The Death Penalty Mechanic and Loss Aversion in MMO Design
For many years I have been on a mission to unlock the elusive code that made EverQuest so great. There is no single equation that accurately explains the magic of …
The Rise and Fall of MMO Critique
This week while doing routine maintenance on my blog, I decided to make sure that the links to other MMO blogs that specialize in critique on this site were still …
How a Video Exposes the Sorry State of World of Warcraft
Almost 6 years ago in 2010, I penned an article entitled the Are Chatless MMOs a Precursor to Console MMOs? It was during that fateful year that Blizzard designed to …
Blizzard Dev Ion Hazzikostas Admits WoW Leveling is Pretty Broken
It’s not every day that a Blizzard developer candidly admits that something is terribly wrong with one of their products. This week Ion Hazzikostas did just that when he shared …
Blizzard Deletes Both Tracer Complaint and Ginny Higerd’s Rebuttal Post from Overwatch Forums
Just when you thought Blizzard had learned their lesson from the Overwatch Tracer pose fiasco they continue to show how tone deaf they are. The original Tracer complaint post (that …
How Blizzard’s Infatuation with Political Correctness and Disneyfication is Alienating their Fans
All is not well at Blizzard Entertainment. It has been a bad month for the embattled video game giant. In early April of 2016 Blizzard’s Jeff “Tigole” Kaplan in charge …
Visionary Realms Silences the Critics with Twitch.tv Reveal of Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen
The MMORPG community has just experienced a week like no other. First, we learned the bad news that EverQuest Next was cancelled. Second, a fledgling company called Visionary Realms silenced …
Another Black Eye for the MMORPG Industry as Daybreak Games Cancels EverQuest Next
This week Daybreak Games sent shock waves throughout the MMORPG industry as they announced that they had decided to cancel EverQuest Next. Here’s the most relevant part of Daybreak Games …
Lamenting the Lack of Purposeful Choices in the MMORPG Genre
Long before MMORPGs became a homogenized cultural phenomenon thanks to World of Warcraft, pioneering virtual world players felt they were embarking on a journey in a genre that had no …
Project 1999 Classic EverQuest: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
For the past 6 months I have had the unique privilege to go back in time and experience the magic of the original EverQuest. This is thanks to Project 1999 …
Five Films that Every MMO Designer Should Watch
For the past 15 years, virtual worlds and MMOs have been experiencing a steady inspirational decline. This once great pastime has fallen into a formulaic rut that has all but …
EverQuest 3: The Time is Now
I have always been enthralled by the original EverQuest. Being immersed in the world of Norrath was an experience that changed my life. In the past 16 years that have …
Deconstructing the Groupthink of the Reddit Echo Chamber
The myth of the Internet is that it is a revolutionary place where the public can have discussions about anything free from the heavy hand of various gatekeepers and censors. …
Open Letter to Propagandists who Masquerade as Video Game Developers
As a former video game developer, I empathize with you. I remember the long hours and time spent away from my family at the game studio where I worked. I …
Avengers: Age of Ultron Film Review
Western popular culture seems to have an enduring fascination with superheroes that permeates all forms of media. Films, comic books and video games are all about the deeds and glory …
Why I Support the Honey Badgers and #GamerGate
Liberty has always been one of the defining attributes of Western civilization. The freedom to believe or disbelieve is essential to who we are. In the marketplace of ideas, good …
The Destructive Legacy of Blizzard’s World of Warcraft
At the end of 2014, Blizzard Entertainment celebrated the 10th anniversary of World of Warcraft. There can be no doubt that WoW is a juggernaut that changed how we play …
The Decline of Social Interaction in MMORPGS – Full Interview
What follows is the full transcript of the interview I gave a University of Texas at Dallas student regarding the decline of social interaction in MMORPGs which was the basis for …
The Decline of Social Interaction in MMORPGs
A few weeks ago at BlizzCon during an interview with WoWInsider’s Anne Stickney, Blizzard’s Alex Afrasiabi — the World of Warcraft Creative Director — made a rare and frank admission. He …
New Lower Price for Elder Scrolls Online Standard Edition Available at Amazon
If you have been on the fence about trying Zenimax’s Elder Scrolls Online MMORPG because of the high price, now may be a great time to take advantage of a great …
Frogdice Reinvents the MMORPG with Stash on Kickstarter
Rarely do I ever endorse a Kickstarter project, but there is an interesting and unique MMO/RPG hybrid called Stash that I would like to recommend to my readers. Forged by …
Landmark Closed Beta Review: Bold Ideas Constrained by Designer Timidity
Watch most Twitch.tv streams that showcase SOE’s Landmark “sandbox” virtual world and you’ll see a familiar sight to those that follow the comic book and the superhero genre. You’ll see …
What it’s Like Not to Be in the EverQuest Next Landmark Alpha
Since the release of the EverQuest Next Landmark alpha in February and all the surrounding hoopla it seems that everyone is in the alpha. To be honest, I can’t think …