Reflections on the Upcoming EverQuest Next
Over the years, I've spent spent too much time obsessing about my obsession for one particular MMO: EverQuest . What is it about this enigmatic game/experience/world that keeps haunting me? …
The Emasculation of MMOs: Part 2 – Fun is for Children, Adventure is for Adults
Something has changed about the MMO experience in the past six years. Chances are you probably haven't even noticed it but you can probably feel it just the same. MMO …
Apple’s Steve Jobs Should Do An Episode of Undercover Boss
I used to be a big fan of Steve Jobs and Apple. But lately he's been acting like a bully and a tyrant. Apple's unashamed embrace of greed and …
The Most Important Video You’ll Watch This Year
Once upon a time as a teenager, I recall being exposed to a book called Future Shock by futurist Alvin Toffler. Along with many wild and outlandish predictions about the …
How will Turbine Capitalize on the Upcoming Hobbit Movies?
It goes without saying that Peter Jackson's Academy Award winning Lord of the Rings movies were a boon to the fantasy genre of fiction and film. Not only did …
Build It and They Will Come
Last week Raph Koster posted a controversial article entitled Are Virtual Worlds Over? It was a reply to a more readable article by Cnet's Dan Terdiman. In order to even …
Did Blizzard Borrow “Cataclysm” Concept from Conan Author?
This weekend I finally decided to start reading Robert E. Howard's sword & sorcery classic Conan the Barbarian. At one point the author felt the need to write a history …
Confessions of a PVP Draft Dodger
Dear King Varian of Stormwind, please explain to me why I should leave the comfort of my beloved farmstead here in the rustic pastures of Elwynn Forest to fight in …
Blizzard and SOE Agree: Improving the Newbie Experience Equals Success and Growth
Last year I penned a few in-depth and apparently controversial articles that evaluated some of the EverQuest 2 starting areas from the perspective of a newbie. It has long been …
WoW’s Growing Immersion Deficit
The success of a virtual world is dependent on the ability of the developers to convincingly immerse the player in their world. Without a daily emphasis and reverence for mechanics, …
Wikipedia in Trouble as Volunteers Leave
There's an interesting piece about Wikipedia from the Wall Street Journal Online. It seems that Wikipedia volunteers are leaving faster then new volunteers are joining. It seems that this unaccountable …
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 …