Facebook Games - How They Are Similar to and Different from Traditional MMOs

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Is Facebook the new MMO platform?

Either the industry must adapt the definition of an MMO, becoming more accepting of games played on social networks, or we must find a new definition of games like these that seem right between the definition of online multiplayer games and MMOGs.

Read more here.

Piecing together WoW Cataclysm series

I published a series you WoW junkies might be interested in: Piecing Together WoW Cataclysm.

The idea behind the series is simple - collecting all the random facts tossed around about Cataclysm from Blizzcon and the forums, organizing them by game mechanic/system, and then handing 'em out in bite sized chunks. Let's be honest, the Cataclysm stuff is massive and hard to swallow all at once.

Here's the series. Enjoy!

• Piecing together WoW Cataclysm: Guild Leveling
• Piecing together WoW Cataclysm: Mastery
• Piecing together WoW Cataclysm: Path of the Titans
• Piecing together WoW Cataclysm: Rated Battlegrounds
• Piecing together WoW Cataclysm: Archaeology
• Piecing together WoW Cataclysm: New Race and Class Combos
• Piecing together WoW Cataclysm: Reforging and Item Stat Changes

Free Realms Codes and Cheats

Want exclusive items, a leg up on leveling, and some awesome buffs - all the stuff that people will ask, "Where'd you get that?" Look no further - all of the Free Realms codes and cheats are right here!

Subscription-based MMOs breeding addicts?

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In late July, a news story surfaced about Dr. Richard Graham, a psychiatrist who is seeking to open in-game counseling services in World of Warcraft. The claim was that World of Warcraft is more addictive than crack – and there's certainly some evidence that players have, at times, taken their virtual world experiences too far. There's the real world cases of stabbing upon selling a sword loaned in-game, the suffocation death of a 4-month-old child due to parents neglect while playing World of Warcraft in an Internet Cafe, and a player committing suicide because he couldn't beat his addiction to EverQuest. There are dozens more cases, and at least half a dozen studies, about the addictive nature of virtual worlds.

Continue reading the article here!

Are MMOs becoming Anti-Social?

Image by Getty Images via Daylife

"The truth is, MMO players have come to accept a different definition of friendship – a definition with different expectations and norms than exist in the real world. Simply put, there was an understanding of a common good in MMOs, and players worked toward achieving that goal with amazing cooperation. As time has gone on, however, the social bonding that took place in MMOs has gone with it, leaving us with a more competitive, individualistic game – one that seems to be forgetting what MM stands for in MMORPG."

Read the full article here. I think you'll enjoy it, even if you disagree.

Why I'm not concerned about Cataclysm

Ever since someone caught wind of it, it's been hot news: Blizzard trademarked Cataclysm.

It seems everywhere I turn, people are jumping up and down, citing wowwiki about how this must be the next Blizzard expansion, focused on the Great Sundering. The first speculation was actually about Blizzard's new MMO IP, but as soon as some WoW fanboi caught hold of it, that was forgotten. Especially since "wowcataclysm.com" has shifted to GoDaddy's hands.

... seriously? There wasn't a "wowtheburningcrusade.com" or a "wowwrathofthelichking.com." Blizzard always hosts these sites on official Blizzard domains, not some poorly trademarked website.

I'm not deigning to report on this rumormill any more than I tweet about the deaths of Jackson, Fawcett, McMahon, or Mays.

Why?

First of all, the Cataclysm - which happened long before the World of Warcraft as we know it - would make an absurd basis for an expansion. While we do generally expect an expansion geared toward the Maelstrom - there have already been hints about it - why name the game after the event of WoW ancient history? As the already leaked info stated, it's probably going to go under some name involving Tides or Depths.

If anything WoW related, Cataclysm is a code name, I'm sure.

And if it is the next expansion? woop. We knew the next expansion would be maelstrom, and it's not like Blizzard is going to give us any details anytime soon anyway.