MMO Mechanics is a game design and mechanics analysis column by Tina Lauro. [Follow this column’s RSS feed]
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MMO Mechanics: The Fair Play Alliance and mechanising fairness
News of over 30 gaming companies taking a united stand against unfairness and toxicity in online game communities sprung out of GDC 2018 a...
MMO Mechanics: 2017’s MMO Mechanics in review
I cannot quite believe that we're saying goodbye to 2017 and ringing in 2018 so quickly: It certainly doesn't feel as though an entire...
MMO Mechanics: What can be learned from Guild Wars 2 Mountgate?
Most often, MMO Mechanics articles focus on the gameplay mechanics that both make the MMO genre unique and those that diversify MMOs from one...
MMO Mechanics: Material storage and the Guild Wars 2 economy
Guild Wars 2 launched its second expansion, Path of Fire, a few days ago, and as you might expect, a new expansion means some immediate...
MMO Mechanics: Making healing interesting in MMORPGs
I was reading a recent Daily Grind article on the topic of unique healing classes and it prompted me to think about the variety...
MMO Mechanics: 2017’s take on the sandbox MMO
I am finding it hard to believe that we are two months into 2017 already, especially since I've had so many pressing Guild Chat...
MMO Mechanics: 2016’s MMORPG mechanics in review
The holiday season is finally upon us: My decorations are resurrected from their dark corner of my storage closets once more, Jack Frost is...
MMO Mechanics: Enhancing MMORPGs with experiential learning mechanics
Ever since I considered the responses to a Massively Overthinking article in which a developer asked if a prestige system to encourage replaying an...
MMO Mechanics: No Man’s Sky is mechanically genius (an ode to procedural generation)
No Man's Sky has been on my hotly anticipated list for so long, and you might remember that it has had particular mention in a...
MMO Mechanics: Creating engaging crafting mechanics
I'm currently bogged down in an over-the-shoulder crafting blur, vicariously depleting gold and recommending several YouTube-approved crazy material gathering runs as I get my...
MMO Mechanics: Zonation and scaling mechanics in MMORPGs
The recent E3 hubub about The Elder Scrolls Online new level syncing mechanics being extended has got me thinking all about the mechanics behind zones in MMOs,...
MMO Mechanics: Innovating mechanics to refresh Guild Wars 2
I usually keep MMO Mechanics quite general by looking at several games as examples to highlight my point regarding the mechanics of choice in each article,...
MMO Mechanics: MMORPG expansions vs. sequels
The recent news about EverQuest Next's cancellation has renewed the debate about whether or not MMOs should get sequels, which have given me plenty...
MMO Mechanics: Eight annoying MMORPG mechanics that grind my gears
The inspiration behind this edition of MMO Mechanics is a recent conversation I had with my housemates about the column and the inner workings...
MMO Mechanics: MMORPG mechanics predictions for 2016
In the last edition of MMO Mechanics, I looked back on 2015 and the mechanics I managed to squeeze into the column: We looked...
MMO Mechanics: 2015’s MMORPG mechanics in review
It's my favourite time of the year once again: The mulled wine is flowing, the festive lights are all aglow, the weather outside is...
MMO Mechanics: Three game-changing movement mechanics
In order to create the most truly challenging MMOs that connect players with the specific virtual environments they're traversing, developers have always worked on...
MMO Mechanics: Three ways non-MMO IPs could create great mechanics
I really enjoy being a guest on Larry Everett's video series Massively Opinionated, a series in which MMO enthusiasts answer some tough questions and...
MMO Mechanics: Economic stagnation in MMO economies
MMO economies are notoriously hard to balance, so most MMO players have seen the effects of stagnation and hyperinflation in an MMO economy for...
MMO Mechanics: Brilliant MMO boss mechanics
I love a good boss fight as much as the next MMO player, and I'm sure I'm not alone in favouring fights that really...
