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: What game terminology gets your goat?]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/07/30/the-daily-grind-what-game-terminology-gets-your-goat/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/07/30/the-daily-grind-what-game-terminology-gets-your-goat/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/07/30/the-daily-grind-what-game-terminology-gets-your-goat/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

MMOs, like any hobby, have their own specialized jargon. Someone who's never played an MMO might have no idea what it means if you say the MT pulled adds on your boss pull twice and wiped the group, but an experienced player will understand it without a problem. But that doesn't mean every acronym or term sits comfortably with everyone -- considering the plethora of specialized language that accompanies the genre and the variety of synonyms for given concepts, it's probable that there are some terms you like more than others.

So which part of MMO slang rubs you the wrong way? Does it get your hackles up when someone refers to a character as a toon? Do you hate seeing "mob" used to refer to a single enemy? Will you go out of your way to avoid saying "DPS" as a description of class roles? Is it an abbreviation or term common to a single game, like a class nickname? Or do you feel comfortable fully ensconced within the language, with no particular irritations or pet peeves?

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 game terminology gets your goat? originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 30 Jul 2011 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>chatculturehumorjargonopinionspeechtdgterminologytermstextthe-daily-grindSat, 30 Jul 2011 08:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Free for All: So, what does "MMORPG" mean?]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/09/08/free-for-all-so-what-does-mmorpg-mean/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/09/08/free-for-all-so-what-does-mmorpg-mean/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/09/08/free-for-all-so-what-does-mmorpg-mean/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , ,

As a reader of Massively, you should have a pretty good idea what MMORPG means. Not just what it stands for, but what it feels like, looks like, and behaves like. The problem is, despite common definitions, the games keep coming in different shapes and sizes -- and from all over the world. While I receive many comments about the Western coverage that Massively features, I would only be doing half my job if I reported on only the latest half a dozen games to break the multi-million-dollar budget mark in America.

The world is a smaller place, especially now. And across the world there are MMORPGs that are being played and enjoyed in many different ways. There are PvP games, games that place players into instance after instance with only a handful of other players, all while offering the potential to hang out with thousands of other people. Is an instanced combat game still an MMO? How about a game like Mabinogi, which maintains a persistent world, but is broken into several invisible channels for players to skip in to and out of?

This is impossible, but I think I will try to define exactly what MMO means -- now, in this current market.

Continue reading Free for All: So, what does "MMORPG" mean?

MassivelyFree for All: So, what does "MMORPG" mean? originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 08 Sep 2010 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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As we look back at the past several years of the MMO scene, we see a genre that has gone through significant evolutionary leaps. With those pioneering days of text MUDs and blocky graphics behind us, today we enjoy professionally developed games with impressive development teams and massive budgets behind them. The genre's depths have been thoroughly explored and we've even categorised the features we've come to love and expect from our favourite online retreats. Every part of the genre, from the types of gameplay available to the terminology we use, has been routinely evolving and redefining itself over time.

With professional MMO development soaring and a whole new generation of promising titles on the way, we stand on the cusp of what could be the next big evolutionary leap for online gaming. In the coming weeks and months, Massively will be examining how the MMO genre has been redefined during the current generation of games and where it's headed in the next. If you have something important to say on the topic, feel free to post a comment on page 2 or even write your own "Redefining MMOs" blog post and leave a comment with the URL.

In this introductory article, I ask why we use the terminology we do when talking about MMOs and if perhaps it's starting to change.

Continue reading Redefining MMOs: Terminology

MassivelyRedefining MMOs: Terminology originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 02 Jul 2009 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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