It seems like yesterday. After blogging about MMOs for the best part of two years, I’d landed my first paid writing gig, producing features and the occasional bit of news for ZAM. It was a dream-come-true for me; a chance to learn how to create professionally, and to put those creations in front of a…
Luxuria Superbia: A Fontaine Fondle
[vimeo 78273573 h=343 w=610] I’ve never wanted to wash my hands after playing an iPad game. That is, until I’d played Luxuria Superbia. At first glance it reminded me of rhythm roller-coaster Audiosurf, although perhaps with a seedy seventies vibe. The truth, it turns out, was even more peculiar, with my fingers playing as unwitting…
Mister Sparkles Mini: The Winners (Part 2)
At the end of October, I asked for people to design me a golem in order to win a Mister Sparkles Mini. The response has been overwhelming, with so many incredible responses. I really was amazed by the work everyone put in, and it made choosing some winners incredibly difficult. As I mentioned before, the…
Design a Golem, Win Mister Sparkles!
Earlier this month, I ran a competition where you could win a Mini Mister Sparkles for Guild Wars 2. But there was a catch: to enter, you needed to design a competition that someone else could win. It was a little fiendish and so very meta, generating a huge number of ideas. Well done to…
Mister Sparkles Mini: The Winners (Part 1)
Wow, a lot of you really wanted to get your hands on a Mister Sparkles Mini! And thanks to the kind folks at ArenaNet, I’m able to share even more of them. I’ve chosen five winners this time around, and one of those entries will be the basis for another competition. That second competition starts…
Free to Play: Myth or Miracle?
It’s become almost a perennial tale: an MMO in distress makes the switch to free-to-play and becomes instantly successful. But, without hard numbers, it’s been difficult to appreciate just how much a difference it can make. That has now changed. In a great interview with Daniel Tack at Forbes, Rift Creative Director Bill Fisher revealed…
Pew Pew Pew! Weeeeeeeee-oooow!
Over a year ago, I was drinking an ice-cold lemonade in EA’s Gamescom business suite. Across from me sat Jeff Hickman, VP for Live Services and head of Star Wars: The Old Republic. BioWare had just announced the switch to a hybrid free-to-play approach, and was planning an aggressive update schedule. During the interview, we…
Upgrade Season
Just over two years ago, I built a PC that would be able to play the ‘next generation’ of MMOs. It was a silly notion considering that, at the time, I didn’t have an idea what next generation truly meant. I just wanted to build something that would provide obscene frame rates without leaving me…
WildStar: Rocket-Propelled Narrative
I’ve started a new writing gig, working over at MMORPG.com as their WildStar columnist. I’ll be there every week about the latest developments in Carbine’s upcoming MMO, and I’ll also be active in the comments to answer questions and dispel myths. One response in particular leapt out at me speculating about how immersive the lore…
Pin Your Hopes On It
Competition time! This time though, it’s not me sharing the bountiful loot. Instead, you’ll need to head over to Settler in Exile, where Anhrez is running a crossword competition. The clues for this puzzle have been spread far and wide, so you’ll need to do a scavenger hunt for them. To get you started on…