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 …
Tag: game design
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 …
Gartner Hype Cycle: Virtual Worlds in the Trough of Disillusionment
Recently I became exposed to an interesting idea called the Gartner Hype Cycle. It’s implications might be useful to those of us still interested in the future viability of virtual worlds and …
SWTOR’s $300 Million Virtual Bridge to Nowhere
Although I’m not a very big sci-fi or Star Wars fan I figured I’d take a gamble on purchasing and subscribing to EA’s and Bioware’s Star Wars: The Old Republic MMO. After …
Why It’s Time to Get Rid of Quests in MMORPGs
I used to think there was something grand and noble about the idea of a quest, that is until MMORPG developers got their slimy hands on them. Quests have become …
Chasing the Virtual Dragon and the Search for Wonder
Many years ago when I first started to be seduced by the charms of EverQuest — the first fully realized 3D virtual world — I was overcome with a feeling …
MMO Design Lessons from Hannibal Lecter and Why Combat Needs Fixing in RIFT
Ever since watching the Silence of the Lambs movie I've been somewhat fascinated by a particular scene in the film where the character of Hannibal Lecter quotes Roman Emporer Marcus …
RIFT MMO Beta Impressions and How to Fix What’s Wrong
Now that Trion Worlds has lifted the NDA and I have a few hours of spare time during the Christmas holidays, I'd like to share some of my impressions of …
The Great MMO Paradox: Why Success Keeps Trumping Quality
Think for just a moment, what would happen if we took the most classic sports and games of all time and asked two of today's most successful gaming companies Blizzard …
EverQuest2 Revisited Part 1: Analysis of the First 15 Minutes
One of the first things I learned as a game designer is that the first 15 minutes of your video game is critical. It is during this brief window of …
The Deafening Silence of Today’s MMO Chat
For the past few months I’ve noticed a marked decrease in people chatting in Blizzard’s WoW. Of course I haven’t enjoyed general chat in WoW for many years now because …
Player Housing Still on the Back Burner for WoW
The fact that Blizzard has refused to implement some form of player housing in WoW remains one of the most bizarre and perplexing decisions in the short history of MMOs …