why i play

Why I Play is home to our tributes to our favorite MMORPGs. [Follow this column’s RSS feed]

What was I made for?

Why I Play(ed): Remembering WildStar’s sunset, five years later

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Time shouldn't zip along as quickly as it often does, especially when it taps us on the shoulder to look back and see how...

Why I Play: Five years in, Fallout 76 has become expansive, flawed, and engrossing

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War might never change, but Fallout 76? That sucker has changed a whole lot since its debut five years ago. For as long as I've...

Why I Play: Palia is cozy and fun, but why is it multiplayer – and where is it going?

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On paper, Palia seems like it wouldn’t interest me. It is a lighthearted jaunt through a bright, cartoonish environment that involves building relationships with...

Why I Play: Six things that thrill me about Marvel Snap

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At this point, I've now played more Marvel Snap than I have of my last digital card game obsession, Hearthstone. Since getting into it...

LOTRO Legendarium: On the occasion of Lord of the Rings Online’s sixteenth birthday

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Sometimes the passage of time triggers disheartening moments when we feel things slipping away from us. The internet seems to nastily delight in prompting...

Why I Play: Pokemon Go (and why I shouldn’t)

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I won't lie: Many, many problems with Niantic often cause me to re-evaluate why I continue to play Pokemon GO, especially in recent weeks....
Alive again!

Why I Play: Diablo III – From Reaper of Souls to today

3
In the first part of this Why I Play retrospective on Diablo III, I discussed the early issues that accompanied the game's record-setting debut....

Why I Play: Diablo III – From pre-release to Reaper of Souls

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It's hard for me to believe that Diablo III's May 15th, 2012, release was over a decade ago. And despite its reputation of being...

Why I Play: Black Matter’s shooter Hell Let Loose scratches my RTS itch

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I’ve been playing multiplayer shooters since I discovered DOOM 2’s dialup modem DOS commands, and it’s a genre I find myself returning to every...
World Orlando Fontaine Warcraft, as always, is contractually obligated to show up here.

Why I Play: World of Warcraft, 2022 edition

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Have you ever watched The Good Place? If you haven't, I suggest you stop reading right now and go watch. Your life will be...

Flameseeker Chronicles: How the Elementalist saved Guild Wars 2 for me

7
First off, I know I'm not the usual writer for Flameseeker Chronicles, and I'm not ousting Colin or Tina from their spot; in fact,...

Why I Play: Returning to Diablo III in 2022

3
I don't know if there's a marketing term for this phenomenon, but Diablo Immortal did an excellent job selling Diablo III. Popular streamers all caught...

Why I Play: What keeps me coming back to The Secret World

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Now and then I'll allude to being the weirdo who's still playing The Secret World -- not Secret World Legends, but the original. I've...

Why I Play: Examining why Lost Ark has me so hooked

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Lost Ark has hooked me pretty deeply. I’m just over 30 levels and five or so days into the game right now, which sometimes...

Why I Play: Returning to Guild Wars 2 and exploring elite specs after nine years

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I have a strange history with Guild Wars 2. I fell hard for the pre-launch hype, and when it finally arrived, I loved it...

Why I Play: Monster Hunter Rise is still worth it one month later

3
It's been over a month since Monster Hunter Rise was released to the public. I was feeling good about the game during the press...

Why I Play: Multiplayer sandbox Eco is so much more than just an ecology simulator

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I’ve been struggling to come up with a succinct way to describe Eco. The game was recently the subject of a Whatever Happened To...

Why I Play: Finally completing Final Fantasy XIV’s relic grind

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When I started my relic grind in Final Fantasy XIV, I didn't know what I was getting myself into. But after finishing the first few...

Why I Play: Final Fantasy XIV’s memorable Shadowbringer relic weapon grind

2
I have a love-hate relationship with Final Fantasy XIV. I actively fought against giving the game MMO of the year for 2020, and I hold the...
halveim

First impressions: Valheim early access is already one of the best co-op sandboxes in recent memory

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Straight away, I'm going to admit that my favorable impressions of Valheim are wholly informed by the fact that I have the good fortune...

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