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 …
Tag: Blizzard
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 …
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 …
Brad McQuaid’s Pantheon MMO: Return of the Prodigal Son
Brad McQuaid is back. Almost 15 years after the release of EverQuest and 7 years after the release of his Vanguard: Saga of Heroes, the prodigal son of the MMO …
Belated BlizzCon 2013 WoW Impressions: Trapped in the Mind of Chris Metzen
For World of Warcraft devotees the almost annual BlizzCon love fest is like an American State of the Union address combined with the euphoria of an Amway convention. There is …
BlizzCon 2013: Can the Return of Alex Afrasiabi Save World of Warcraft?
While viewing the schedule for the upcoming BlizzCon 2013, I noticed a familiar name in the lineup of panelists: Alex Afrasiabi. It seems that Alex, missing from the public eye …
Guest Essay: Why Was EverQuest So Immersive?
In advance of Friday's big reveal of Everquest Next (rumored to be released in a playable form - presumably Beta - by the end of the year), many fans have …
EverQuest Next: I Want to Believe Again
It's been a frustrating couple of years for the MMORPG genre and its devotees. The once mighty Blizzard Entertainment has had to suffer the embarrassment of years of declining subscriptions …
38 Studios: Requiem for a Lost Virtual World
The recent drama and subsequent bankruptcy of Curt Schilling’s 38 Studios has haunted me these past few weeks. Although I was just a bystander, I was living somewhat vicariously through …
38 Studios: A Cautionary Tale of Blind Visionaries
No one can deny that this past week has been a catastrophe of near biblical proportions for Curt Schilling’s 38 Studios and their proposed “Copernicus” MMO. By now most avid …