evergreen
Vague Patch Notes: Don’t alter MMO systems for people who never liked them to begin with
Here's a concept that just would not leave my mind thanks to World of Warcraft, but it's not a bad thing. But in order...
Working As Intended: Decorating MMORPG houses in SWG Legends and beyond
I've been mulling over how to do a piece about MMO housing for a while now, spurred on by colleagues and readers who've said...
Perfect Ten: More time traveling adventures in MMOs
Writers and geeks alike can't seem to get enough of time travel -- and neither can I! Back in 2017, I wrote a list of...
Vague Patch Notes: Trying to salvage MMOs from bad launches
So I'm glad that Crucible got a "pull back to beta" instead of a complete shutdown. I'm surprised but still happy because that's more...
Perfect Ten: World of Warcraft’s multicolored elf rainbow
Remember how I managed to get an entire column out of all the different flavors of troll within World of Warcraft? Except I kind...
The Game Archaeologist: When World of Warcraft opened Ahn’Qiraj’s gates
This past month, Blizzard has been testing what might well be the milestone moment for World of Warcraft Classic: The Ahn'Qiraj gates event. In...
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...
Massively Overthinking: Does playing MMORPGs ever stress you out?
"Anyone ever feel stressed out about playing MMOs?" MOP's Carlo queried our team this week. "This new Black Desert season is stressing me out...
Desert Oasis: Putting Black Desert’s music system in context with other MMOs
Back in the day, I used to really be into the ukulele. I used to play in open mics and sold them as my...
WoW Factor: How do we make a good Warcraft movie?
Sometimes, dear readers, things simply do not line up. I really have a long piece I'm looking forward to doing, and then Blizzard does...
Perfect Ten: What makes me feel welcome when trying out your MMO
While it's not "standing in front of your high school in your underpants and reciting a difficult Shakespeare passage" level of anxiety, there is...
The Soapbox: No, forced grouping in MMOs isn’t ‘social’
Thinking back to high school, I'm awash in memories of the many deep, meaningful relationships that spawned as a result of being forced to...
Not So Massively: My top 10 favorite ARPG classes
I love me some ARPGs, but in any RPG your enjoyment will depend so much on finding the right class. A game that felt...
Massively Overthinking: When should we cut MMO studios some slack for trainwreck launches?
A while back, the MOP writers were chatting about some of the trainwreck launches we've seen from MMO studios over the last few years.
"I...
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...
Perfect Ten: The big book of MMO death mechanic rationales
In the ancient Before Times (so, you know, two years ago), I wrote a column all about the different mechanics that hit you when...
WoW Factor: How World of Warcraft’s elite progression obsession hurts progression players too
Here's a statement that I think few people will disagree with:Â World of Warcraft has increasingly focused on raiding and high-end progression as the only...
Perfect Ten: The most fun pre-launch MMO runs
You know what's really fun? The build-up to an MMO's release, especially when you're really invested in that particular game. Some of my fondest...
Not So Massively: I like survival mechanics, not survival games
When I played We Happy Few, one of the things that surprised me the most was how much I enjoyed the survival mechanics. I...
The Game Archaeologist: Were sequels ever a good idea for MMOs?
From movies to books to video games, sequels (and all related spin-offs) are a common sight when a property is sufficiently successful enough. Even...
