GDC Summer 2020: Gachapon reward models in (mostly) free-to-play games
Let's be real: Some of the panel titles at GDC Summer 2020 are unintentionally misleading. For example, the "Evolution of Gacha Systems in Mobile...
GDC Summer 2020: Pokemon Go’s Niantic offers augmented reality design advice
I was really looking forward to Niantic's AR Game Design 101 panel at GDC Summer 2020 this week because for all my criticisms of...
GDC Summer 2020: What online gaming can (and should) learn from social media’s trainwrecks
The circle is now complete: Social media has mastered skills MMOs and online games haven't, not that social media was paying much attention to...
The Daily Grind: What MMO offered the best beta experience?
This week, MMO players have been talking about a game - and also not talking about a game. New World's beta weekend has been...
Massively Overthinking: Changing the mindset of the MMO genre
I recently saw a journalism professor argue that generating a widespread thinking shift in an entire profession can take decades. "You have to keep...
GDC Summer 2020: Unionizing the video games industry
Just in time for Blizzard's latest labor crisis, Game Workers Unite UK treasurer Kevin Agwaze held an Ask Me Anything at GDC Summer 2020...
LOTRO Legendarium: The pros and cons of Rohan housing
To my knowledge, this past week's Update 27.2 for Lord of the Rings Online may well be the biggest housing patch that's hit the...
GDC Summer 2020: Quantic’s 400K-gamer motivation model
Quantic Foundry's Nick Yee gave a lecture at GDC Summer 2020 yesterday showing how the analytics firm's massive amount of data can be used...
The Daily Grind: Which MMO offers your favorite type of resource gathering?
You know, we talk about crafting a lot here on Massively OP, but gathering doesn't get nearly as much love, and yet pretty much...
GDC Summer 2020: Immersive multiplayer storytelling with Disney’s Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge
Prior to this whole virus thing, one thing that I was enjoying about MMOs was how they (along with ideas taken from social media)...
Desert Oasis: Our guide to playing Black Desert’s season servers
The introduction of Black Desert's season servers this summer was my chocolate-in-peanut-butter moment of the year. I didn't know the combination would be so...
GDC Summer 2020: How Niantic adapted Pokemon Go gameplay in the time of COVID-19
GDC Summer 2020 is running all this week, and I'm, well, at home. But much like Pokemon Go, the convention adapted, and while I've...
Perfect Ten: Ten things to do when you just want to chill out in an MMO
Let's face it: Sometimes, playing MMORPGs -- as with any video game -- has the potential to stress us out. We might feel under...
The Daily Grind: Who is the greatest female NPC in an MMO?
From Jaina to Wonder Woman, Vette to Galadriel, MMORPGs sport an inspiring roster of strong and fascinating women. Sometimes they headline the game, as...
Massively OP Podcast Episode 282: Gate crashers
Justin and Bree discuss WoW Classic, Dragon's Prophet, Warhammer Online's Return of Reckoning, Phantasy Star Online 2, and EVE Echoes, with adventures in LOTRO, SWTOR, WoW, and SWG Legends, plus mailbag topics on memorable MMO stories and the greediest games.
Choose My Adventure: The absurd tsunami that is AdventureQuest 3D
Let's see... I was flung across the world, I fought an extremely hyperactive unicorn bro, I nearly got defeated by chickens, and I fought...
Not So Massively: First impressions of StarCraft II’s co-op prestige system
Last week, StarCraft II celebrated its tenth anniversary by launching the major 5.0 patch. With it came the new "prestige" system for co-op mode,...
The Daily Grind: How can MMO communities revive a dying playerbase?
A while back, I read a Reddit thread from players of a certain small MMO who were discussing what the community could do to,...
Wisdom of Nym: What it means to be good at Final Fantasy XIV content
Let's start with an assertion that some people may or may not believe but is still true no matter what: Dungeons in Final Fantasy...
The Daily Grind: How do you decide whether to play an MMO rogue server?
Last week, we covered the bizarre case of a Dragon's Prophet rogue server, which announced itself as a legitimate, partnered version of the game...
