptionp2ppay-to-playquittingstar-wars-galaxiesswgtdgthe-daily-grindtrammelultima-onlineunsubscribinguowalletTue, 29 Dec 2009 08:00:00 EST<![CDATA[MMO Family: When enough is enough]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/10/30/mmo-family-when-enough-is-enough/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/10/30/mmo-family-when-enough-is-enough/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/10/30/mmo-family-when-enough-is-enough/#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.

Whether yours is the kind of family with "screen time" limits or the type that takes a more laissez-faire approach to logging in, there comes a point when enough is enough. Plenty of pixels and ink have been devoted to the debate over whether or not internet and gaming overuse should be considered an "addiction." What we're here to discuss is how gaming affects your family. As parents who game, we should be in a unique position to appreciate, respect and guide our children's attraction to games. But sometimes in the crush of day-to-day living, it's easy to let those last few minutes slip into half an hour ... past an hour ... into the evening ... into a habit that's begun eating away at family balance.

To help parents recognize when their children's gaming may have passed what's reasonable and productive for them as individuals, we touched base with psychiatrist Dr. Kourosh Dini (author of Video Game Play and Addiction: A Guide for Parents and himself a gamer). Statistics on gaming use, he explains, show that most gamers manage to balance gaming with their daily lives without negative consequences. "In fact ... sometimes what one can gain from a game is quite profound," he observes. "The person's mind and the video games together set the stage - either for benefit or for detriment." A gaming schedule that suffocates one child's motivation and energy might buoy another through social problems at school. Our mission: to keep the mix healthy, productive and fun.

Continue reading MMO Family: When enough is enough

MassivelyMMO Family: When enough is enough originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 30 Oct 2009 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>addictionbalancechildrenfamilyfeaturedparentsquittingscheduleFri, 30 Oct 2009 16:00:00 EST<![CDATA[The Daily Grind: Do you ever just think about quitting?]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/10/17/the-daily-grind-do-you-ever-just-think-about-quitting/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/10/17/the-daily-grind-do-you-ever-just-think-about-quitting/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/10/17/the-daily-grind-do-you-ever-just-think-about-quitting/#commentsFiled under: ,

There's been a bit of talk about quitting MMOs these past days, including an interview discussing the fact that when many Age of Conan players quit, they didn't return to World of Warcraft or any other game -- that was it. They were done. No more MMOs.

If you're satisfied with MMOs as they are, of course feel free to chime in as always, but today's Daily Grind is a special one -- we want to give a shout out to the folks who just don't think this genre is living up to its potential. Maybe you played older games and don't like current, post-EverQuest trends. Maybe you didn't play older games, but you have some idea in your head about how things could be done differently in the future. In either case, you're disenchanted -- so do you ever think about just quitting? Have you already quit? And what would it take to prevent you from leaving, or to get you back if you've already gone?

MassivelyThe Daily Grind: Do you ever just think about quitting? originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 17 Oct 2008 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>age-of-conandiscussioneverquestleavingopinionquitquittingtdgthe-daily-grindworld-of-warcraftFri, 17 Oct 2008 08:00:00 EST<![CDATA[That's it, I'm quitting MMOs forever!]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/10/16/thats-it-im-quitting-mmos-forever/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/10/16/thats-it-im-quitting-mmos-forever/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/10/16/thats-it-im-quitting-mmos-forever/#commentsFiled under: , , ,


MMO burnout is an interesting creature. Rarely do people who quit MMOs do it quietly; it's usually crowned by a forum or blog post addressing the fact that this person has now "found a life" and are going outside more. In the process of burning bridges, these posts usually make two distinctively recycled points: All MMO players are overweight, and they never leave the house.

Such is a recent post at MMOCrunch regarding a player who has quit MMOs forever. Burnout is certainly understandable, especially in today's oversaturated market, but it's the method of the quitting that's always interesting to us. What does this say about MMOs and their impact on us, as players? Do people quit scrapbooking by burning their fancy paper and glue-on letters?

Continue reading That's it, I'm quitting MMOs forever!

MassivelyThat's it, I'm quitting MMOs forever! originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 16 Oct 2008 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>burnoutmmo-burnoutmmocrunchquittingThu, 16 Oct 2008 15:00:00 EST<![CDATA[MMO MMOnkey: Why I stopped playing Age of Conan]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/07/01/mmo-mmonkey-why-i-stopped-playing-age-of-conan/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/07/01/mmo-mmonkey-why-i-stopped-playing-age-of-conan/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/07/01/mmo-mmonkey-why-i-stopped-playing-age-of-conan/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , ,

Stopped playing because . . .
I like Age of Conan. I like the combat system that demands active engagement rather than the auto-attack, go-make-a-cup-of-coffee style of combat used in so many other MMOs. I enjoy exploring Funcom's recreation of Hyboria with its lush graphics and infinitely varied and "realistic" topography. I find the early game's seamless integration of an instanced nighttime story with a shared daytime world both innovative and engaging. I think the design team did a fine job capturing the spirit of Robert E. Howard's original Conan stories in both the look and feel of the game. Funcom got a lot of things right.

As everyone playing AoC knows, Funcom also got a lot of things wrong. Announced features like DirectX 10 support aren't in the game, many of the features that are in the game aren't working properly, technical issues cause frequent crashes for some players, in-game and tech support are apparently dreadful, bugs abound. Although Lord of the Rings Online showed us that an MMO launch doesn't have to be terrible, most of them are. I expected AoC to have these kinds of problems at launch and wasn't upset by them. With the disaster that was the Anarchy Online launch looking over their shoulders I also expected Funcom to work hard to eliminate AoC's launch problems and all indications are that's exactly what they're trying to do.

But yet I've stopped playing the game and I think game developers would be interested in knowing why.

Continue reading MMO MMOnkey: Why I stopped playing Age of Conan

MassivelyMMO MMOnkey: Why I stopped playing Age of Conan originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 01 Jul 2008 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>age-of-conanfeaturedguild-warsjoystiqfeaturesquittingreturning-to-a-gameTue, 01 Jul 2008 09:00:00 EST<![CDATA[The Daily Grind: When will you be done with WoW?]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/02/25/the-daily-grind-when-will-you-be-done-with-wow/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/02/25/the-daily-grind-when-will-you-be-done-with-wow/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/02/25/the-daily-grind-when-will-you-be-done-with-wow/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , ,

Who knows if/when World of Warcraft will ever end? While I'm by no means a power player, if WoW disappeared tomorrow, I'd be a little saddened by all the things I hadn't gotten to experience in it. At the same time, however, no matter how often I drop in, I eventually reach a burnout state before the month is up, and I cancel service until the next time I get the urge.

So, for me, it's just a general malaise that sets in that makes me quit WoW. For those of you who've quit, even briefly, what did it? And what would make you stop playing, forever?

MassivelyThe Daily Grind: When will you be done with WoW? originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 25 Feb 2008 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>burnoutcancelmalaisequitquittingthe-daily-grindworld-of-warcraftMon, 25 Feb 2008 08:00:00 EST<![CDATA[The Daily Grind: The end of the affair]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2007/11/29/the-daily-grind-the-end-of-the-affair/http://massively.joystiq.com/2007/11/29/the-daily-grind-the-end-of-the-affair/http://massively.joystiq.com/2007/11/29/the-daily-grind-the-end-of-the-affair/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

Stephen Totilo over at MTV's Mutliplayer blog actually canceled his WoW subscription recently, and to his surprise, actually found the experience easy and fun. He hadn't updated the game since last September, and speaking as someone who's played the game many, many times since then, I can safely say he was wasting his money. A great MMO is worthless to you if you're not playing it.

Thinking back on it, I believe I've only canceled one MMO ever, and that was Dark Age of Camelot (and I only canceled it because I started playing WoW). It was so long ago that I don't remember if I had any problems or not, but it must have gone smoothly enough. Other than that, I've pretty much considered all my subscriptions money well spent, so I haven't had to end anything.

But surely there are many more cancellations going on. When have you stepped up and ended the subscription, and for what reasons? Ever had a bad cancellation, or a really good one? And maybe we can help, too-- if there are any subscriptions you're paying right now that you shouldn't be, feel free to commiserate about them here-- we'll help you quit, if you need it. There are always more MMOs in the sea, if we're allowed to mess up a metaphor.

MassivelyThe Daily Grind: The end of the affair originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 29 Nov 2007 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>cancelledcommiseratedark-age-of-camelotend-of-the-affairpayingquittingsubscriptionwowThu, 29 Nov 2007 08:00:00 EST<![CDATA[The Escapist explains how your guild can avoid a "failure cascade"]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2007/11/20/the-escapist-explains-how-your-guild-can-avoid-a-failure-cascad/http://massively.joystiq.com/2007/11/20/the-escapist-explains-how-your-guild-can-avoid-a-failure-cascad/http://massively.joystiq.com/2007/11/20/the-escapist-explains-how-your-guild-can-avoid-a-failure-cascad/#commentsFiled under: ,


So you're the leader of a guild in your game of choice. All is well at first; everybody's having fun. Then, one or two people get upset about something someone said, or the schedule for a raid, or someone's failure to pay the guild hall maintenance fee. You try to contain it, but all hell breaks loose. Each player's departure leads to another's. Three weeks later, just you and two people from your office are still in the guild.

The Escapist calls this a "failure cascade" in a new article. The author of the article uses EVE Online as an example as he explains what a failure cascade is, where the term came from, and what kinds of guilds can be immune. The article is particularly interesting because it illustrates how EVE Online's open PvP combat can exacerbate the problem and lead to mass departures from the game.

MassivelyThe Escapist explains how your guild can avoid a "failure cascade" originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 20 Nov 2007 15:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>articleccpeveeve-onlinefailure-cascadeguild-masterguildspoliticspvpquittingthe-escapistTue, 20 Nov 2007 15:29:00 EST