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: How many games can you play at once?]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/08/14/the-daily-grind-how-many-games-can-you-play-at-once/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/08/14/the-daily-grind-how-many-games-can-you-play-at-once/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/08/14/the-daily-grind-how-many-games-can-you-play-at-once/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Most of us here at Massively play multiple MMORPGs, and we're betting a large majority of the readership does as well. Whether it's the standard main game and one or two flings on the side, or the game-hopping manifesto that compels us to try anything and everything that comes down the pipe, everyone has his own method for enjoying his favorite genre.

The only problem is that of time. Personally I don't have enough of it, as I could retire tomorrow and still never get to try all the games that interest me. Currently, it's all I can do to manage two "main" games and sample several others on a weekly and sometimes monthly basis.

What about you, Massively readers? How many MMOs can you realistically play at once?

MassivelyThe Daily Grind: How many games can you play at once? originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 14 Aug 2010 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>alt-gamegame-hoppergame-hoppingmain-gamemmo-touristmultiple-mmosopinionplaying-timetdgthe-daily-grindtimetourismtouristSat, 14 Aug 2010 08:00:00 EST<![CDATA[The myth of the World of Warcraft tourist]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/01/26/the-myth-of-the-world-of-warcraft-tourist/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/01/26/the-myth-of-the-world-of-warcraft-tourist/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/01/26/the-myth-of-the-world-of-warcraft-tourist/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

Last time we took a look at an elusive breed in the MMO universe, it was the sometimes spotted but never conclusively studied console MMO. This time, however, we should take a look at the World of Warcraft tourist, which should be compared to a brontosaurus. Not because it's a slow-witted lumbering creature -- because it doesn't exist except in the minds of people who find the concept easier than the real state of affairs.

As Serial Ganker points out, most people playing World of Warcraft aren't doing so until something better comes along -- they're doing so because they enjoy playing the game. The players who are lumped in as "tourists" are people who, more often than not, had already left the game and were looking for a new game to call home. This, in no small part, is why it's hard for games that clone WoW to find an audience, as the people who are looking for a new game want something different.

The ultimate conclusion is that the idea of a tourist shifts the blame from developers to players -- that the game was fine, but people just jumped ship because they really wanted to go back to WoW anyway. It's a convenient myth, but really, we'll all be better off if we just put the right head with the right skeleton.

MassivelyThe myth of the World of Warcraft tourist originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 26 Jan 2010 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>blizzard-entertainmentbrontosaurusthings-that-dont-existtourismtouristworld-of-warcraftwowwow-tourismwow-touristTue, 26 Jan 2010 11:00:00 EST<![CDATA[The perils of MMO tourism]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/11/02/the-perils-of-mmo-tourism/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/11/02/the-perils-of-mmo-tourism/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/11/02/the-perils-of-mmo-tourism/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

MMOs are a big business these days. This hasn't always been the case -- Ultima Online might have been the first real game of the genre, but it didn't make everyone want to build a competitor. It was the success of World of Warcraft that really opened up the idea that there was a huge amount of money to be made from the genre, and that in turn has brought almost everyone to the table in a rush to build a game, find a method that works, and try to hook as many subscribers as possible. The only problem is that we might find ourselves with an industry drifting toward what MMOSH refers to, quite fairly, as The Bad Place.

We've all found ourselves buying new games, playing them only until the trial is up, and then never picking them up again. Sometimes we don't even give them the full month. And some developers seem to be adopting this mentality as well -- there are rumors here and there about the future of Champions Online after its first month, and both publishers and players are treating it as if the first month is everything. (Their recent free trial seems to tie into this -- you could argue that where MMOs once got new players by word of mouth, they seem to be in love with constant trial offers to entice players now.) And that's just the tip of the problem, really -- the post goes into further detail about the cycle of hype, release, and abandonment. As it says, gone are the days when we should stick with the game that we had and wait for it to improve -- and that might ultimately be far more harmful than whatever holes in the game lead us to leave so quickly.

MassivelyThe perils of MMO tourism originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 02 Nov 2009 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>champions-onlinecoculturefirst-monthlaunch-delayslaunchesmmo-industryopiniontourismultima-onlineuoworld-of-warcraftwowMon, 02 Nov 2009 10:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Plans underway to mirror 2010 Youth Olympics in virtual Singapore]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/05/08/plans-underway-to-mirror-2010-youth-olympics-in-virtual-singapor/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/05/08/plans-underway-to-mirror-2010-youth-olympics-in-virtual-singapor/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/05/08/plans-underway-to-mirror-2010-youth-olympics-in-virtual-singapor/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,


You've never been to Singapore? Just point and click.

Singapore's Media Development Authority have announced plans for a 3D interactive online version of their city, dubbed Co-Space. There's no shortage of interest from potential developers; fifty firms have come forward in answer to the MDA's call for proposals. Although the amount set aside to fund the project hasn't been made public, interactive and digital media are considered 'strategic' to Singapore, with a overall backing of $500 million.

Continue reading Plans underway to mirror 2010 Youth Olympics in virtual Singapore

MassivelyPlans underway to mirror 2010 Youth Olympics in virtual Singapore originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 08 May 2008 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>co-spaceeventsMDAmirrormirror-worldsecond-lifesingaporetourismvirtualvirtual-worldsvrThu, 08 May 2008 11:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Tourist guide to Second Life]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2007/11/04/t/http://massively.joystiq.com/2007/11/04/t/http://massively.joystiq.com/2007/11/04/t/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

tourist informationSecond Life isn't all doom, gloom and financial wheeler-dealers. Neither, despite what the mainstream media would have you believe is it all sex, sex, sex. In fairness, all of these things and more can be found in Second Life, just like in Real Life, it just depends on what you go looking for. But, first arriving in Second Life can leave you facing a bewildering array of choices of places to go and things to do.

That's where SL Trip Tips might just help you. The site contains descriptions and pictures of many, many places in SL to go and visit, initially with just a name, a SLURL and a picture, but if you click "read more" you get a longer description from someone who has been there. (In case you're not sure a SLURL is a link that will take you straight to the location in Second Life if you have an account, or will prompt you to get an account otherwise). Of course this is relying on someone else's taste, but as you get used to what SL has to offer, you will learn how to search for the places that you really want yourself - and you'll probably come back to this site to see what else is cool.

[Via Prim Perfect]

MassivelyTourist guide to Second Life originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 04 Nov 2007 13:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>how-toSecond-LifeSLtour-tipstourismSun, 04 Nov 2007 13:01:00 EST