Over the last couple of years, we’ve redoubled our efforts on our science-related articles, as you may have noticed from our roundups in 2016 and 2015. Last year, we even hired on a staff writer specifically to cover gaming science, especially as it relates to MMORPGs, and we’ve been collecting all of his work along with our other science posts in their very own category.
Read on for a recap of our best science-related MMO articles from 2017, from EVE Online’s real-life hunt for exoplanets and the economics of MMO monetization to how lockboxes use psychology to manipulate us and the math behind the gamblebox phenom. Dr Richard Bartle even announced a new gamer matrix this year. Don’t worry; there won’t be a quiz at the end!
Tolkien Prof offers free LOTRO course starting today - [AL:LOTRO]Ever wanted someone knowledgeable about Lord of the Rings to explain the books and give you a hands-on tour of Middle-earth? Then you're in luck, for…
Pokemon Go: Increasing physical activity in the US, blockaded in China - Is Pokemon Go making you healthier? Maybe not yet, but researchers from a Stanford/Microsoft team have determined that Pokemon Go play correlates with increased physical activity and…
MMO lockboxes, keys, and booster packs: Gambling or gaming? - Lockboxes have become a hot topic over the last couple of years. Last month, both our writers and readers crowned SWTOR worst business model of the year…
Quantic Foundry’s findings on WoW, SWTOR, and gender - Quantic Foundry, the gaming analytics consulting firm we've been following since late 2015 thanks to its Gamer Motivation Model, has a new blog post out this…
Examining the potential for exercise and exploration in Pokemon GO - Just in time for your New Year's resolution, we reported on how Pokemon Go was featured in a peer-reviewed study on getting people to move more. But truthfully, Pokemon and…
SuperData: Pokemon Go sinks during record-setting December sales season - The analysts at SuperData have released to the public part of a report on December 2016's gaming industry today, calling December a "weak month for retail…
Take a look at how EVE Online made a game mechanic out of scientific research - [AL:EVE]You doubtlessly have a pretty clear idea of what goes on in EVE Online at this point. Players mine resources, build ships, screw one another out…
EVE Online’s new ‘citizen science’ project will ‘refine the search for exoplanets’ - Those of you who've known me a while probably know that my husband is an astrophysicist, which means that astronomy is a passion in my house,…
Elite: Dangerous is adding in the Trappist-1 system… which was already almost there - If you care at all about space (and you should, because we're all in it), you probably heard about NASA's discovery of the Trappist-1 system with…
Researchers study ArcheAge’s beta wipe for real-world apocalypse behavior - [AL:Arche]If the world was to end this week, how would people react? That's an interesting question to ponder in the abstract, but researchers took this hypothetical…
SuperData February 2017: World of Tanks perks up, Hearthstone is sinking - Happy SuperData day! That's the monthly holiday when we pore over the market analysis report, freak out over something doing well, freak over something doing poorly,…
Massively Overthinking: Competition vs. community in MMOs - Quantic Foundry, the games research group we've been tracking ever since it posted its original Gamer Motivation Model, has a new piece out this month on…
Introducing the Massively Overpowered Objectivity Guide and App - [Patreon]Friends, enemies, ladies, gentlemen, morphean blobs, and colours out of space, we know that the most pressing question on your mind when you read this site…
SuperData examines gambling practices across the online gaming industry - Gambling in video games has been a huge topic for devoted MMORPG players over the last year or so, as core MMOs like Guild Wars 2,…
SuperData predicts huge gains for virtual reality over the next four years - SuperData was rather famously quoted all throughout the industry at the end of 2016 following its research-backed proclamation that virtual reality was the "biggest loser" of…
EVE Fanfest 2017: EVE Online joins the hunt for exoplanets through Project Discovery - [AL:EVE]The scientific community has been buzzing lately with the incredible news that a star system less than 40 lightyears away named TRAPPIST-1 was found to contain…
Study claims playing Pokemon Go is associated with happiness attributes - A research team from the University of Wisconsin–Madison has a paper out this month purporting to show that Pokemon Go play essentially makes people happier, or more…
What virtual reality immersion researchers are up to will ‘shock’ you – literally - OK, virtual reality fans and frenemies, here's a fun thought process: How do you simulate haptic feedback when your arms are waving around in the air?…
Leaderboard: Are you part of SuperData’s cohort of ‘gaming video content viewers’? - SuperData released a report this week arguing that the video gaming video content business is booming, even "outpacing earnings from some traditional sports leagues." The whole…
Academics and addiction experts weigh in on ‘pay-to-loot’ gambleboxes and lockboxes - "Pay-to-win" is old news now -- game designers' new plan for hoovering all the cash out of our wallets is "pay-to-loot." According to IGN's Nathan Lawrence,…
Overwatch: Hero leaks, lockbox probabilities, and Korean political humor - As Asian countries are cracking down on online games with lockbox gambling, gaming companies are complying with transparency. To wit: Blizzard's Chinese Overwatch website has published…
University researchers harness Pokemon Go for education - Researchers continue to find new ways to make Pokemon Go dance for science. In a new paper, Iowa State University's Emily Howell suggests that secondary ed…
Leaderboard: Almost half of e-sports viewers don’t even play the games they’re spectating - It may sound crazy, but a huge number of people who pour eyeball time and money into e-sports don't even play the games they're watching. That's according…
Another study finds Pokemon Go improves players’ physical activity - Yet another academic group has published research suggesting that Pokemon Go can be a useful tool for promoting exercise. Duke University researchers funded by the American…
How Star Citizen uses science to build out its galaxy - This week's episode of Star Citizen Around the Verse sees Cloud Imperium's Chris Roberts and Eric Kieron Davis bookending Foundry 42, Ship Shape, and solar system…
MMORPG founding father Richard Bartle establishes new unplayer matrix - Dr Richard Bartle, best known to MMORPG players for establishing the research that ultimately led to the admittedly flawed but widely quoted "Bartle test," spoke at…
EVE Online puts players to work sorting through new exoplanet data - [AL:EVE]The space explored by players in EVE Online is far beyond our own solar system, but here in the real world we're still struggling to find…
EVE Online’s July release furthers exoplanet research, revamps T3 strategic cruisers - [AL:EVE]Happy July patch day, capsuleers! Yep, EVE Online's July release is now live. The patch includes "one of the most extensive and largest rebalances EVE Online…
Monetization expert: MMOs are dying because of clueless design, not insufficient demand - MMORPG players just love it when somebody declares the MMORPG dead, right? All those games you're playing, all the games we're writing about and sustaining us?…
SuperData’s new report suggests multiplayer console gamers are more susceptible to DLC and RMT than ever - Gamers talk a big talk about horse armor DLC and pay-to-win and the evils of cash shops, but y'all keep buying anyway. That's according to gaming…
MMO researcher Nick Yee is ‘dispeling myths about female gamers’ - Quantic Foundry researcher and long-time MMO academic Nick Yee has an intriguing blog post out this week titled Dispelling Myths about Female Gamers in which he…
SuperData’s mid-2017 report reflects a wildly expanding gaming industry - Gaming analysis firm SuperData is touting a new report for marketers today, shedding some light on the shape of the industry so far in 2017 --…
Video games can grow or shrink your brain, study finds - Does your brain feel a little lighter or heavier this week? It could be because of your gaming habits. A recent study on video games hosted…
A Dota 2 pro was beaten by Elon Musk’s OpenAI bot during this year’s International - Dota 2's The International 7 tournament is over, having concluded this weekend by crowning EU group Team Liquid -- which arrived to the finals by way…
Scientists say Pokemon Go helps relieve stress in Japanese workers - A new Japanese study in the acclaimed science journal Nature suggests that Pokemon Go players experienced a drop in "psychological distress" because of the game. The paper gives psychological distress…
Discover actual exoplanets and earn EVE Online rewards – without ever leaving the ship dock - [AL:EVE]Have you heard in passing this "Project Discovery" thing in EVE Online and wondered what it is all about? CCP put together a new tutorial video…
Are MMOs and video games fulfilling our need for productivity? - Here is a question for you to ponder: Do MMOs make you feel more productive than your main job or school? If so, it might not…
This is how MMO lockboxes manipulate your mind - It is not going to shock you to hear that lockboxes are kind of evil. We here at Massively OP have been beating on that drum…
Smart Social Gaming: Why people play social games and other topics non-gamers don’t get - While those of us who write for MassivelyOPÂ do try give you all the scientific resources we can to help you fight back against your family, friends,…
The Daily Grind: Are you a fan of ‘automatic helping behaviors’ in MMORPGs? - We've been complaining about lockboxes a lot lately as an unwelcome psychological trick in gaming, so this morning, I wanted to talk about a welcome one.…
Frontier Expo 2017: Science, history, and gaming make for a great first con - This past weekend was not the first time I have attended a developer's convention, but Frontier Expo 2017Â was one of only a very few times when…
Activision secures patent for software to trick you into buying cash shop stuff, seriously - Hey, gang, this is absolutely wonderful. Activision has filed and been granted a patent for software designed to push you into buying cash shop crappies through the…
MMO blogger dives into the theoretical math behind lockboxes - MMO blogger Serrenity, whom many of you will recognize from his clever comments here on MOP too, has a compelling blog post on his personal site…
This is why ‘playing alone together’ still makes you feel connected. But is it helping? - Whenever the topic of playing solo in MMORPGs comes up, invariably the expression "playing alone together" is worked into the conversation. This is the idea that,…
For Science! Researchers find link between fluid intelligence and elite MOBA play - In a new paper released last week, University of York researchers sought to examine whether research that strategy gaming (like chess and arcade games) correlates with…
Researchers document Pokemon Go’s vehicular casualties, Niantic raises $200M for Harry Potter: Wizards Unite - Pokemon Go developer Niantic just got enough money to build a second pool in which to put all that money to roll around in. Venture capitalists…
EVE Online uses city urban planning in its design - [AL:EVE]Who would have ever thought that something so mundane and everyday as city urban planning would be of immense inspiration to a game like EVE Online?…
Exploring the psychology behind losses, gains, and grouping results in video games - Getting five batches of 100 gold feels better than one batch of 500 gold, and being forced to spend three separate 100 gold fees feels worse…
Gaming industry roundup: SWBG2’s poor sales, Gambling Commission, slot machines, and parody games - Don't agree that lockboxes, lootboxes, and gambleboxes were the biggest story of the year? We've collected so many news tidbits just on that over the last…
Extra Credits on how to win, lose, and measure gamer trust - How does a "great series get driven into the ground," eroding player trust? That's precisely the subject tackled in a recent edition of the always-awesome Extra…
Academics weigh in on ‘gaming addiction’ claims - We've previously discussed that according to the Manual of Mental Disorders and the industry standard Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, gaming addiction isn't a thing. But…
