A recent article about the revised leveling process in World of Warcraft caught my eye, because MMO blogger Kaylriene spoke about how it’s really been helping him get through a hard time in his life by being, strangely enough, calming and peaceful.
“The whole experience led to me a thought about why it is I like the leveling experience in WoW,” Kaylriene writes. “It made me think about what it is about the modern game that still really draws me and can hold me regardless of whatever storms are raging at my door. WoW is, for the word ‘war’ in the title, actually very peaceful.”
Read on for other MMO essays, including a different way to look at Guild Wars 2, a return to Ultima Online, and more!
24 Hours In: The fun of the fair
“Guild Wars 2 isn’t so much a theme park as it is a funfair. The main attraction here isn’t the big rides but the sideshows — not the rollercoasters but the shooting galleries and the Test Your Strength machines.”
Aywren Sojourner: A return to Ultima Online
“I was shocked to find all my characters (there are 4) just as I left them – I was correct that they were on the Atlantic shard, too! This included my sister’s character that I’d forgotten had been associated with this account.”
Later Levels: 40 Kickstarter campaigns I’ve backed
“Kickstarter turned ten last year and has been promoting itself as a platform for brining creators and communities together since 28 April 2009. I was surprised to realise recently that I’ve now backed 40 successful campaigns in the past eight years so it’s time for a round-up.”
Dating Sims on the Holodeck: A deeper look at Genshin Impact
“All of the good stuff is still good, even after tens of hours. I’ve heard it staid that the combat is more comparable to Nier: Automata, rather than Breath of the Wild; I don’t know if that’s true or not, having never played Nier, but still, it’s good stuff.”
Contains Moderate Peril: MMO nostalgia
“Every now and then, when I log into The Lord of the Rings Online, as I ride through a new zone and drink in the vividly realised landscape and sumptuous ambient music, I am smitten by a wave of nostalgia. Just for a few seconds, I recall the emotional excitement of being in a virtual Middle-earth for the first time.”
“The design of the island is sumptious quite frankly, it is at or beyond Battle for Azeroth design standards, and that is saying something. There’s a lot of detail in the background and foreground of the island as you adventure through it. That’s a good environment to start players in I would say, much better than the dated starting zones of old.”
Every day there are tons of terrific, insightful, and unusual articles posted across the MMO gaming blogosphere — and every day, Justin reads as many as he can. Global Chat is a sampling of noteworthy essays, rants, and guides from the past few weeks of MMO discourse.
