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Free for All: A hardcore raider shines light on F2P issues

Beau Hindman — Wed, 09 Feb 2011 15:00:00 EST

Filed under: Real life, Culture, Opinion, Free-to-play, Humor, Free for All

My gaming moods come and go, but generally I always avoid heavy grinding. I am 36 -- all grown up -- and the last thing I want to do is put myself into a position in a game that makes me feel like I am working instead of playing. In fact, I think participating in a heavy grind will only encourage developers to make more of the same, so I try to do my part by avoiding it. I hope this doesn't sound harsh, but I believe that heavy grinding is ruining gaming. Allow me to explain.

We humans love to establish rules and boundaries. Many of us need rules and boundaries or we don't know what to do with ourselves. We like to achieve goals, and some of us are obsessed with surpassing those goals. Have you ever stopped to wonder how we got to the point that a standard work day is eight hours and how the weekend is set on the days it is? This is all due to our ability to fall in line, to give into the demands that we place on ourselves, to give into a set of rules and guidelines. One only need attend an average wedding to see how ridiculously far we accept certain guidelines in the name of tradition. Funerals can be equally silly.

What does this have to do with free-to-play gaming? Well, click past the cut and we'll chat about it.

Continue reading Free for All: A hardcore raider shines light on F2P issues

Free for All: A hardcore raider shines light on F2P issues originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 09 Feb 2011 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Hyperspace Beacon: A mystical energy field controls my destiny

Larry Everett — Tue, 11 Jan 2011 17:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Lore, New titles, Star Wars: The Old Republic, Hyperspace Beacon

I find it extremely interesting that the most poignant and memorable lines spoken in the original trilogy are not said by the primary protagonist, Luke Skywalker. Instead, the majority are spoken by Yoda or Ben Kenobi, and in this case, Han Solo quipped this line: "Kid, I've flown from one side of this galaxy to the other. I've seen a lot of strange stuff, but I've never seen anything to make me believe there's one all-powerful Force controlling everything. There's no mystical energy field that controls my destiny. It's all a lot of simple tricks and nonsense." When I watch the first in this series of memorable films, I find it extremely fascinating how this bit of exposition was seamlessly woven into the the movie's narrative, especially given that, in the later films, exposition was set aglow with neon lights and explosive fireworks.

Although an earlier scene set up what the Jedi were, this conversation between Han and Obi-Wan while the latter trained Luke really shows what the Force is: a mystical energy field that can control your actions or obey your commands. The premise was the set-up for many hokey religions and ancient weapons to be birthed in the Star Wars universe. I would like to take some time to explore the other religions born from the Force. Granted, this will not be exhaustive, but it should give you a taste of some of the possible "simple tricks and nonsense" (as Han Solo called it) that we may run into in Star Wars: The Old Republic.

Continue reading Hyperspace Beacon: A mystical energy field controls my destiny

Hyperspace Beacon: A mystical energy field controls my destiny originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 11 Jan 2011 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Storyboard: Archetype discussion - the Partisan

Eliot Lefebvre — Fri, 07 Jan 2011 12:00:00 EST

Filed under: Culture, Opinion, Roleplaying, Storyboard, Miscellaneous

Clarity of purpose is a wonderful thing, made all the more likable by its usual absence. The fact is that most of us have only the vaguest idea of what to do, and we're all making things up as we go. It's the central ripoff discovered when you become an adult. Moral clarity is a joke, and whether you try to save everyone or just focus on saving yourself, it's a morass without any clear purpose for most of us.

The partisan puts the lie to that. He might follow a religion, he might follow a nation, he might follow an individual -- but whatever his leader might be, the partisan follows it without fail. He has his moral clarity at all times, even if keeping it might mean sacrificing his own judgment. And it's his view -- his vision of what is right -- that tells him exactly what he wants. So let's look at the partisan, in all of his one-true-path glory.

Continue reading Storyboard: Archetype discussion - the Partisan

Storyboard: Archetype discussion - the Partisan originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 07 Jan 2011 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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And He said unto them: "Rename The Bible Online"

Eliot Lefebvre — Wed, 01 Dec 2010 20:00:00 EST

Filed under: Contests, News items, Free-to-play, Browser, Miscellaneous

While it hasn't made quite the impact one might expect from the subject matter, The Bible Online has been soldiering along since it was first announced earlier this year. Unfortunately, the game's developers have found that the free-to-play browser-based game has a problem one would never think to be a real issue: the name isn't distinctive enough. Specifically, the name doesn't lend itself well to any sort of search engine optimization, and for a browser-based game, that's a pretty serious drawback.

As a result, a contest is being held to rename the game with a more catchy (and search-engine-friendly) sobriquet, complete with a special prize being offered to the three best entries. Although the official announcement doesn't mention what the prize will be, it will most likely be some form of special in-game item or title. If you're playing The Bible Online or just interested in the name of the game, it might be worth throwing your hat into the ring.

And He said unto them: "Rename The Bible Online" originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 01 Dec 2010 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Mog Log: The people have spoken!

Eliot Lefebvre — Sat, 17 Apr 2010 12:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, Final Fantasy XI, Classes, Culture, Game mechanics, Lore, Opinion, Consoles, Final Fantasy XIV, The Mog Log

Actually, it's more like the people never stopped speaking. Because there's been quite a bit to talk about over the past few weeks, most of it circling around the enormous bursts of information coming out of the Final Fantasy XIV testing process. We've gotten our first few looks at what the game might look like, and compared to the lockstep class-and-level progression of Final Fantasy XI it's like the game's being developed by a whole other company. Or like it's some mixture of all the best parts of the games of yesteryear, which might not be that far from the truth.

If you haven't been in the mood to talk about the new hotness, of course, there's been plenty of other things to chat about, specifically the huge March update in Final Fantasy XI that added all sorts of new widgets. (An update I was lucky enough to take a tour of, if you missed it.) So jump on past the cut for the most interesting, though-provoking, or just most noteworthy threads over the past month around the web, as determined by reader mail and whatever caught my eye before my clicking hand got tired.

Continue reading The Mog Log: The people have spoken!

The Mog Log: The people have spoken! originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 17 Apr 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Is World of Warcraft a religion?

Shawn Schuster — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 10:00:00 EST

Filed under: World of Warcraft, Fantasy, Real life, Culture, Opinion, Second Life, Virtual worlds

Just when you thought you had heard it all, MMO gamers are now being called religious zealots. According to Theo Zijderveld, a grad student at the University of Colorado, gamers who experience online worlds "like World of Warcraft and Second Life" are doing so to transcend their physical bodies and "realize a new identity in cyberspace". This is not exactly news to us, but it's the connection to religion that becomes interesting.

In his 72-page Master's thesis entitled Cyberpilgrims, Zijderveld cites the four dimensions of religion for his cause: community, ethics, culture and emotion. "The community dimension is present in World of Warcraft as well as in Second Life. People are using their avatar online meet other avatars of real people. Avilion is clearly a community of people with the same interest in the fantasy world. The social markers are clear; the rules of how to dress and how to behave are very explicit. Avatars who do not fit in this picture are (sometimes actively) excluded by the community or by the moderators."

At least now your family can't nag you for not going to church enough.

Is World of Warcraft a religion? originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 03 Feb 2009 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Behind the Curtain: Religion as a game mechanic pt. 2

Craig Withers — Sat, 18 Oct 2008 12:00:00 EST

Filed under: World of Warcraft, Fantasy, EverQuest II, Classes, Culture, Game mechanics, Lore, Opinion, Behind the Curtain, Roleplaying

If developers chose to extend similar mechanics to affect players, you might find yourself being penalised for being in possession of 'forbidden' materials, whatever they may be. Mechanics might be in place to reflect how devout your character was, meaning you were actively prevented from taking certain actions at a certain time, reflecting any holidays or religious observations your character made. Imagine a Paladin who was actually prevented from ganking lowbies because it was contrary to his faith? Shocker.

More blue-sky thinking, I know. Putting aside for now the idea of fake religions, what about allowing real-life religions into games?

Continue reading Behind the Curtain: Religion as a game mechanic pt. 2

Behind the Curtain: Religion as a game mechanic pt. 2 originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 18 Oct 2008 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Behind the Curtain: Religion as a game mechanic

Craig Withers — Sat, 18 Oct 2008 12:00:00 EST

Filed under: World of Warcraft, Fantasy, EverQuest II, Classes, Culture, Game mechanics, Lore, Opinion, Behind the Curtain, Roleplaying

Should we have more religion in MMOs?

I'm not talking about the Priests and Paladins we see in World of Warcraft, Everquest 2 and probably lots of other games I haven't played. Religion for character classes like these is more often than not a game mechanic, something which is used to explain the source of their powers.

Divine Magic is a term which is frequently used to explain a player or character's ability to cast spells. It's a catch-all term, attributing magical and mystical abilities to ill-defined deities and otherwordly beings watching over the game-world. Usually benevolent, these beings empower their followers, enabling them to carry out miraculous feats.

Probably deliberately, religion has remained generally fuzzy and ill-defined in MMOs. That shouldn't come as much of a surprise. Religious debate in the real world is a sure-fire way to incite some flames, and it's no wonder that games developers have been keen to shy away from it thus far.

Continue reading Behind the Curtain: Religion as a game mechanic

Behind the Curtain: Religion as a game mechanic originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 18 Oct 2008 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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With persistent worlds comes persistent racism

James Egan — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 19:00:00 EST

Filed under: Real life, Culture, MMO industry, There, Academic, Virtual worlds

The promise of what virtual spaces can bring us is significant -- erasing geographic limitations on interaction with others while fostering an exchange of cultures, beliefs, and languages. To this high-minded end, millions of dollars have been spent and many thousands of hours of work have been invested into creating rich graphical settings coupled with immersive environmental soundscapes. Crisp digital communication at its finest, right?

Much like the promise of the the eradication of artificial barriers to meaningful communication through the Internet, virtual worlds and online spaces in general have fallen short of expectations. It's generally not the fault of the companies or the service providers though. The fault lies with us, the users.

Continue reading With persistent worlds comes persistent racism

With persistent worlds comes persistent racism originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 12 Sep 2008 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Gaming Iconoclast: Deity not included

Rafe Brox — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 11:00:00 EST

Filed under: World of Warcraft, Culture, Lore, Opinion, Roleplaying, Humor, The Gaming Iconoclast

Are You There, God? It's Me, Margaret.
- Judy Bloom

(Hey, just be glad you didn't get another Neitzsche quote*)

The fantasy-based worlds our characters inhabit are, almost without exception, richly steeped in legend and brimming with lore. This is doubly true for those that have come to parturition after having existed outside of the digital realm. Frequently, the book or books upon which they are based feature the prominent (occasionally bordering on overwhelming) presence, if not direct and outright influence, of the God or Gods the characters worship... or at least call upon to save their bacon once in a while.

Having been so much a part of the lives of the inhabitants of these universes, at least before they found themselves to be at our command, the relegation of these heretofore great cosmic forces to the essential position of role-playing wallpaper at best is puzzling, the occasional trimming of an Elder God's Toenail notwithstanding. In all these worlds full of powerful wizards channeling arcane energies and hurling bolts of numinous fire at their enemies, or healers using their connection to the divine to aid their allies -- some of whom are called Priests outright -- where are the Gods themselves? And, more to the point, where is the role of religion in the characters' lives?

Continue reading The Gaming Iconoclast: Deity not included

The Gaming Iconoclast: Deity not included originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 11 Jun 2008 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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$30,000AUD for studies in religion

Tateru Nino — Thu, 08 May 2008 23:00:00 EST

Filed under: News items, Second Life, Academic

Doctor Helen Farley (Lecturer in Studies in Religion and Esotericism) and Doctor Rick Strelan (Senior Lecturer in Studies in Religion) were awarded a $30,000AUD Strategic Teaching and Learning Grant by the University of Queensland (Australia) in October of last year to construct an island in Second Life for Studies in Religion.

Dr Farley has already had practice teaching meditation via Second Life, and used it successfully for student work thus far. The new University of Queensland island will be attached to the New Media Consortium region, which has over 250 educational institutions involved.

Continue reading $30,000AUD for studies in religion

$30,000AUD for studies in religion originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 08 May 2008 23:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Survey: Religion and Second Life -- part 2

Akela Talamasca — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 14:30:00 EST

Filed under: Real life, Culture, Server downtime, News items, Opinion, Second Life, Free-to-play, Academic, Virtual worlds

Assistant Professor of Religious Studies at Manhattan College in NYC Robert Geraci has continued his survey of religious practices and opinions as they relate to Second Life, which was first given some coverage in the Second Life Insider. This new survey is slightly longer, but can be completed in under 5 minutes. Preliminary results from the first survey were informative, according to Mr. Geraci, and he's hoping for a greater turnout for this one, so do help him out!

Most startling statistic from the first survey, to us: 20% of the community would consider SL an attractive alternative to earthly life if they could have their minds uploaded into it. Really? Are you ready to deal with crippling lag, serious unexpected destabilization, and -- *shudder* -- copybots? Here's an interesting theological debate: what happens to your soul when the grid goes off-line?

[Thanks, Robert!]

Survey: Religion and Second Life -- part 2 originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 31 Mar 2008 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Tabula Rasa soon to usher in the Holidays

Eli Shayotovich — Mon, 10 Dec 2007 18:30:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Culture, Events, in-game, Lore, Tabula Rasa

In a hot from the front lines communique, the fine folks at TenTonHammer are reporting that Tabula Rasa's first holiday extravaganza is on the test server.

The tone of the post suggests that Garriott and Company are trying to be politically correct as they head towards their first yearly holiday event. Maybe a little too PC perhaps? The event is being called a "Seasonal Holiday Observance." Note the use of the word "holiday" as opposed to any verbiage that directly connects it to "Christmas." Or is that their intent at all?

We've seen this growing trend of calling Christmas something else in the United States in order to appeal to as many ethnic groups as possible. Frankly, I believe most of the time it's nothing more than pure marketing hogwash. In this case however it actually works because in the scheme of Tabula Rasa's fictional lore the last remnants of humanity is truly a conglomeration of whoever could make it off the planet before the vile Bane nuked into oblivion. It really is nothing more than a rag-tag group of humans where race, color, creed and religion have all become insignificant in the scheme of things (an alien invasion and total destruction of Earth).

Furthermore, TenTonHammer reports the appearance of Festive Seasonal Holiday Observance Flora (not "Christmas" trees) throughout many of the zones (i.e. the Twin Pillars Outpost, Foreas Base, Gangus Outpost, and Fort Virgil to name a few). Plus, a one Sergeant Santa (very cute!) is tossing out Secular Head Dressings (not "Christmas" hats).

No firm date has been given as to when we should expect to see the S.H.O. on live servers, but as stealthy as that ole Kris Kringle and his flying gift-giving mobile is... you'd be wise to keep an eye peeled to TR's website. It may drop at any moment.

Tabula Rasa soon to usher in the Holidays originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 10 Dec 2007 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Game mechanics: Crafting deities

Akela Talamasca — Tue, 20 Nov 2007 13:02:00 EST

Filed under: Game mechanics, Crafting, PvP, Opinion, Roleplaying

Hey, check this out. I was pondering something the other day as I passed a Buddhist temple in San Francisco: virtually every religion that has ever been still exists in some form or another. It's said that a god only dies when its last follower has lost faith. That got me thinking: how could this work as a play mechanic in an MMO?

What if you could craft your own religion, the same way you craft a weapon, complete with the deity of your choice, and receive direct benefit from worshiping at its temple? Say, a hefty buff to carry into your next battle, or an automatic resurrection upon any of your teammates? Further, let's suppose that the only way for your god to grow in strength was for you to build temples to it, at which its adherents would pray for a predetermined duration each game session?

It gets crazier: you could proselytize and convert other players to your religion, or defile the temples of your rivals and weaken their god's strength. With a minimum number of followers needed to create a new god, there would be few instances of novelty and 'throwaway', or 'gag' gods to clutter up the system; this would be a serious tactic for use by the devout! There are many ways to make this sort of thing work. What about roleplay? Would there be PvE applications as well as PvP? Is there already something like this in place for some MMO? Someone send me a sign, show me the light!

Game mechanics: Crafting deities originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 20 Nov 2007 13:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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