kids
For science: New long-term study shows video games don’t make adults violent
Before we start, yes, I'm sure many of our readers are feeling a big wave of "duh" at the statement in the headline, but...
Massively Overthinking: The war on MMO chat toxicity
This week, The Ancient Gaming Noob posted up an image of RIFT Prime, where Trion asks people to... play nice. "Just a neighborly reminder...
Fortnite: The 3.3 update, Drake on Twitch, battle royale development, and next-gen online games
After a brief delay, Fortnite's 3.3 patch is in with a bang, literally, thanks to new explosives and supply llamas added to battle royale...
Smalland shrinks you down and throws you to the squirrels
Did you ever watch Honey, I Shrunk the Kids and think to yourself that you would have done so much better in that unlikely...
Massively Overthinking: Is battle royale a fad?
This week in Massively Overthinking, I want to talk about something out on the fringes of our genre: battle royale games. We've been watching...
MMO business roundup: Steam, toxicity, Kartridge, contracts, dopamine, and guns
What's going on in the online video games business this week? Let's dig in.
Steam, toxicity, and Kartridge
The Center for Investigative Reporting (via Motherboard) has a...
The Daily Grind: Do you multitask while playing MMORPGs?
Years ago, I had the bright idea to go to extremes to multitask while playing World of Warcraft. I set my laptop on a...
The Soapbox: Six responses to the ‘gaming is wrong/evil/an addiction’ argument
I recently went on a rant about gaming, but it wasn't directed at gaming. It was in defense of gaming. I am so weary...
The Game Archaeologist: EverQuest Mac
In 2003, Sony Online Entertainment tried an experiment to reach out to the (then) small-but-growing community of Mac users. The company released EverQuest Macintosh...
The Game Archaeologist: BBS door games
When you think of MMORPGs, I wouldn't blame you if your mind stayed rooted firmly in the past decade or so, perhaps taking a...
Toxicity roundup: Overwatch troll, Fortnite pro fired, Division modder ban, HOTS’s voice chat, and Twitch’s new anti-hate rules
When the toxicity topics just keep piling up in the news room and nobody wants to cover them, you get the Toxicity Roundup, your...
Global Chat: To RIFT or not to RIFT?
Everyone's talking about RIFT's new Prime server idea -- and whether or not it will get us playing Trion Worlds' fantasy MMO once again....
Best not be toxic on YouTube, Overwatch players, because Blizzard is watching you
Back in 2013, when Linda "Brasse" Carlson still fronted SOE's community branch, she made headlines for making SOE's anti-toxicity policies very clear. "If we...
Washington state senator proposes lockbox gambling investigation in new bill
Hawaiian politicians are getting some company on the lockbox front from a compatriot in Washington state.
State Senator Kevin Ranker has introduced legislation there that...
PUBG: Cheaters, China, charity, ping-locks, and running the biggest game in the world without a roadmap
PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds isn't giving up on performance optimization and cheater crackdowns, you'll be glad to know. In its most recent Steam post, Bluehole says...
Ashes of Creation sparkles in its new UnderRealm video
What's Ashes of Creation been up to since that confusing alpha zero rollout back in December, the official class matrix, and the fan Q&A?...
Hyperspace Beacon: The case for mature-themed guilds in the SWTOR community
I am a huge advocate for guilds that can remain friendly to the under 18 crowd. One of my favorite Star Wars: The Old...
Tencent helps Chinese law enforcement arrest 120 people linked to PUBG cheats
If you thought Epic Games was being too rough on cheaters in Fortnite by smacking kids with personal lawsuits, wait until you hear what...
Massively OP Podcast Episode 152: Allied races and superhero sprints
Justin and Bree discuss Guild Wars 2, ARK, Portal Knights, World of Warcraft, Champions Online, Fractured, Ship of Heroes, Black Desert, Elder Scrolls Online, and Life is Feudal, with mailbag questions on teaching MMO teamwork to kids and lockboxes vs. advertising.
Battle Bards Episode 112: MMO minigame music
It’s time to take a diversion to play — and listen — to the minigames tucked inside of our MMOs! The Battle Bards haul...