Blizzard’s Addiction to Previewing the Future
What if J.R.R. Tolkien had named his classic fantasy trilogy How Frodo Destroyed the One Ring at Mount Doom? Thankfully he had the good sense and propriety not to do …
How Virtual Worlds Mimic the Politics of the Real World
Virtual worlds are ultimately about creating and administering a system of governance. Every day millions of players enter virtual worlds and are subject to rules and policies laid down by …
MMO Design Blog of the Month: That’s a Terrible Idea
In an age when just about everyone has a blog, it's rare to find a well-written new MMO design blog that causes you to pause, think, discover and learn. …
Windows 7 Fix For Losing Connection to the Internet
Like many PC users, last week I purchased and installed Windows 7. This operating system from Microsoft was supposed to have fixed many of the stability problems encountered with Vista.
Within …
Why Aren’t There More Blizzards in the Video Game Industry?
I used to work for a big video game studio that specialized in making licensed hand-held games which were primarily directed towards kids and teens. We'd have regular company meetings …
Why Scaling Challenge Should Be the Future of MMO Content
Last week in the wee hours of a starlit Azeroth morning the Dark Iron Dwarves attacked the Brewfest celebrations outside of Ironforge. Since there were only a few half-awake adventurers …
Waiting for the Next MMO Revolution
Back in the 1980's I was a big fan of the music group The Police. As a big fan of the band I devoured everything I could get my hands …
MMO Design Blog of the Month: MMO Tidbits
Every once in a while you find a diamond in the rough in the world of MMO design blogs. There are many great sites out there and I try to …
The Rehabilitation of Blizzard’s Alex “Furor” Afrasiabi
It's been an interesting journey for WoW's Lead World Designer Alex Afrasiabi. Almost 10 years ago he started out as the infamous guild leader of the Fires of Heaven an …
How Lord of the Rings Should Have Ended
A few years ago I found this video gem on YouTube entitled How Lord of the Rings Should Have Ended. I realize this is old news but perhaps there are …
Impressions of PAX 2009
This past weekend I was fortunate enough to be able to spend a few hours at the Penny Arcade Expo otherwise known as PAX at the Seattle Convention Center. This …
Blizzard Reboots WoW with the Cataclysm Expansion
Nothing puts a damper on the player’s suspension of disbelief faster than when they finally realize there are no more horizons left to explore and conquer. That said, nothing excites …