Ever since the release of World of Warcraft in 2004, the vast majority of MMORPGs have followed the linear quest progression model. While MMORPGs have had questing long before WoW, they were often rare treats tied to lore or unique item. Progression was largely done the old fashioned way: exploration and killing monsters. Questing certainly proved to be a valuable [...]
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It was during the early years of this century that Western gamers first witnesses an influx of Korean games, with the most common genre being MMORPGs. This influx soon became a tsunami that washed literally hundreds upon hundreds of games of varying quality upon our shores. This 'Korean Wave', as I just coined it, left a permanent mark on the [...]
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The European Union passed a set regulations back in April 2016 called the General Data Protection Regulation, or GDPR for short. While that was over two years ago, the actual enforcement of the new regulations only come into effect starting on May 25, 2018. Broadly speaking, the goal of the GDPR is "to protect and empower all EU citizens data [...]
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The Battle Royale genre has taken the gaming industry by storm. Playerunknown's Battlegrounds and Fortnite were the defining titles of 2017 and both continue to increase in popularity well into 2018. They've been joined by a few new comers like Darwin Project and Radical Heights, and there's surely dozens more Battle Royale games currently in development. But does this new [...]
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After months of rumors, Nexon has official confirmed that MapleStory 2 is coming to the West! The official website went live on April 16 which immediately started taking applications for a closed beta test scheduled to start on May 9th. The official launch trailer, embedded below, shows prospective players what MapleStory is all about. While the game never enjoyed the [...]
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MMORPGs have been called treadmills and walking simulators. These remarks come from both fans of the genre and its detractors. There is certainly some truth to these claims, many of the core gameplay loops in MMORPGs require repetition and very slow progress. The question this week is whether the genre is doomed to suffer such monotonous and meaningless gameplay, occasionally [...]
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The highly anticipated movie adaptation of Ready Player One hit theaters this week and while its undeniably aimed at children, it does offer the astute MMO player some food for thought. Setting aside the unbelievable timeline of the technology (life-like VR by 2045), the primary VR platform of Ready Player One, The OASIS, seems to be a single centralized service [...]
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In December of 2017, the World Health Organization (WHO) proposed a new controversial addition to its official mental health classification guide. For its upcoming revision in May 2018, the WHO will be looking to add the term "gaming disorder" to its International Classification of Diseases (ICD). The inclusion of a "gaming disorder" label as a mental health issue is currently [...]
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Mastering any new hobby requires learning a variety of skills, and video games are no exception. While some genres focus mainly on a single skill like hand-eye coordination, MMOs require a far greater variety of skills. Time management, resource management, and most importantly social skills are rewarded handsomely in most MMORPGs. Many of the skills we learn from MMOs can [...]
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It seems like MMO monetization follows the same trends as the fashion industry. A long time ago subscriptions were in, then they were out. The subscription MMORPGs that launched in the wake of World of Warcraft quickly bled out players once the included 30-day game time expired. A rush of free to play games, mostly from Asia, that were supported [...]
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