editorial
Vague Patch Notes: The great content consumption problem in MMORPGs
A friend and I were talking about an MMORPG's content recently (it doesn't matter which one) and I was pointing out how that particular...
The Soapbox: If MMO classes aren’t broken, please leave ’em alone
Last week was a pretty big one for Lord of the Rings Online. The 17-year-old MMO opened up a pair of new progression servers,...
Vague Patch Notes: Is it time for MMORPGs to start embracing romance?
The other day, I was writing about Baldur's Gate 3 celebrating its anniversary with statistics about all the companions that people have smooched over...
Design Mockument: How to make housing work in World of Warcraft
Editor's note: This column was originally published in August 2024, a full three months before we knew WoW is actually getting housing with the...
Hands-on with Arc Games’ Fellowship, a new game trying to distill the MMORPG dungeon experience
For many folks, one of the more entertaining aspects of playing an MMORPG is running through its dungeons (though of course that varies from...
Vague Patch Notes: The player-provided guidance problem in MMORPGs
Final Fantasy XIV has a player-based mentor program and an automatic guidance network for new players. The idea is that certain players can volunteer...
Massively on the Go: Pokemon Go’s August is leaning into Adventure
I must admit that Pokemon Go's traditional Adventure Week events have historically been a minor hit with me as they feature the fossil 'mon...
Working As Intended: The Fridge Poetry game is the latest distillation of MMORPG PvP
This morning, MOP's Sam busted into MOP's work chat with a link to the Fridge Poetry game.
"It's more like an art project than a...
Vague Patch Notes: Everything in an MMORPG is time-limited
Today, I want to talk to you about an event that you can no longer participate in within Final Fantasy XIV. It's an event...
The Soapbox: Why MMOs are the ultimate creature comforts
As long as I can remember, I've been an avid fan of re-consuming my favorite forms of media. I used to read the same...
Vague Patch Notes: How widespread free-to-play impacted MMORPGs
In 2009, Dungeons & Dragons Online went free-to-play, which was a pretty big deal at the time. It was especially important to me, since...
Massively on the Go: Pokemon Go Fest 2024 aimed straight at the wallet
If functional is the bar for Pokemon Go players, Niantic almost cleared it for Go Fest 2024, but damn if that isn't a depressing...
Vague Patch Notes: Yes, tutorials are a good thing in MMORPGs
For those of you who haven't been reading the site for a while or just don't keep this in your head, I'm going to...
Massively on the Go: MOP’s planning guide for Pokemon Go Global Go Fest 2024
It's almost time, Pokemon Go trainers: Go Fest 2024 arrives July 13th to 14th from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. local time each day,...
From castles to conservation to content, I had a ball at Black Desert’s Heidel Ball 2024
It may have been a bit since the end of Pearl Abyss' Heidel Ball 2024, celebrating 10 years of Black Desert Online, but it's...
The Soapbox: Final Fantasy XIV Dawntrail, mortality, remembrance, and last chances
Earlier this week, at least at the time of this op ed's writing, I completed the main story for Final Fantasy XIV Dawntrail, and...
Vague Patch Notes: The stuff that has me excited about Stars Reach
Raph Koster is a smart guy. Not just an experienced one (he's that, too), but a smart one. The man knows his stuff front...
Four Winds: Wuthering Waves, Genshin Impact, and the burgeoning gacha gaming industry
In the early days of the pandemic, I spent a lot of time covering the then newly released Genshin Impact. The first piece was...
Massively on the Go: Pokemon Go’s July spread is basically just marking time until Go Fest
It's not particularly surprising that, once again, Pokemon Go isn't really sharing a lot of details about what's in store for the month of...
Raph Koster’s new MMORPG is called Stars Reach, and yes, it’s basically Star Wars Galaxies 2
It's June 26th, Star Wars Galaxies' 21st birthday, and I'm sitting on Google Meet talking to none other than MMORPG founding father (and SWG...
