design
Vague Patch Notes: MOBAs, battle royales, and shallow genre pools in the online gaming space
This past week, Nintendo announced Pokemon Unite, and then I had to go to see a doctor because I rolled my eyes so far...
Vague Patch Notes: Have we ever really had an MMO sequel?
In the wake of Justin's recent column on whether or not MMO sequels are a good idea, MOP reader Bobfish had an interesting question...
Vague Patch Notes: BlizzCon’s cancellation might just be for the best
After a lot of time spent expecting this particular announcement, yesterday it was finally confirmed that there will be no BlizzCon 2020. This is...
Vague Patch Notes: The endless allure of the games we never got
It's kind of weird for me to see the intensely positive reaction people have had to the concept art for the original version of Diablo...
Vague Patch Notes: Player vs. class in Final Fantasy XI
I had finally hit level 41 on Red Mage in Final Fantasy XI. That was when the world changed, and if you played the game,...
Vague Patch Notes: What causes the preponderance of disconnected MMO endgames?
Yesterday, I wrote a whole column about how WildStar had some really great stuff in it. I did not mention its endgame at all....
Vague Patch Notes: The ESRB is not your friend, gamers
So, hey, the ESRB is taking action about lockboxes! Well, sort of. It's adding a notification about lockboxes that doesn't expressly mention or clarify...
Vague Patch Notes: Maintaining MMO anonymity in the age of parasocial bonding
In an author's note at the end of the novel The Dark Tower, Stephen King writes frankly that some people will not like how...
Vague Patch Notes: Chronicles of Elyria’s road to nowhere
I honestly cannot stop thinking about Chronicles of Elyria. Not in the sense of surprise, mind you; this was pretty much one of the...
Vague Patch Notes: Ambition is not delivery in MMOs
So Chronicles of Elyria is dead in the water. Or... wait, that's not actually accurate; let me start again. Chronicles of Elyria has admitted...
Vague Patch Notes: Complaining about MMOs you don’t play
All right, folks, it's time to talk. And we're going to start by talking about Guild Wars 2, a game I used to play regularly...
Final Fantasy XIV posts the third of its documentaries on the creation of Shadowbringers
The video documentaries about the making of Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers roll on, and this particular installment is all about character art and outfit design....
Vague Patch Notes: Why PvP is a cheap way to fill out a game’s content compared to PvE
It feels like about four years ago when I laid down the first in a semi-regular series of columns I see as "useful notes"...
Vague Patch Notes: Contemplating MMORPG exit barriers
In episode 13 of season 9 of The Simpsons, after having spent far more time than she wants in the Movementarian cult, Marge angrily...
Vague Patch Notes: Phantasy Star Online 2 might be in a better place than you think
A couple years back (this being the definition where "a couple" means "I can't remember precisely how many"), I was talking with a friend...
Vague Patch Notes: How to read games industry investor reports as a player
The old adage goes that diplomacy is the art of saying "nice doggy" until you can find a rock. By extension, marketing is the...
Vague Patch Notes: If people aren’t raiding in an MMO, it’s not because it’s too hard
The start of the year, at least from my perspective, was dominated by Blizzard doing lots of dumb things. So it's kind of nice,...
Vague Patch Notes: Chronicle of a Daybreak death foretold
On Tuesday, Daybreak Games announced what amounts to a form of slow death. Technically, sure, what it announced was that the company is splitting...
Vague Patch Notes: Guild Wars 2 might be the MMO that defined the last decade
It's been about a week or so since we did our Overthinking on the best MMO of the decade, and I ultimately rattled off...
Vague Patch Notes: No, MMO lore does not excuse design decisions
There are a lot of problems with how people tend to use lore when it comes to MMOs. I've talked about one side of...
