sandbox

Sandboxes are a type of MMO that emphasize player freedom and expression. They frequently include mechanics for building, crafting, trading, character customization and development, roleplaying, destruction, and significant interaction with the world and other players. A sandbox that is dominated by an open-PvP or free-for-all ruleset is sometimes pejoratively called a gankbox. Contrast with the themepark.

Choose My Adventure: Wrapping up our adventures in Project Gorgon

Eliot Lefebvre - February 16, 2018 3

There's a familiar situation to players of tabletop games wherein a sidequest becomes more important than the main quest, and you wind up taking...

Star Citizen’s new $185 Aegis Vulcan support ship is so ugly it’s cute

Bree Royce - February 16, 2018 103

On this week's episode of Around the Verse, Star Citizen's Sandi Gardiner and Chris Roberts bookend segments on the ship pipeline in the game....

The Daily Grind: Which MMO is the absolute best if you’re a whale?

Bree Royce - February 16, 2018 76

At the end of every year, I always do a Daily Grind on the most expensive MMO to play at that exact moment, with...

I'm going to write that MMO about the snarky robot I always wanted to!

Massively Overthinking: Could bots save dying MMORPGs?

Bree Royce - February 15, 2018 37

Last week, a reader named Chris, who is writing a paper on the MMO industry and revivifying sunsetted games, dropped an intriguing question into...

Black Desert’s Kakao Games enjoys $131.6 million in investment

Justin Olivetti - February 15, 2018 25

It's all coming up Kakao Games these days. The Korean studio received a large investment package recently that totals $131.6 million. The bundle comes from...

MMO devs discuss the painful process of shutting down online games

Justin Olivetti - February 15, 2018 3

Have you ever thought about what it is like for developers and community managers who handle online games that are being shut down? It's...

Black Desert players protest lag, bugs, pay-to-win, and lack of account security

Bree Royce - February 15, 2018 25

Agitators on the Black Desert subreddit are attempting to whip up press and players over a range of grievances players have with Kakao, the...

NOW PUNCH! YOUR FRIEND! PUNCH, PUNCH YOUR FRIEND!

Battle Bards Episode 115: EVE Online

Justin Olivetti - February 14, 2018 1

Forgettable ambient noise or entrancing space sounds? This is the debate that’s at the core of today’s episode, as the Battle Bards take on...

Fish up some love and loot in Black Desert’s Valentine’s Day events

Bree Royce - February 14, 2018 7

It's Valentine's Day in the world of Black Desert! The Sweet Valentine event kicked off on server up earlier today, and for the first...

ARK Survival Evolved gives its dinos some tender loving care

Justin Olivetti - February 14, 2018 3

Dinosaurs deserve some love too, even if they're oversized grumpy reptiles who keep trying to eat those good-natured players in ARK. The survival sandbox...

Fortnite’s Valentine event isn’t launching today [Updated]

Bree Royce - February 14, 2018 3

Hope you PvE folks didn't have your Valentine hearts set on that Fortnite update that was supposed to roll out today because... it didn't. As...

Amazon’s New World seeks a software development manager

Justin Olivetti - February 14, 2018 15

Despite coming onto the scene with a flurry of prospective titles, Amazon Game Studios has yet to really make a great impression on the...

when yo crush read yo note that say lemme smash

Massively OP Podcast Episode 157: Lunar Valentines

Justin Olivetti - February 13, 2018 4

Justin and Bree discuss Valentine's Day and Lunar New Year in MMOs, Guild Wars 2's latest patch, Camelot Unchained's beta date, WoW's Battle for Azeroth alpha, Closers' launch, Black Desert's unification, and Final Fantasy XIV's population, with mailbag questions on multiple accounts (spoilers: Bree talks about SWG for like three hours) and variety in period MMOs.