for science
The best Massively OP MMO polls of 2016
Every week for the last few years, we've expanded on our "Daily Grind" theme with a Leaderboard poll. I've had a blast taking over Leaderboard;...
New research suggests head-mounted VR sets are unintentionally sexist
A new research study conducted by University of Minnesota researchers Justin Munafo, Meg Diedrick, and Thomas A. Stoffregen says that head-mounted virtual reality is unintentionally...
A Parent’s Guide to Video Games: Condensing ‘The Video Game Debate’
Remember The Video Game Debate? The game research book edited by Thorsten Quandt and Rachel Kowert, the latter of whom we've been covering here since Massively-that-was? Good....
The Daily Grind: Is Twitch chat just MMO general chat writ large?
Last week, an Indiana University Bloomington team released its analysis of over a billion comments made on Twitch over a two-month period in 2014...
Academics assess Pokemon Go’s value to conservation and education
Let's cap off the evening with some feel-good, sciency stories about Pokemon Go, shall we?
Zoologists at Oxford University are studying Pokemon Go to determine...
For Science: A third of our polled social media users quit Pokemon Go over trackers
Pokemon Go has received some large updates recently: the buddy system, medals, some big gym changes (twice), and now we've got dailies. We've been dazzled...
Flameseeker Chronicles: Gaming playstyles, science, and Guild Wars 2
I was curious recently about what specific personality traits or personal qualities lead to my enjoyment of MMOs in general and Guild Wars 2 in particular,...
Exploring real-life PUGs, the Plus, and the antisocial nature of Pokemon Go
Although Pokemon Go isn't advertised as an MMO, both experts and players have noted it does present some interesting similarities: Both have tons of players on servers...
The Daily Grind: Does your MMO playstyle track with your age and gender?
Gaming research firm Quantic Foundry posted a new blog last week revealing the results of its surveys cross-referencing gender, age, and playstyle in video...
The Daily Grind: Which MMORPGs do you play to reduce stress?
If you follow gaming research at all, you've probably heard of Dr Jane McGonigal, a professor, gamer designer, author, and pro-gaming think tank researcher....
Superdata: WoW now charges a full monthly sub in China
Superdata's digital games market report for August 2016 landed in our inbox today. Those of you who've been consistently frustrated and confused over the...
Self-driving cars are learning to drive with Grand Theft Auto
So it turns out that people were right when they said that self-driving cars were a terrible idea. We were all in favor of...
Comparing American and Japanese Pokemon Go culture
My previous article on the culture of Japan's Pokemon Go scene was written before I'd experienced much of the American one to keep my explanations...
Superdata’s July 2016 data show Guild Wars 2 surging, Pokemon Go on top
Superdata's July report on online gaming revenues is in, and there are some predictable bits and some surprises. On the P2P MMO front, the...
Exploring Japan’s Pokemon Go culture
As some readers may know, I've spent the last few years in Japan trying to tackle the local gaming scene, online and off. While...
Study says that online games might help academics
"Put down that video game controller before your brain turns to mush!"
If you've ever heard a variation of this phrase tossed your way as...
E3 2016: Chatting E3 demos and MMO research with Red Fox Insights’ Jake Parmley
I'm wrapping up my on-site E3 coverage this year with a meeting more about the industry meta than about any one game. The interviewee? Jake Parmley...
Superdata: WoW, Lineage, SWTOR, TERA, and Blade & Soul top April P2P online games revenues
Superdata has a new seasonal report out on the state of the digital games market. The research firm's April figures show that World of...
Analyst argues game devs are abandoning free-to-play in some genres
Red Fox Insights analyst Jake Parmley has another piece on Gamasutra this week, this one arguing that video game developers are "backing away from...
Black Desert: Business model research, Daum addresses hacking complaints
Red Fox Insights analyst Jake Parmley has a piece on Gamasutra today about Black Desert's business model that confirms what you might already suspect:...
