alternate reality game
Massively-on-the-Go: Gotta cash’em all in Pokemon Go
In the last few editions of the Massively-on-the-Go column, I've been covering the deluge of events and updates Pokemon Go has received quite suddenly...
Massively-on-the-Go: Niantic’s ‘Mega’ missteps in Pokemon Go
Previously in our Massively-on-the-Go column, we covered the deluge of events and updates Pokemon Go has seen this season, with a bit of commentary. While...
Massively on the Go: All the events and promos coming Pokemon Go this fall
Pokemon Go has received a sudden influx of new events, updates, partnerships, and "heads-ups" from Niantic in the past few days. Most are small,...
Massively on the Go: Pokemon Sword and Shield’s Dynamax Adventure dungeons for the fan and MMO player
Helping to bring the Pokemon main-series games closer into the MMO realm, Pokemon Sword and Shield's new expansion, The Crown Tundra, introduced Dynamax Adventures, a kind of simplified...
Massively on the Go: Pokemon Go’s new event includes problematic features and stat bloat
Yes, more not-great-news in Pokemon Go, and yes, it's once again mostly about Mega Evolution. While it's been nice that the official Pokemon Go...
Massively on the Go: An open letter to Pokemon Go’s Niantic and The Pokemon Company
Dear Niantic and The Pokemon Company,
Thank you for Pokemon Go. Despite my criticism, this is probably the longest I've ever played a Pokemon game. Ever. I've...
Massively on the Go: Here’s how Niantic is trying to fix Pokemon Go’s Mega Evolutions
A bit before Niantic's wellness week kicks in for employees, Pokemon Go players got an update on the Mega Evolution problem/solution. We've previously covered...
Massively on the Go: Everything we know about Pokemon Go’s new mega evolutions
In another new twist, Pokemon Go has just released Generation 6's big feature, Mega Evolutions, before Generation 6 pokemon themselves. While we've had mega...
GDC Summer 2020: Better living, climate awareness, and citizen science through games
Way back during GDC 2018, I covered several panels relating to gaming for good. Things like citizen science projects, games as medicine or for...
GDC Summer 2020: Creating kinder digital communities outside of online games
I don't know about the rest of you, but I've found that being familiar with online communities and tech has really helped me survive...
GDC Summer 2020: Accessibility shouldn’t be a dirty word in online gaming
I don't know about you readers, but one of the first things I always do when starting a game with voice acting (or movie)...
GDC Summer 2020: How Astroneer’s crafting balances cognitive load for the player
Long time followers of Astroneer may recall that the game's early development crafting felt cute but incomplete. Despite the game already being in the wild,...
GDC Summer 2020: Roblox, player-generated content, and the ‘metaverse’
Roblox VP of Product Deepak Chandrasekaran held a skill-building talk at GDC Summer 2020 this week titled Building the Metaverse through User Generated Content...
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...
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)...
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...
Massively on the Go: Fun ideas for online play in Animal Crossing New Horizons
I love sandbox gameplay. I'm pretty sure a lot of you readers do too, which is probably why a good deal of us have...
Massively on the Go: Exploring Pokemon Sword and Shield’s Isle of Armor expansion
I knew from the website shown at the initial announcement that Pokemon Sword and Shield's first expansion, The Isle of Armor, would be more of...
