Else-If-Then

Tag: MMORPG

  • Trying to Keep up Momentum

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    Kim
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    Have read and commented on one book, I’ve tried to keep going in spite of discovering that parenting full time really is a full time job.  I’m reading Synthetic Worlds by Castronova.  So far quite interesting, and again I find reading work by another gamer really influences my reception in interesting ways.  More on that…

  • Very Short Review: The Evolution of Fantasy Role-Playing Games, by Michael Tresca

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    Kim
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    While there are quite a few books in the game studies field now, many are highly theoretical, considering whether games can be read as literature, how online games fit into network theory, what games say about human cultures, etc.  There are fewer people writing about games from the perspective of an active and experienced gamer,…

  • What keeps people engaged?

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    Kim
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    If you study MMOs at all, you may have seen Tom Chatfield’s TED Talk in which he talks about what game designers have learned about what keeps people engaged in a game. He identifies the following: problem solving –> ambition + delight progress bars multiple long and short-term aims reward effort, don’t punish failure much…

  • Writing in Character

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    Kim
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    For awhile I was writing here, and on my abstract, and I was not writing so much as my character.  Eventually I started to feel a kind of pressure as that blog fell further behind my in character life.  I started to feel that I wanted to write about what was happening to me in…

  • Research Update… If only I could get paid to play. 😉

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    Kim
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    So I’ve been collecting responses to questions about Clan Lord and trying to weave them together.  The process is interesting because I represent myself with two voices. So far, the players participating have been speaking as mainly players, not characters, but because most prefer to use only their character names, and because CL players pepper…

  • Attempting a New Approach to Fan and Game Studies

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    Kim
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    So… as I posted last time, I will be speaking about how one might take an approach to studying an MMO fan community that achieves not just a balance between the critical stance of a scholar and the enthusiasm of a player, but some kind of integration of the two positions.  Further, how might the…

  • Update…

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    Kim
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    I am way behind on posting because in late summer I started a new job and moved myself and the family to a new city.  The job is interesting, challenging, and pays well, but it is 9-5ish and I am busy the whole time. Not much time for blogging. But, now I have more incentive…

  • When Players become the Story

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    Kim
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    Clan Lord differs from other MMOs in many ways; one of the most basic is longevity.  The game has been running since it was released in 1999 And there are a number of players who have participated since the beginning.  This longevity suggests that there must be some unique features, and there are — but…

  • Designing Cooperation

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    Kim
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    I said I’d have more to say… So here are some ways Clan Lord pretty well forces people to cooperate: The display is looking down from above, rather than heads up, and you can’t “run through” other players and most objects, so coordinating movement during a fight or hunt becomes a priority and requires agreement.…

  • Games and Community

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    Kim
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    So I’ve been playing my first MMORPG ever, and surprise, have gotten a little addicted. But this one differs from most in being designed to require cooperation; it’s very difficult to play alone, and not as much fun.  The game is Clan Lord, by Delta Tao; the first ever MMORPG designed for Macs. It first…