So according to GamerVision, here's the latest in the story.
The 'psychologist' brought onto the 'Fox Show' to talk of Mass Effect admitted she was wrong in a public apology. Here's what Larwence had to say
“I recognize that I misspoke. I really regret saying that, and now that I’ve seen the game and seen the sex scenes it’s kind of a joke.
Before the show I had asked somebody about what they had heard, and they had said it’s like pornography. But it’s not like pornography. I’ve seen episodes of Lost that are more sexually explicit.”
Saturday, January 26, 2008
The Mass [In]Effect[iveness] Of Journalistic Integrity
Sometimes I wonder. I suppose that's a natural enough statement. I'm a journalist; by nature , curious, and on what some like to define as an 'epic quest' for the truth. I can take it a little too seriously sometimes. Sometimes, I wonder.
Why do I look for the truth in all the wrong places?
In case any one gamer fell off the face of the planet within the last few weeks, Ill summerize what I've been wondering so much about. This line of events have been reported by both GamerVision (www.gamervision.com) and GamingToday (news.filefront.com)
1) Conservative Blogger Kevin McCullough bashes Bioware's Xbox360 exclusive Mass Effect , claiming full blown sex scenes; something gamers know not to be true.
2) Gamers retaliate, and McCullough gives a half hearted 'apology', 'admitting' maybe he was not as correct as he assumed himself to be. A drastic admittance, I know....
3) Fox News, the 'news' program owned by Rupert Murdoch , known for their ...unique...interpretation of their own slogan, Fair And Balanced, joins in the Mass Effect bashing wagon, inviting two panelists and 'experts' on to their show to debate the subject: Cooper Lawrence, talk show host and author self-help books, and Spike TV's Geoff Keighley. In pure Fox News fashion, Keighley was pretty much blown off and spoken to as if he did not know a thing about his debate subject, despite Lawrence admitting to never playing the game in question
4) EA Games [who bought out Bioware] sends a letter to Fox News , asking for them to correct their mistakes about Mass Effect ; citing each piece of misinformation , and then supplying the truth about their game Here is a sample for your enjoyment:
"As video games continue to take audiences away from television, we expect to see more TV news stories warning parents about the corrupting influence of interactive entertainment. But this represents a new level of recklessness."
5) Fox News essentially ignores EAs request, until sending them a message, saying that since EA did not show up on the show to defend their own game, they will not be making any corrections.
The question at hand is:
Why did I expect anything to change?
Perhaps it is because I am a journalism major, studying the subject because of my pre-mentioned "epic quest". My professors have always taught me to search for truth in a way that promotes journalistic integrity. To report with respect to the primary purpose of journalism as written by Bill Kovach and Tom Rosenstiel which can be directly quoted as "The primary purpose of journalism is to provide citizens with the information they need to be free and self-governing."And summed up by saying "You report the story, in a way that gives readers the facts, so that they can make their own opinions and decisions. Don't try to make those for them in your writing".
Give the reader the facts that they need to make their own decisions. Tell them what's going on, tell them what the historical context is, tell them how it will effect society and other current events. Don't tell them what to think or what to do about it.
Why did I expect any different from Fox, the company my professors site as a perfect example of "what not to do", the very same people that were exposed for all of their biases and lies in the documentary "Out Foxed" the company owned by a man that owns half the world by ways of media. Did I expect them to tell the truth on a game, something, as EA says , is allegedly threatening the money the television industry is making?
Did I expect Journalistic Integrity?
Yes.
Why?
Because the general public deserves it.
Get your act together Fox. Stop Misrepresenting things that don't put an extra million dollars in your pocket.
Get it together.
Stop making Journalists [and in this case gamers] Look bad.
Why do I look for the truth in all the wrong places?
In case any one gamer fell off the face of the planet within the last few weeks, Ill summerize what I've been wondering so much about. This line of events have been reported by both GamerVision (www.gamervision.com) and GamingToday (news.filefront.com)
1) Conservative Blogger Kevin McCullough bashes Bioware's Xbox360 exclusive Mass Effect , claiming full blown sex scenes; something gamers know not to be true.
2) Gamers retaliate, and McCullough gives a half hearted 'apology', 'admitting' maybe he was not as correct as he assumed himself to be. A drastic admittance, I know....
3) Fox News, the 'news' program owned by Rupert Murdoch , known for their ...unique...interpretation of their own slogan, Fair And Balanced, joins in the Mass Effect bashing wagon, inviting two panelists and 'experts' on to their show to debate the subject: Cooper Lawrence, talk show host and author self-help books, and Spike TV's Geoff Keighley. In pure Fox News fashion, Keighley was pretty much blown off and spoken to as if he did not know a thing about his debate subject, despite Lawrence admitting to never playing the game in question
4) EA Games [who bought out Bioware] sends a letter to Fox News , asking for them to correct their mistakes about Mass Effect ; citing each piece of misinformation , and then supplying the truth about their game Here is a sample for your enjoyment:
"As video games continue to take audiences away from television, we expect to see more TV news stories warning parents about the corrupting influence of interactive entertainment. But this represents a new level of recklessness."
5) Fox News essentially ignores EAs request, until sending them a message, saying that since EA did not show up on the show to defend their own game, they will not be making any corrections.
The question at hand is:
Why did I expect anything to change?
Perhaps it is because I am a journalism major, studying the subject because of my pre-mentioned "epic quest". My professors have always taught me to search for truth in a way that promotes journalistic integrity. To report with respect to the primary purpose of journalism as written by Bill Kovach and Tom Rosenstiel which can be directly quoted as "The primary purpose of journalism is to provide citizens with the information they need to be free and self-governing."And summed up by saying "You report the story, in a way that gives readers the facts, so that they can make their own opinions and decisions. Don't try to make those for them in your writing".
Give the reader the facts that they need to make their own decisions. Tell them what's going on, tell them what the historical context is, tell them how it will effect society and other current events. Don't tell them what to think or what to do about it.
Why did I expect any different from Fox, the company my professors site as a perfect example of "what not to do", the very same people that were exposed for all of their biases and lies in the documentary "Out Foxed" the company owned by a man that owns half the world by ways of media. Did I expect them to tell the truth on a game, something, as EA says , is allegedly threatening the money the television industry is making?
Did I expect Journalistic Integrity?
Yes.
Why?
Because the general public deserves it.
Get your act together Fox. Stop Misrepresenting things that don't put an extra million dollars in your pocket.
Get it together.
Stop making Journalists [and in this case gamers] Look bad.
Online Worlds - A closer look at Massive Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games
For over a month, millions around the country followed the tragic story of the 2 year old girl found in a box by a fisherman in the Gaveston Bay , then known only by the name the investigators on the case gave her: Baby Grace. On November 26th, that child was identified by Gavelston County sheriff officials to be Riley Ann Sawyers , daughter of Kimberly Dawn Trenor, 19. She is now being held for $350,000 bail along with her husband Royce Clyde Ziegler II, 24 for abuse of a child and tampering with evidence of a crime. According to the Huston Chronicle, Kimberley Dawn Trenor, along with her daughter, fled her home in Mentor Ohio after meeting Ziegler in the massive multiplayer online role playing game World of Warcraft.
But this is not the first time the Internet, online Role-playing Games [RPGS], or World of Warcraft [WoW] has had the finger pointed at them for tragic events. American Culture has devoted a large portion of its news media, and a whole television program [Dateline: To Catch A Predator] to the reporting of crimes that take place over the Internet. In December of 2005, Blizzard Entertainment, the company behind World of Warcraft, was blamed for the suicide of a young Chinese boy. It was reported in TGdaily, a copyright of Tiger Vision Media, “The boy, who played a Night Elf in the game, believed that he could meet his favorite Night Elf hero, if he committed suicide.” In the case of Trenor, It was told by the father of the late Riley Ann “"Kim got hooked on it. She'd be on it three, four hours, be on it until one in the morning."
World of Warcraft is, perhaps, one of the greatest achievements of the Blizzard Entertainment Company (Owned by Vivendi Games), which just recently announced plans to merge with another popular gaming company, Activision; creators of the popular Guitar Hero Franchise. Blizzard’s company profile stated the following:
“World of Warcraft initially launched on November 23, 2004 in North America, Australia, and New Zealand, with subsequent launches in South Korea, Europe, mainland China, Singapore, and the regions of Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau in 2005, Malaysia in 2006, and Thailand in 2007. The game has achieved unprecedented popularity on a global scale, with currently more than 9 million subscribers worldwide. It is available in seven different languages based on the regions in which it is played, and has earned awards and praise from publications around the world.”
According to research done in 2005 by Nick Yee, researcher of "The Daedalus Project" whose extensive study in the field has been quoted by the Associated Press and the Washington Post, 84% of World of Warcraft’s players are male, and 16% female. In addition, the average player plays about 22 hours a week.
These observations collaborate accurately with the testimonies of those willing to speak on their experiences in various online role-playing games. Visiting online social websites, such as Gamer Vision (www.gamervision.com), a website made especially for gamers, yielded some interesting results. Ryan, aged 25 and a web application developer shared his experiences in saying the online world he played in “was very addictive and took many, many hours of my life. I would work 9-5 then come home and play until 2 or 3 in the morning 4 or 5 days a week. This was one of the reasons I stopped. I had no life in the physical world.”
Sarah LeBoeuf, a staff writer for the gaming social website, states the ‘never ending’ qualities of online RPGs as her reason for initial addiction to them. ” There were endless possibilities, and I just wanted to explore more. And to get good enough to go all over the fictional world, I had to level up. It was an endless cycle of leveling and exploring and looting and selling.”
Others, however, assert that while these online worlds are fun, that they were able to successfully maintain their priorities in the real world. “Addiction is a strong word, I don’t think I would have considered myself addicted at any point of my gaming career, I might play a lot but I always put real life first and once all my responsibilities are done for the day then its game time.” Says Jay Lane, a student and network administrator
But what exactly is the appeal of these online virtual worlds, and why are they consistently reported so negatively in today’s media? According to the Aspen Education Group, an organization set up in Utah’s Aspen University
“Teens Want Never-Ending High - WOW and most MMORPG’s are designed to never end. There is no one plot line that some all-knowing creator has contrived. This makes kids never have an in game conclusion that would cause the child to stop playing as they generally would with other standard games. The story line is what the players make it. And, in a teenager’s mind, this means “the universe revolves around me.” This is truly a teenager’s perfect heaven; the perfect high.”
In addition to the everlasting nature of the game, Massive Multiplayer Online RPGs [MMORPGs] often if not always include some method of chatting interface. “The social component alone often gives the teen 'gamer' the desire to play this type of game.” Says Aspen.
Aspen and other institutes have risen in the past few years to study and treat those with supposed 'addictions' to the Internet and Online gaming. Dr. Kimberly Young is the director of one such program called "The Center For Internet Addiction", which was founded in 1995. She is the author of the first book to address Internet addiction Caught in the Net. While the Center of Internet Addiction admitted that addiction to gaming is a fairly new concept, their web site (http://www.netaddiction.com/) still held valuable information. The Center for Internet Addiction states "Online gaming addiction is an addiction to online video games, role-playing games, or any interactive gaming environment available through the Internet. Online games such “EverQuest”, the “World of Warcraft”, the “Dark Age of Camelot”, or “Diablo II” – dubbed "heroinware" by some players – can pose much more complex problems. Extensive chat features give such games a social aspect missing from offline activities, and the collaborative/competitive nature of working with or against other players can make it hard to take a break."
The web site also notes certain symptoms of online gaming addiction "Gamers who become hooked show clear signs of addiction. Like a drug, gamers who play almost every day, play for extended periods of time (over 4 hours), get restless or irritable if they can’t play, and sacrifice other social activities just to game are showing signs of addiction.". Dr. Kimberly Young, however offers a variety of family and individual therapy for children and adults who may suffer from this type of addiction. "In many cases, gamers find acceptance, respect, and recognition through the game, and the online character replaces relationships that are missing in the gamer’s life. She counsels parents dealing with an addicted child reluctant to enter treatment."
Nick Yee of the Daedalus project, however, finds certain flaws in the argument that addictions to these games, and the Internet as a whole is a problem in society. "For any given media form, hobby, or activity, it is probably true that some percentage of people will fall into this criteria of “addiction”. The only difference is that researchers choose only certain activities to investigate for addiction disorders. The Internet is dangerous whereas other activities are wholesome and good. But if any and every activity can have its very own addiction disorder, it’s not clear that such a notion is meaningful. On the other hand, picking and choosing which activities we deem “addictive” seems more and more arbitrary. Another problem is that it conflates all kinds of things that people do online. It were as if any normal activity suddenly becomes potentially deviant and dangerous when it happens online." He states in his blog, that can be found at http://www.nickyee.com/daedalus.
Others believe that online gaming within the world of MMORPGs can lead to some good qualities and positive learning experiences. At Toronto's Future Play 2007 conference, "Dr. Constance Steinkuehler, assistant professor in the Educational Communication & Technology program for the University of Wisconsin-Madison, argued that MMOs and online worlds are good "push technologies" for education, rather than threats to it." reports online gaming news website www.gamasutra.com.
Her presentation, titled "Massively Multiplayer Online Games as an Educational Ethnology: An Outline for Research" listed many positive aspects of the form of gaming so many others like to link to negative social behavior. According to gamasutra , Steinkuehler described first how games such as Lineage encouraged players to preform "orally delivered narratives" to share the lore of the gaming world with their fellow players. This, she argued proved that gaming can actually boost literary skills and creativity. "“If you compare them to things like the national reading standards, many of these practices not only meet the national reading writing and technology standards, they exceed them." , Steinkuehler argued.
Steinkuehler also added World of Warcraft into her study, saying that players who studied the statistical properties of their characters (Also known as 'stats'; number representations of qualities such as Strength, magic power, and armor). After studying the World of Warcraft forums, she concluded that the players thought with "a scientific mind".
"Only eight percent was "banter," she noted -- although six percent was "literally nonsense." A third of the discussion built on other ideas, and a third used counter-arguments. 28 percent used data and evidence to back up their ideas. 12 percent also gave alternative explanation of data, and 7 percent gave references to outside resources." she reported. Also found in the research, according to gamasutra, "discussions about character statistics...were so mathematically complex as to be incomprehensible to the conference attendees, concluding that comprehending the stat-based rules at the core of the average MMO's play system both required and developed advanced skills."
These and other positive testimonies also matched up with those from Gamervision regulars. When asked about the positives of the online games he played, Jay Lane replied "The positive things that happened through my experiences in both games were having fun with my friends, forging new friendships with other gamers that I still game with today, and learning teamwork skills (25 man raids in WoW). I have been a guild officer in both games and this has also allowed me to tone skills in leadership and problem resolution without a doubt."
While tragic events can sometimes occur due to these outlets, that can be said about anything, and one must always remember not to blame an entire culture for the mistakes of a few. In playing these games, one must remember moderation, and take the good along with the bad, while sending hope and good will out to the unfortunate victims of tragedies laced with these social outlets, such as Baby Grace AKA Riley Ann.
[Taken from a post made by me on www.gamervision.com on 12-12-2007 for fufillment of a Research for Journalism class project]
But this is not the first time the Internet, online Role-playing Games [RPGS], or World of Warcraft [WoW] has had the finger pointed at them for tragic events. American Culture has devoted a large portion of its news media, and a whole television program [Dateline: To Catch A Predator] to the reporting of crimes that take place over the Internet. In December of 2005, Blizzard Entertainment, the company behind World of Warcraft, was blamed for the suicide of a young Chinese boy. It was reported in TGdaily, a copyright of Tiger Vision Media, “The boy, who played a Night Elf in the game, believed that he could meet his favorite Night Elf hero, if he committed suicide.” In the case of Trenor, It was told by the father of the late Riley Ann “"Kim got hooked on it. She'd be on it three, four hours, be on it until one in the morning."
World of Warcraft is, perhaps, one of the greatest achievements of the Blizzard Entertainment Company (Owned by Vivendi Games), which just recently announced plans to merge with another popular gaming company, Activision; creators of the popular Guitar Hero Franchise. Blizzard’s company profile stated the following:
“World of Warcraft initially launched on November 23, 2004 in North America, Australia, and New Zealand, with subsequent launches in South Korea, Europe, mainland China, Singapore, and the regions of Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau in 2005, Malaysia in 2006, and Thailand in 2007. The game has achieved unprecedented popularity on a global scale, with currently more than 9 million subscribers worldwide. It is available in seven different languages based on the regions in which it is played, and has earned awards and praise from publications around the world.”
According to research done in 2005 by Nick Yee, researcher of "The Daedalus Project" whose extensive study in the field has been quoted by the Associated Press and the Washington Post, 84% of World of Warcraft’s players are male, and 16% female. In addition, the average player plays about 22 hours a week.
An example of Nick Yee’s research.
These observations collaborate accurately with the testimonies of those willing to speak on their experiences in various online role-playing games. Visiting online social websites, such as Gamer Vision (www.gamervision.com), a website made especially for gamers, yielded some interesting results. Ryan, aged 25 and a web application developer shared his experiences in saying the online world he played in “was very addictive and took many, many hours of my life. I would work 9-5 then come home and play until 2 or 3 in the morning 4 or 5 days a week. This was one of the reasons I stopped. I had no life in the physical world.”
Sarah LeBoeuf, a staff writer for the gaming social website, states the ‘never ending’ qualities of online RPGs as her reason for initial addiction to them. ” There were endless possibilities, and I just wanted to explore more. And to get good enough to go all over the fictional world, I had to level up. It was an endless cycle of leveling and exploring and looting and selling.”
Others, however, assert that while these online worlds are fun, that they were able to successfully maintain their priorities in the real world. “Addiction is a strong word, I don’t think I would have considered myself addicted at any point of my gaming career, I might play a lot but I always put real life first and once all my responsibilities are done for the day then its game time.” Says Jay Lane, a student and network administrator
But what exactly is the appeal of these online virtual worlds, and why are they consistently reported so negatively in today’s media? According to the Aspen Education Group, an organization set up in Utah’s Aspen University
“Teens Want Never-Ending High - WOW and most MMORPG’s are designed to never end. There is no one plot line that some all-knowing creator has contrived. This makes kids never have an in game conclusion that would cause the child to stop playing as they generally would with other standard games. The story line is what the players make it. And, in a teenager’s mind, this means “the universe revolves around me.” This is truly a teenager’s perfect heaven; the perfect high.”
In addition to the everlasting nature of the game, Massive Multiplayer Online RPGs [MMORPGs] often if not always include some method of chatting interface. “The social component alone often gives the teen 'gamer' the desire to play this type of game.” Says Aspen.
Aspen and other institutes have risen in the past few years to study and treat those with supposed 'addictions' to the Internet and Online gaming. Dr. Kimberly Young is the director of one such program called "The Center For Internet Addiction", which was founded in 1995. She is the author of the first book to address Internet addiction Caught in the Net. While the Center of Internet Addiction admitted that addiction to gaming is a fairly new concept, their web site (http://www.netaddiction.com/) still held valuable information. The Center for Internet Addiction states "Online gaming addiction is an addiction to online video games, role-playing games, or any interactive gaming environment available through the Internet. Online games such “EverQuest”, the “World of Warcraft”, the “Dark Age of Camelot”, or “Diablo II” – dubbed "heroinware" by some players – can pose much more complex problems. Extensive chat features give such games a social aspect missing from offline activities, and the collaborative/competitive nature of working with or against other players can make it hard to take a break."
The web site also notes certain symptoms of online gaming addiction "Gamers who become hooked show clear signs of addiction. Like a drug, gamers who play almost every day, play for extended periods of time (over 4 hours), get restless or irritable if they can’t play, and sacrifice other social activities just to game are showing signs of addiction.". Dr. Kimberly Young, however offers a variety of family and individual therapy for children and adults who may suffer from this type of addiction. "In many cases, gamers find acceptance, respect, and recognition through the game, and the online character replaces relationships that are missing in the gamer’s life. She counsels parents dealing with an addicted child reluctant to enter treatment."
Nick Yee of the Daedalus project, however, finds certain flaws in the argument that addictions to these games, and the Internet as a whole is a problem in society. "For any given media form, hobby, or activity, it is probably true that some percentage of people will fall into this criteria of “addiction”. The only difference is that researchers choose only certain activities to investigate for addiction disorders. The Internet is dangerous whereas other activities are wholesome and good. But if any and every activity can have its very own addiction disorder, it’s not clear that such a notion is meaningful. On the other hand, picking and choosing which activities we deem “addictive” seems more and more arbitrary. Another problem is that it conflates all kinds of things that people do online. It were as if any normal activity suddenly becomes potentially deviant and dangerous when it happens online." He states in his blog, that can be found at http://www.nickyee.com/daedalus.
Others believe that online gaming within the world of MMORPGs can lead to some good qualities and positive learning experiences. At Toronto's Future Play 2007 conference, "Dr. Constance Steinkuehler, assistant professor in the Educational Communication & Technology program for the University of Wisconsin-Madison, argued that MMOs and online worlds are good "push technologies" for education, rather than threats to it." reports online gaming news website www.gamasutra.com.
Her presentation, titled "Massively Multiplayer Online Games as an Educational Ethnology: An Outline for Research" listed many positive aspects of the form of gaming so many others like to link to negative social behavior. According to gamasutra , Steinkuehler described first how games such as Lineage encouraged players to preform "orally delivered narratives" to share the lore of the gaming world with their fellow players. This, she argued proved that gaming can actually boost literary skills and creativity. "“If you compare them to things like the national reading standards, many of these practices not only meet the national reading writing and technology standards, they exceed them." , Steinkuehler argued.
Steinkuehler also added World of Warcraft into her study, saying that players who studied the statistical properties of their characters (Also known as 'stats'; number representations of qualities such as Strength, magic power, and armor). After studying the World of Warcraft forums, she concluded that the players thought with "a scientific mind".
"Only eight percent was "banter," she noted -- although six percent was "literally nonsense." A third of the discussion built on other ideas, and a third used counter-arguments. 28 percent used data and evidence to back up their ideas. 12 percent also gave alternative explanation of data, and 7 percent gave references to outside resources." she reported. Also found in the research, according to gamasutra, "discussions about character statistics...were so mathematically complex as to be incomprehensible to the conference attendees, concluding that comprehending the stat-based rules at the core of the average MMO's play system both required and developed advanced skills."
These and other positive testimonies also matched up with those from Gamervision regulars. When asked about the positives of the online games he played, Jay Lane replied "The positive things that happened through my experiences in both games were having fun with my friends, forging new friendships with other gamers that I still game with today, and learning teamwork skills (25 man raids in WoW). I have been a guild officer in both games and this has also allowed me to tone skills in leadership and problem resolution without a doubt."
While tragic events can sometimes occur due to these outlets, that can be said about anything, and one must always remember not to blame an entire culture for the mistakes of a few. In playing these games, one must remember moderation, and take the good along with the bad, while sending hope and good will out to the unfortunate victims of tragedies laced with these social outlets, such as Baby Grace AKA Riley Ann.
Sources:
http://www.tgdaily.com/content/view/21757/118/
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/5345103.html
http://www.blizzard.com/inblizz/profile.shtml
www.gamervision.com (GamerVision Used For Interviews Via subscribers)
[Taken from a post made by me on www.gamervision.com on 12-12-2007 for fufillment of a Research for Journalism class project]
A Life In a Day of an RPG Fanatic
I’m an RPG freak. Do we have that established? Good.
No. I really mean it I’m obsessed to the point of trying anything with the letters “RPG” In succession on it. This led to some really confusing situations at least a few times in the past that I won’t get into.
Currently I subscribe to what one of my journalism professors described as “The Gamers’ Equivalent to heroine”; World of Warcraft. While admitting openly to this, I’ve also managed to not entangle myself into Final Fantasy XI (Despite attempts to do so), and missed the era of EverCrack. However, to quote the manager at the GameStop I work with. “Congratulations, so now you play the worse one? It’s the Devil!”
This isn’t meant to be a review of any sort, just a kind of ‘adventure’ through my MMORPG Experience. Hopefully you’ll read this and come out of it with an increased knowledge on what the MMORPGs were like for me, or an interest or curiosity to try one or more out yourself.
So without further Adieu
Furcadia –
Furcadia interface
Oddly this is how I started learning about this odd little thing called an MMORPG. “It’s kind of like an instant messenger only you get to walk around and play too.” Now Furcadia was, and as far as I know is more of a ‘social game’. The basic idea is that you’re a furry (I didn’t even know what a furry was back then folks, so don’t get your hopes up), and you walk around a social network. There was also this nifty area builder where you could build your own “Dream” , basically a visual chat room. The deal was, I was eleven at the time and this just wasn’t holding my interest for enough time. I needed to BASH things!
SO: If you’re a furry fan, try it out for a bit.
Tibia –
http://www.tibia.com/news/index.php?subtopic=latestnews
I found this little MMORPG while searching for a list of free ones since my mother refused to lend me her credit card for online purchases (The internet is obviously evil) , and I didn’t have that much money to buy anything better to do with my time anyway. After a bit of searching I found this, it was free, and the concept was simple.
Buy Weapons. Hit these things over the head. Level up.
That was it.
Well it was a good concept. But it wasn’t going anywhere. You see, I played at least for a month, and I couldn’t get past level six. Either one would completely disconnect , due to the number of people playing (which is kind of surprising), or there was just nothing to do. Except Kill rats. Lots of rats. In the sewer. Because you were too low level to kill anything else.
Needless to say I got fed up. I know this game still exists, but I don’t know if its any better. The graphics still look the same though, which is to say, look like blex. That led me to something slightly more expensive, and slightly better looking.
SO: If you have absolutely nothing better to do with your time and computer space….
Ragnarok Online –
http://iro.ragnarokonline.com/
A Wedding in the Prontera chapel
A few years later, this was the first paid MMORPG I played. I really don’t have anything bad to say about Ragnarok Online except that for the price , the graphics could be better. It was a nifty little game with good progression (Although getting to 2nd job professions took FOREVER, it was a fun filled forever). There wasn’t much “Role Play” Meaning, it was more “Go wherever Kill whatever level”, or much in the way of static quests, but again this could have changed since then!
So why did I stop playing this? Truthfully, I found a version of it free where you could just, you know, hit a level 2 creature, get all the way leveled, and then go on to endgame stuff. Kind of ruined the magic for me. Plus I vowed never to speak to the person who got me ‘into’ this game again, but lets not go there.
SO: If you have a bit of money to spare and your computer can’t run much better, Ragnarok is a cute little game to play.
Star Wars Galaxies:
http://starwarsgalaxies.station.sony.com/
The first big paid RPG I bought. I got this when it first came out , and I hated it. I wasn’t a big fan of sci-fi , so the “There’s no magic here folks!” Really annoyed me. That said, their way of progression was cool. Rather than the level system, they went for the “Gain skill levels by performing the skill” way of doing things, which I love much more than the level system. The variety of classes were fun as well! Among the normal classes like “warrior” and “Bounty Hunter” and “Sniper” There were others you wouldn’t much expect. “Tailor” Which let you basically design any kind of clothes you wanted, and eventually “Image Designer” which was basically a cosmetic surgeon. That’s right, you could customize your face , your hair and everything else and the look of those who accepted your changes.
That brings me to my next good point about this. Character Customization was awesome , Literally. No two characters looked alike in this. It took a bit to get your character not looking like a freak, but the toying around was well worth it.
The Piloting system in the first expansion pack was also fun, and how I spent most of my time (I was in a Ti Fighter, shooting those damn rebels!)
So why the hate? Well..Again, not much in the way of static quests, in fact, most of the time I couldn’t tell the NPCs apart from the “AFK” Players, that were just sitting around trying to sell off their stuff. There never seemed to be anyone online to do anything, which, after Ragnarok where anyone was willing to help, was kind of strange!
SO: I moved on again, to the game especially for partying up, though if you don’t mind spending money for what is basically a single player anyway….
Guild Wars:
Now this game was interesting. It had enough quests to keep me interested in the beginning, and the dual class system was great (Mesmer/Necromancer, Monk/Warrior For the WIN!). You could socialize in bigger towns but when you got out into the world it was “Instanced” for just your party to have fun in. Oh! And it was completely free per month after buying the game.
The only problem...There didn’t seem to be anything to do in the middle. The end game content seemed awesome, and the beginning content was cool, but there was nothing to really keep me interested in the middle, and “Kill Char!” really only gets you so far. That said, this may have also been because the people I played with kind of fell apart. I would be interested to know how awesome this game has become with the following expansion packs. I may just go back and try it some time
SO: While the game wasn’t for me at the time, it was definitely a good game IF you have people that want to play it with you.
Flyff:
So after that, I went on to try another free MMORPG. Now, this one I only played for a few days. The character customization was cool, and there was good class progression, just once again those who I played it with grew tired. The idea of this MMORPG was based around the fact that eventually you’d be able to fly. Of course, the people who donated got first dibs, which was kind of annoying. I think I stopped playing this game because the controls were so awkward and the skills were not really that diverse within each class.
SO: Worth a shot, it looks pretty, but there’s probably better out there.
Neverwinter Nights Persistent Worlds:
http://topsites.moddb.com/all/?game=51
My character, Rhynn
After trying the free RPGs again, I picked up a game I had sitting around my house for a while. Neverwinter Nights. Neverwinter Nights is basically a Dungeons and Dragons style game. It is bought initially as a Single Player campaign, but there is also an option to “build your own” and “host your own” server. Some people went all out with this, designing, and writing up full fantasy worlds, employing Dungeon Masters to perform quests and interact with the playerbase, and make what some RPG fanatics dream of. A NON-static world where your actions CAN ACTUALLY CHANGE SOMETHING.
I will not name the world I joined here, but I made some really good friends, met the person I want to spend my life with, and had lots of fun. I’ll warn you though, if you’re a die hard Roleplayer, this can become addicting. I remember skipping school on more than one occasion to be on time for a quest. I’ve been playing in this prestige world since March, and most of the time it was fun.
I however, left this world recently due to the politics and favoritism that comes from having a team of people that are only human, as opposed to AI and therefore susceptible to corruption.
That said, my friends and I are currently working on our own version of a prestige world, which I will be writing about at a later date.
SO: These worlds are definitely fun, but the politics of them can get very annoying, make sure the people you’re dealing with are nice and trust worthy.
World of Warcraft:
http://www.worldofwarcraft.com
Confatalis Raiding guild takes down Netherspite in Karazhan
And this is where my journey ends. I currently have been playing World of Warcraft for about 8 months and am happy to say I am NOT addicted. I maintain my school work, and my work schedule and still manage to have fun. This game combines the best of all worlds. They use the skill system along with the level system, have a diverse amount of classes and diverse amount of ‘choose-able’ talents for each class (You can’t choose them all which makes everyone different), and combine the social world of the MMORPG , and the “instanced” method Guild Wars uses, for the more lag heavy, loot and boss fight focused Dungeons (Meaning when you go into a dungeon, only your party will be fighting the boss and competing for loot).
I can not express how much I love this game
SO: After two years of searching I’ve found my niche, Everyone who can and is willing should check out World of Warcraft!
[Taken from a post made by me on www.gamervision.com on 11-8-2007]
Retro Gaming - Arcanum Of Magic and Steamworks Obscura
Genre: RPG
Platform: PC
When one thinks of an RPG , certain titles immediately come to mind; but what does the term "Role playing game" truly mean? What does one expect from their RPG? If you answered “A great story, well thought out characters, and a true sense of immersion", you would be on your way to properly defining all great RPGs. Arcanum: Of Magic & Steamworks Obscura has all that and more: Specifically: The ability to choose.
In addition to a beautiful soundtrack (which will capture you right from the get go), an enthralling back story filled with deception and mystery, and a diverse world for you to travel upon, you receive above all in Arcanum more choices than you could ever hope to imagine; something that shoots Arcanum’s replay value through the roof. You start the game creating your own character; as such you can choose from the quirky human race, to the elegant elves, to the brutish half orc. Your choices also start now, as Arcanum allows you to choose a unique background for your character that provides you with certain advances or hindrances. From here, you learn the primary quirk of the game: Magic Versus Technology. In the world of Arcanum, Magic and Technology are directly adverse; as you advance in one, the other becomes opposed to you (Which can result in some fun experiments when your high arcanist attempts to fire off a blast rifle!). You must now choose one or the other, or to walk the middle road, or none. The choice in character is your first taste of the versatility of this game.
Without divulging too much, you are then thrown from the character creation screen into a world where you are thought to be the Man/Woman/Elf/Orc of Prophecy, and from there the story evolves….any way you want really! You choose ultimately where you go, and what you do; if you talk , or if you fight. You are free to test the system as much as possible, and no two experiences in the world of Arcanum will ever be alike. You could, for example, raise your skills in persuasion above all else, talk your way around battle, and convince your "minions" to fight for you, getting through much if not all of the game without ever lifting a finger to battle. Conversely, you can fight your way through the entire game without looking back once; the choices are yours, the successes you make define your character, and the failures…well lets just say you get some interesting ones!
The graphics, are what is to be expected from a pre-Diablo II era of computer gaming, so don’t expect any eye candy as compared to the heightened visual experiences of the PS3, Wii, and 360. However, if you can let your eyes get past this minor draw back, your brain and inner gamer will be consistently thanking you. Sadly, you will not be seeing Arcanum flying off your shelves anytime soon. It is now very likely considered a relic of the early computer gaming era; floating around up there (or on ebay if you care to look) with the likes of other great and often overlooked titles such as Planescape: Torment. Sadly, this review must end in a regretful: You don’t know what you’re missing.
[Taken from a post made by me at www.gamervision.com on 10-19-07]
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