[Gaming Also Brings People Together]

It seems a common cliche in the media for the past few years to talk about how online gaming destroys various people's lives. Since the days of EverQuest almost every mention of MMORPGs that you see reported is a tale of dysfunction being presented as if it's normal for players of these games to be damaged by them. I think the fact that that MMORPGs also bring players together and can build new friendships and communities should be brought up more often in response.

MMOGamerChick posted one of these stories about how playing WoW changed her life for the better. It's a good read. =)

[The Capitol of Gaming RMT/Bots to Ban RMT & Botting]

Seems so:

"The government official also stressed item collecting for commercial use is a serious hindrance to creating a healthy game culture.
Korea is the world’s most-wired society with the Internet penetration rate standing at above 93 percent, data from government agencies said. Korea is also the home of the world’s biggest smartphone and TV manufacturer, Samsung.

For online role-playing games, the law prohibits users from using programs that allow in-game characters to hunt and collect items without the need of a player controlling them."

I assume that the law is only affecting 'black market' RMT since there is no mention of in-game cash shops anywhere. But since botting and RMT saturates all levels in Korean online gaming to the point where the basic game mechanics are designed around them to a certain degree, it will be interesting to see how this new legislation affects both gameplay and monetization in current and future MMOs there. Perhaps the cliche 'Korean grind' so many games there have will become less tolerated by players when it's no longer a simple matter for them to buy their way around it. I'm curious to see how the MMO market adjusts there, if the government can truly enforce this law.

[The Real Texas]

"The Real Texas is an action adventure game that plays like a mashup of Zelda: Link to the Past and Ultima VI."

While on vacation in England, your character (a Texas rancher) stumbles into a bizarre purgatory dimension called 'Strange'. Various people across space and time have slipped through the cracks of Reality and have ended up trapped here, and it's up to a modern-day cowboy (you) to sort things out and be a Hero.

Sound interesting? Then be sure to check it out! =)

[Screenwriters Fail at Game Writing]

A great post from TJ Fixman's blog on writing stories for games:

"[G]ame development almost never starts with story. Every time I go to a convention, I meet fledgling writers who tell me they have an amazing game idea they’d love to pitch me. But the truth is, games aren’t pitched like movies or TV. What gets a game green lit is invariably tech or gameplay driven. A studio discovers they can do incredible realtime zero-g simulation with their engine? We’re doing a space adventure! Did the design team discover some super fun time-based game mechanic? Let’s do a time travel game! Games are built around two simple questions: 'Where does our tech shine?' and 'What is fun to play?'"

Read the rest here.


Related Reading:
Should games even bother trying to tell a meaningful story?