We Fly Spitfires – MMORPG Blog

Just to clarify, I’m referring to physical game boxes and packaging in the title here not an actual cricket box. Interesting fact: I once held a used cricket box over my face when I was a child in an attempt to impersonate Darth Vader. I didn’t know what it was for at the time.

This is not the box you're looking for

Anyway, I am of course referring to Global Agenda and it’s release only digitally via Steam or a special limited edition boxed version on Amazon US. Some people ask what’s the fuss and initially I was inclined to agree but after realising that I still haven’t bought the game yet, I can’t help but wonder if it’s because of this limited distribution.

Even though I’m a huge fan of MMORPGs and they are my predominate gaming genre, I still prefer to buy my software in boxed copies. Although there are obvious advantages to this form of media (not having to re-download the entire game if you want to install it another PC for example) I find that honestly I just have a strong desire to rip open the polythene wrapper, cradle the box in my arms, read the manual on the toilet, install the game on my computer and then shelf the case to stand triumphant on my bookcase. Illogical and irrational, I concede, but gosh darn it I just want to feel like I’ve bought something more than a bunch of 1s and 0s and digital signals.

I suppose it’s lot like people who resist the evolving media of electronic books and still want to buy and read paperbacks the old fashioned way. There’s something nice and distinctly natural about the need to actually obtain and hold a physical product. I love technology and I’m a big fan of the Interweb but I still like to be flexible in my options.

The price point is another issue for me. Global Agenda retails for £35/$40/$55 on Steam and that just seems a tad excessive to me. Shouldn’t games be cheaper when distributed digitally as the publishers don’t need to pay packaging or store expenses? I bought my boxed copy of Mass Effect 2 from Amazon UK for 1/3 less than that and I know if GA was more widely distributed, I’d be able to find a better deal somewhere else. I can’t even get it on Impulse for instance. I know that’s a minor quibble but I already use Impulse, I like Impulse, do I honestly need to install Steam and another piece of software cluttering up my PC?

Overall, I know that these factors aren’t truly preventing me from buying Global Agenda but they are niggly enough to give me the excuse to hold off for a while longer. I want to play GA and I will play GA but just not for another few weeks yet. Who knows, maybe it will be on sale by then…

Regular readers will know that I have a bit of a man crush on Brian “Psychochild” Green and with just cause. He’s got a fantastic blog, writes excellent articles and his little finger knows more about the MMORPG industry than my entire brain does (and I have a big brain). Yesterday he wrote an interesting article about the cultural differences in gaming and invited all our responses. Being a topic close to my heart not only did I leave a hefty comment but decided to expand upon it in a blog post of my own.

Multicultural gaming will be extinct by 2032

Being a Brit, I’ve been playing on foreign servers ever since I started with Everquest back in ‘99. I’ve played on US servers with Americans, US servers with Koreans, US servers with Europeans, European servers with Americans and UK servers with about a whole five other people. All of that has certainly given me plenty of fascinating insights and experiences into all of the different gaming cultures from the Western (and occasionally Eastern) world.

However, whilst mulling over and responding to Brian’s article, I started to realise something. 8 or 10 years ago it seemed incredibly easy for me to identify different nationalities of players and spot the cultural differences between us all but now it’s a lot harder, if not completely impossible. Every player I meet, regardless of where they’re from, seems to talk the same, type the same and act the same.

Gone are the days when I could spot a Frenchman a mile off in Everquest or had to witness British players vomit Cockney on their keyboards in Dark Age of Camelot. If it wasn’t for accents over voice chat, I would probably have no idea where most of my US and European brethren hailed from now. My Austrian and Italian friends type with perfect Internet-English (Intglish) and everyone I know throws around American vernacular and phrases like they were born speaking it. It seems to be that our cultural individuality is slowly melting away and being replaced by a singular language, primarily driven by Americano, influenced by Europa (let’s not forget who gave us the term uber), and spread via the Internet.

Obviously it’s not just MMOs that are causing this and it’s probably a normal evolution from the fact that the current entire 20 and 30 year old generation has grown up watching US TV shows and films and playing American computer games. I don’t fret it nor try to stop it, it’s just part of the natural cycle of language. English is, after all, a mongrel language that has cannibalized dozens of others and that’s part of it’s charm.

It does make a little sad though that we’re losing some of the uniqueness that being foreign brought to Internet gaming. As much as I’m against enforced localisation and a stern advocate for allowing everyone to play their games anywhere with everyone, it’s undoubtedly contributing to the decline of our cultural originalities.

It may uber suck but that’s just my two cents. C’est la vie, m8s.

Ever since we got some new 22″ and 24″ widescreen Samsung monitors at work I’ve been fantasizing about getting one for my home PC. I can’t really afford one and gosh knows I don’t technically need one (as my wife keeps reminding me) but the other week I came to the conclusion that I just can’t live without one. I don’t know how or why this fixation suddenly occurs but I name it the “Call of the Geek” and I react to it like a canine hearing a dog whistle.

Suffering is desire. Desire is Samsung.

Acquiring new bits of technology reminds me a lot of the drive behind MMORPGs. There seems to be a little bit in our brain that tells us that if we get another item or another upgrade then our lives will be easier, faster and more efficient. Perhaps it some sort of subconscious Nietzsche desire to become supreme beings and reach a state of utter perfection but it seems to really stir us onward in everything we do, and I feel particularly affected by it being a geek and gamer. I’m sure psychologists have a clever name and reasoning behind why we behave like this but all I know is that Samsung monitors are black and shiny and I want one.

The big problem is that there seem to be so many different models of widescreen monitors out there and I have no idea which one to pick. The P2250 or the P2270 or the SM2233RZ or the SM2333SW? Who would’ve thought picking a widescreen monitor would be so difficult? And that’s just from one brand. Plus I have no idea about what to look for in terms of specification. I know I want a resolution of 1920 x 1080 and nothing less but that’s about as far as my knowledge goes. Anyone got any advice?

Of course, I’m also open to suggestions for recommendations on any widescreen monitor, it doesn’t have to be Samsung (they do look very sexy though). I briefly considered Dell but dismissed them due to price and I always considered other brands like Acer to be a bit shoddy.

All of this does really remind me though of the four noble truths of the Buddha. For all of those non-Buddhists out there, let me summarise: suffering is desire. Pretty apt in this case huh?

I came up with this blog title whilst in the bath tonight. It made me chuckle. Anyway, on a completely unrelated point, my brother has been slowly getting to grips with World of Warcraft some more.

Yoda meets Noob

It’s funny how so many of us think of WoW as being too easy (often said, whether we honestly mean it or not, in a derogatory manner) yet I wonder how long it’s been since we’ve approached the game with fresh eyes. It’s certainly simple compared to most of the other MMORPGs on the market but is it too easy to those unfamiliar with the genre or even non-gamers? I used to think so… but now I’m not so sure.

My bro is a pretty smart guy and a lifelong geek, hardcore C++ programmer and wannabe Trekkie. Although he hasn’t played many computer games in the past few years, he’s not unfamiliar with them and yet, given all of this, he’s still experienced a reasonably steep learning curve with Warcraft. Stuff that I just take for granted or assume as basic, common knowledge, he’s struggled with. It’s not like he’s mentally disabled or anything either, I honestly think it’s just because WoW does have a learning curve which we’ve all forgotten about now.

It tends to be subtle things that get him too. Like remembering to put points in his talent tree every time he levels, how to properly set up his action bars and abilities, what add-ons to download and install and when not to camp out in the middle of an area full of aggressive mobs (OK, even I’ll admit that was a little dumb). He’s learning though, like a monkey learning to operate a spaceship from the ’60s, and one day soon he’s sure to manage lift off.

I guess I see a lot of my own experiences in his and the learning process that he’s going through reminds me of what I went through when I started playing EVE Online last year. Yes, that’s a little bit like comparing brain surgery to first aid but, still, you get the point. However, it does make me think that we should remember what it was like for us all that first time, before we really had any clue what a MMORPG was or how they work.

It also reinforces my suspicions as to WoW’s success. It’s so popular because Blizzard managed to tap into a long dormant player-base… the non-gamer.