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[A Mild-Mannered Reporter: Post-survival]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/09/21/a-mild-mannered-reporter-post-survival/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/09/21/a-mild-mannered-reporter-post-survival/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/09/21/a-mild-mannered-reporter-post-survival/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , ,

A Mild-Mannered Reporter header image by A. Fienemann
So we've had a week to adjust to the new state of being for City of Heroes. OK, maybe a bit less than a week, what with all of the server issues and maintenance, but it's been something close to a week. That means that as a collective playerbase, we can start looking back at the launch and taking a slightly more critical eye. We're no longer running on speculation about how the launch will go; we're running in the wake of the relaunch, expansion, whatever you want to call it.

Last week, for those of you who've forgotten already, I wrote a piece specifically about surviving the release when it went live. Now that we've had a chance to go through it, there are some things I got wrong, some things that need more elaboration, and some things that I've just revised my opinion on. Since we've all survived the head start at this point, let's look at what it actually entailed, yes?

Continue reading A Mild-Mannered Reporter: Post-survival

MassivelyA Mild-Mannered Reporter: Post-survival originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 21 Sep 2011 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>a-mild-mannered-reportercity-of-heroescity-of-heroes-freedomcity-of-villainscohcolumncovcoxf2pfeaturedfree-to-playfreedomissue-21ncsoftopinionparagonparagon-studiospatchessubscriptionupdatesvalueWed, 21 Sep 2011 09:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Ask Massively: Let me show you pictures of my cat edition]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/06/23/ask-massively-let-me-show-you-pictures-of-my-cat-edition/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/06/23/ask-massively-let-me-show-you-pictures-of-my-cat-edition/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/06/23/ask-massively-let-me-show-you-pictures-of-my-cat-edition/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

Oh, wait, I can't show you pictures of my cat because he's currently hiding. I can show you pictures of what my cat normally looks like, except that we recently had him shaved so that the hot summer wouldn't be hitting him with a full long-haired blue coat. He's decided to repay this kindness by sulking and screaming at Ms. Lady and me because we have humiliated him.

To be fair, he does look pretty pathetic now. Even if he does resemble a tiny lion.

Now that we've lost absolutely everyone but the hardcore Ask Massively readers, we can delve into this week's questions, centering on TERA's political system and the curious grip that free-to-play games can hold upon our wallets. As always, you can mail your own questions along to ask@massively.com or leave them in the comment field to be answered in a future edition of the column.

Continue reading Ask Massively: Let me show you pictures of my cat edition

MassivelyAsk Massively: Let me show you pictures of my cat edition originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 23 Jun 2011 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>ask-massivelycolumnf2pfeaturedfree-to-playgame-valueopinionplayer-controlpoliticssubscription-valueteravalueThu, 23 Jun 2011 15:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Alter-Ego: Looking at the state of the game]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/04/16/alter-ego-looking-at-the-state-of-the-game/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/04/16/alter-ego-looking-at-the-state-of-the-game/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/04/16/alter-ego-looking-at-the-state-of-the-game/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

One of the most common questions I get every week in the comments for Alter-Ego is whether or not I think people should come play DC Universe Online. Obviously, I personally like the game, else I wouldn't still be playing and writing a column about it. I freely and openly admit my bias there. I'm a comic geek, so I've played every superhero MMO that's come out to date. While I love aspects of all of them, I currently prefer DC Universe Online for the fact that I get to run around with some of my favorite heroes and take down villains that I've known all my life.

So with my bias openly stated, I'd like to counterbalance it with this: As a veteran MMO player, I also won't put up with things I think are absolute crap for very long. Much like everyone else, I have a life to attend to outside of MMOs, I had to shell out for a copy of the game, and I pay my own subscription each month. I get just as irked when I feel as if I'm not getting value for that dollar as anyone else does. With that in mind, let's take a look at DC Universe Online from launch to current day, and I'll toss out my thoughts on picking up the game afterward.

Continue reading Alter-Ego: Looking at the state of the game

MassivelyAlter-Ego: Looking at the state of the game originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 16 Apr 2011 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>alter-egocontentdc-universedc-universe-onlinedcuofeaturedopinionsoesony-online-entertainmentsuperheroupdate-1update-2valueSat, 16 Apr 2011 14:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Rumor: Final Fantasy XIV draws a $26 million ragequit]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/10/13/rumor-final-fantasy-xiv-draws-a-26-million-ragequit/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/10/13/rumor-final-fantasy-xiv-draws-a-26-million-ragequit/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/10/13/rumor-final-fantasy-xiv-draws-a-26-million-ragequit/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,

You may or may not be one of the people unhappy with Final Fantasy XIV in its current state. Certainly the game has both drawn its fair share of ire and praise, and it's hard to picture a launch with more strongly divided opinions. But even if you hate everything the game turned out to be, you have to admit that you can't make quite the spectacle that one unnamed Japanese player did -- a rage-fueled quit that involved selling off $26 million worth of Square-Enix stock as a parting gesture.

Square-Enix experienced a definite dip in stock value on the 7th, dropping from 1800 yen a share to 1735 a share before recovering later in the day. According to Japanese sources, this was preceded by a rather angry dispatch from a shareholder explaining that he was so disgusted by Final Fantasy XIV he no longer wanted any of the stock. While there is some debate as to the chain of events and their veracity, it would certainly make this event the ultimate response to the question of "can I have your stuff?"

[Thanks to Stormwaltz for the tip!]

MassivelyRumor: Final Fantasy XIV draws a $26 million ragequit originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 13 Oct 2010 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>breakingbusinessffff14ffxivfinal-fantasyfinal-fantasy-14final-fantasy-xivplayer-quitsragequitreal-world-businessrumorsalessquaresquare-enixstockstock-valuethe-sky-is-not-actually-fallingvalueWed, 13 Oct 2010 18:30:00 EST<![CDATA[The Daily Grind: What is your MMO time worth?]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/05/08/the-daily-grind-what-is-your-mmo-time-worth/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/05/08/the-daily-grind-what-is-your-mmo-time-worth/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/05/08/the-daily-grind-what-is-your-mmo-time-worth/#commentsFiled under: ,

Tobold wrote an interesting blog post the other day about the value of time and gaming. In an earlier post, he mentioned that he had spent over 4,579 hours playing World of Warcraft since release. In another, he proclaimed his intentions to spend $100 on Free Realms in its first week. For some reason, his readers reacted more strongly to the FR post than the WoW one.

The reaction seems a bit strange when you consider what Tobold must have spent on his WoW subscription over the years. It's even stranger still when you consider what he could have earned or accomplished if even half those hours were spent on some kind of side job or other "productive" activity. On a purely entertainment level, he's probably getting a pretty good deal in both WoW and FR based on the money he pay to play and you can't work all the time if you want a healthy lifestyle.

We're curious; when it comes to gaming, what is your time worth? Do you take too much, too little, or a balanced amount of downtime for gaming and why?

MassivelyThe Daily Grind: What is your MMO time worth? originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 08 May 2009 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>balancegamingplaytimetoboldvalueworkFri, 08 May 2009 08:00:00 EST<![CDATA[The Daily Grind: Would a cheaper subscription get you playing more?]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/04/08/the-daily-grind-would-a-cheaper-subscription-get-you-playing-mo/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/04/08/the-daily-grind-would-a-cheaper-subscription-get-you-playing-mo/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/04/08/the-daily-grind-would-a-cheaper-subscription-get-you-playing-mo/#commentsFiled under: , , ,


Let's face it - things are rough insofar as the general economy goes. People are being much more cautious with their cash, and especially now, they want much more value for their dollar when it comes to entertainment spending. What used to be OK at $15 may no longer be such a good deal, and with more free-to-play games coming all the time, players have a lot more options for entertainment.

In the comments for the poll we ran the other morning, there were some who noted that they've kept Lord of the Rings Online accounts in part because they felt it was a good value for an MMO. Others noted that they've switched to free-to-play games like Runes of Magic, or pay-once like Guild Wars to get their gaming on. Beyond that I also know a few parents who have opted to switch to FusionFall for family gaming, since it gives you the ability to have four different accounts for $9.95 a month. With that under consideration, this morning we thought we'd ask you - would a cheaper subscription cost for MMOs across the board (say, all of them drop to the $9.95 model of Lord of the Rings Online - or maybe even offer some lifetime options) get you to play more games - or perhaps jump around and try out other games? Would a cheaper subscription rate bring you back to a game account you may have let lapse due to harder times?

MassivelyThe Daily Grind: Would a cheaper subscription get you playing more? originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 08 Apr 2009 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>costeconomic-slumpeconomyfree-to-playsubscriptiontdgthe-daily-grindvalueWed, 08 Apr 2009 08:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Blizzard: World of Warcraft will do fine, global economic collapse be damned]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/10/17/blizzard-world-of-warcraft-will-do-fine-global-economic-collap/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/10/17/blizzard-world-of-warcraft-will-do-fine-global-economic-collap/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/10/17/blizzard-world-of-warcraft-will-do-fine-global-economic-collap/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

Alright, so the sky is falling. Pretty soon, the world will be dominated by mohawks, black leather and hand-built muscle cars in a never-ending deathmatch over who gets to eat the roadkill. Okay, maybe it won't be that bad -- but unless you've been stranded on a desert island for the past year, you know that there's a global economic crisis going on. But worry not: MMOs -- World of Warcraft in particular -- will be just fine, according to Blizzard Executive VP Rob Pardo.

He said that WoW is immune to economic downturn because it offers an excellent bargain: "People might not want to go out to the movies and spend $100 for a couple of hours and then go to a restaurant. You can go home and pay $15 a month for 100 hours of entertainment if you're staying at home more." A comparable situation from history: during the Great Depression, movies in the United States were only a nickel -- far cheaper than competing, live forms of entertainment, so the movie industry thrived. In fact, some folks credit the Great Depression as a contributor to the rise of the Golden Age of Hollywood. Think the same'll happen to MMOs if this gets bad?

MassivelyBlizzard: World of Warcraft will do fine, global economic collapse be damned originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 17 Oct 2008 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>blizzardblizzconblizzcon-2008blizzcon2008economic-crisisgreat-depressioninterviewrecessionrob-pardovalueworld-of-warcraftwowFri, 17 Oct 2008 13:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Making/Money: My value chains are broken]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/04/27/making-money-my-value-chains-are-broken/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/04/27/making-money-my-value-chains-are-broken/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/04/27/making-money-my-value-chains-are-broken/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

There's a person out there who claims that all they need to know about business can be learned from World of Warcraft. A fine sentiment, to be sure, but I take issue with its accuracy. Today we are discussing the first of their eleven business topics: value chains - and why they don't work.

In brief, value chain analysis states that for any good requiring multiple stages of production (meaning you don't just rip it out of your backyard and eat it), value is added at each level of refinement. Therefore the price should increase along its path to becoming a finalized product.

Continue reading Making/Money: My value chains are broken

MassivelyMaking/Money: My value chains are broken originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 27 Apr 2008 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>auctionauction-houseblacksmithingcrafted-itemscraftingdebateeconomicseconomyfeaturedgatheringgoodsmaterialsmoneyproductionprofessionsvaluevalue-chainsworld-of-warcraftSun, 27 Apr 2008 10:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Comic Watch: Chocolate Shoes laments 'the real']]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/02/19/comic-watch-chocolate-shoes-laments-the-real/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/02/19/comic-watch-chocolate-shoes-laments-the-real/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/02/19/comic-watch-chocolate-shoes-laments-the-real/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , ,

Christopher Stuck mocks his own entertainment choices in his comic Chocolate Shoes. An updated take on an old classic concept, it questions where the real value in life lies.

Giggles aside, this argument rings more false than ever these days. Videogames are still new enough, anthropologically, to be considered a flash in the pan, and subject to the same skepticism and outright hostility from non-players that rock 'n' roll and the novel were exposed to when they were new. Simply put, value is where you find it, and no one else. It'll be nice when this generation, having grown up with games, comes into its own -- maybe we'll finally stop seeing articles demonizing our entertainment of choice, and move on to the true threat to society: reality tv shows.

MassivelyComic Watch: Chocolate Shoes laments 'the real' originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 19 Feb 2008 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>chocolate-shoeschristopher-stuckcity-of-heroescomic-watchcomicsdemonizinghumornovelsreality-tv-showsrock-n-rollvaluewebcomicsTue, 19 Feb 2008 13:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Are games Art? It doesn't matter]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/02/14/are-games-art-it-doesnt-matter/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/02/14/are-games-art-it-doesnt-matter/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/02/14/are-games-art-it-doesnt-matter/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

Something I keep hearing and reading in my favorite gaming podcasts and blogs is the notion that our beloved industry will finally have 'arrived' when games are taken seriously as works of Art. That somehow, the media will stop vilifying our favorite pastime and welcome us with open arms and hearts if only we could justify our hobby by making it more palatable to the public, under the imprimatur of Art.

Jim Preston at Gamasutra takes this idea on by suggesting that the 21st Century's idea of what Art is is so disparate and devalued that the term itself bears no particular cachet. It's a great piece and deserves your eyeballs, but I'd take it even farther: Not only is it unimportant for games to be considered Art, but that the concept that Art is something that should be valued for its own sake is completely meaningless.

Continue reading Are games Art? It doesn't matter

MassivelyAre games Art? It doesn't matter originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 14 Feb 2008 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>artcriticismgamasutrajim-prestonopinionroger-ebertsnobberyvalueworld-of-warcraftwowThu, 14 Feb 2008 11:00:00 EST<![CDATA[To pay or not to pay ... is that really the question?]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/01/09/to-pay-or-not-to-pay-is-that-really-the-question/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/01/09/to-pay-or-not-to-pay-is-that-really-the-question/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/01/09/to-pay-or-not-to-pay-is-that-really-the-question/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , , , , , ,


There's an editorial over at WarCry that's part opinion piece, part year-in-review, making the case that 2007 saw the demise of the subscription model -- paying a monthly fee for your favorite MMO. There is some sound reasoning in the piece, and it's a good read. However, I don't believe that people are unwilling to pay to play anymore. The simple fact is, people will pay for what they value, and right now the overwhelmingly valued property is World of Warcraft.

No one would be happier than I would if WoW magically went to a free model overnight. Paying the monthly fee is why I don't play for months on end. However, WoW seems to be hitting me just right -- no other MMO, free to play or not, approaches the experience I receive from WoW. I'm constantly trying new games of course, and I've just started up with Guild Wars (which, of course, is free to play). If I run across something that scratches that itch, I have no problem paying a monthly fee -- even sporadically, as I do with WoW. So it's not that the model itself is invalid, it's just that right now, there's still a lot of interest in WoW, and people can only give so much time to an MMO; of course one title will get the lion's share.

Continue reading To pay or not to pay ... is that really the question?

MassivelyTo pay or not to pay ... is that really the question? originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 09 Jan 2008 07:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>age-of-conanblizzardfreeguild-warssubscriptionvaluewarcrywarhammer-onlineworld-of-warcraftwow-killerwrath-of-the-lich-kingWed, 09 Jan 2008 07:45:00 EST<![CDATA[The Value of Second Life]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2007/11/06/the-value-of-second-life/http://massively.joystiq.com/2007/11/06/the-value-of-second-life/http://massively.joystiq.com/2007/11/06/the-value-of-second-life/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

This TechCrunch article lets drop that one of Linden Lab's early investors, Catamount Ventures, sold ten percent of their stock to a third party for an undisclosed amount that was valuated at 'above half a billion' dollars, as stated by an anonymous source with knowledge of the company.

What surprises me most about this article, beyond the massive amounts of money being mentioned, are the mostly positive comments after the article. Having seen rather a lot of these go by, I expected a ton of lame duck jokes about the value of Second Life being virtually nothing, etc. but by and large people are taking it seriously. Of course, for me and thousands of others, the true value in SL is its social component. Without that one-to-one connection, there truly is little to value.

(Via techcrunch.com)

MassivelyThe Value of Second Life originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 06 Nov 2007 08:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>catamount-venturesinvestorlinden-labmassivelysecond-lifestocktech-crunchvalueTue, 06 Nov 2007 08:45:00 EST