If you’ve been reading MassivelyOP for a while, you probably know that we like science kind of a lot around here, and there’s no getting around the reality that it has a huge impact on the digital gaming square. So we’ve been collating our science-related articles under the “For Science!” banner for years now, though our list has gotten shorter lately, and it’s not because we’re not looking or are any less eager. Last year we speculated that the greed and hunger for generative AI had sucked a lot of air (and money, let’s be real) out of the research room when it comes to gaming. But there’s probably more to it than that; we’re just not getting the flurry of “video games don’t cause violence, actually” and “lockboxes are gambling but nobody cares anymore” papers that we used to. Can’t cover what doesn’t exist!
Maybe that’ll change over the next few years, but for now, we’re rounding up what we did get in 2024, from the industry getting in on the total solar eclipse action to the unfortunate decline of strategy games to Project Discovery – yes, CCP Games and the EVE Online playerbase spent their time fighting cancer this year, bless them. And we even caught one studio being extremely dodgy with charts and graphs! Ahh, data are so much fun.
Study finds social media game ads don’t properly disclose the existence of lockboxes and in-game purchases
GDC’s 2024 industry survey: Game devs weigh in on AI, layoffs, unionization, RTO, and more
WoW Factor: Blizzard didn’t reveal World of Warcraft sub numbers – it drew a Mystery Line
Vague Patch Notes: The limits of data in MMORPGs
For Science: EVE Online’s Project Discovery initiative opens signups for mobile testing
NASA teams up with Epic’s Fortnite and Microsoft’s Minecraft to stream the April 8 solar eclipse
Can’t see the eclipse in person today? Here’s how to watch it with online with some gaming flair
‘Evergreen titles and robust content pipelines reign supreme,’ says games industry firm Newzoo
IGDA survey casts a light on game devs’ impressions of industry diversity, job satisfaction, and crunch culture
For Science: Fandom’s survey shows a majority of gamers play to unwind and de-stress
For Science: Gamer Motivation Survey data suggest strategic gaming in is a nasty decline
For Science: Research study identifies money laundering patterns in the Steam Marketplace
Call of Duty shares results of an experiment that quietly changed player matchmaking
For Science: EVE Online ramps up cancer-fighting Project Discovery with new minigames and rewards
