column
WoW Factor: Are Heroic dungeons the original sin of World of Warcraft’s current issues?
The launch of The Burning Crusade's pre-patch in WoW Classic has me thinking about the features that expansion brought to World of Warcraft. I know, really it...
The Daily Grind: When should MMO companies intervene in borky MMO economies?
On this week's MassivelyOP podcast, Justin and I answered a question about whether MMO studios have a responsibility to monitor and nudge the player...
Desert Oasis: So Black Desert wants to be an esport now
Even though the San Francisco Giants threw away a 6-2 lead against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Saturday, the real highlight of my weekend was...
Vague Patch Notes: The self-made shadowboxing of MMO feuds
There's no actual feud between the development teams behind World of Warcraft and Final Fantasy XIV. The two teams have congratulated one another on successful expansion...
The Daily Grind: Are you enjoying the pre-patch for The Burning Crusade Classic?
So that pre-patch for WoW Classic was kind of a mess, huh? Players wound up waiting for hours for the maintenance that was supposed to...
Perfect Ten: Everything in MMOs that is pay-to-win
I have stated before that I have a complex relationship with the term "pay-to-win." On the one hand, it tends to refer to something...
The Daily Grind: What should Guild Wars 2 do beyond Cantha?
I know that a whole lot is riding on Guild Wars 2 sticking the landing for End of Dragons. It's not just that Cantha...
The Stream Team: Hatching Guild Wars 2 griffon eggs
After scouring the lands for griffon eggs in Guild Wars 2, Massively OP's MJ is ready to deliver them to the roosting griffons so...
Casually Classic: Fondly looking back at World of Warcraft’s Burning Crusade beginner zones
Whenever discussion about Burning Crusade turns to which zones players like the best, it's almost always focused solely on the seven additional Outland regions...
Flameseeker Chronicles: The disappointing second half of Guild Wars 2’s Icebrood Saga
Welcome to part two of this overview of Guild Wars 2's The Icebrood Saga. Last time, I talked about how the first half of...
The Daily Grind: Do you play MMOs as the designers intended, or do you go your own way?
Today's Daily Grind topic comes courtesy of MOP's resident meme-maker, Schlag Sweetleaf, who urged me to write about this after the piece we did...
Wisdom of Nym: Recapping the Endwalker reveals from Final Fantasy XIV’s Fan Festival
I ended the first night watching the Fan Festival a bit sad about how long it would be before Final Fantasy XIV's next expansion....
The Daily Grind: How do you manage your frustration with MMO griefers?
I was hanging out in an MMO's Discord channel a while back when I skimmed through a convo where some folks were grumping about...
The Daily Grind: Would you rather be in a guild of strangers or alone in an MMO?
Back in my day when I started playing MMOs, I took it as pretty well understood that you were going to want to join...
The Daily Grind: How long do you need to wait to ‘recharge’ your MMO enthusiasm?
Whenever I leave an MMO -- usually because I'm approaching boredom or burnout -- I recognize that there's a good chance that I'll be...
Massively on the Go: Why Pokemon Go’s COVID changes should stay, not roll back
Pokemon Go’s already tried rolling back some of its COVID features, and between the original announcement of its June disappearance and the announcement of...
The Daily Grind: Are there MMOs you watch but don’t play?
I've seen a few folks in our comments and Reddit lately mention that they like MMOs - but that they're more interested in watching...
WoW Factor: What would it take for big changes in World of Warcraft?
The last time I wrote an installment of this column, it was in specific response to an interview that contained no small number of...
Four Winds: Final thoughts on Elyon’s first closed beta test
Elyon's closed beta test came and went, and boy am I happy with what I played. It was unfortunate that the test fell on...
The Daily Grind: What’s your ideal play session length in an MMO?
One of the things that always strikes me as interesting is the different opinions regarding what an MMO play session should look like. Some people...
