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 …
Tag: Blizzard
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, …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
EverQuest2 Revisited Part 2: Travels in Faydwer
This week I'm continuing with my journey back into the new Norrath of EverQuest 2. I've switched gears from my travels and experiences with the legacy content of Qeynos and …
EverQuest2: Stranger in a Strange Land
A few days ago I wrote an article describing what a new player might find in their first 15 minutes in EverQuest2. As far as EQ2, I have no axe …