Posts by Kevin Stallard at Massively

Kevin Stallard

Ask Massively - Goodbye, Farewell, Amen.

by Kevin Stallard Mar 6th 2009 (8 months ago)

NCsoft

It's been a few months since I have written Ask Massively, and I am sorry to say that this will be my last column for Massively. Before I leave you guys with something to think about, I'd like to take this opportunity to thank Elizabeth, Krystalle, and the folks at Massively for allowing me to have this forum. It has been a pleasure working with them, and it has been a pleasure writing for you.

So, I hold in my hand, the last envelope...

Dear Massively,

Aside from "Find a soft spot to fall when you hear your puller say 'Oops' " Do you have any last words of wisdom to impart before you leave?

-Grimthorn Redbeard

Ask Massively: Would you hire a gamer?

by Kevin Stallard Dec 21st 2008 (10 months ago)

I usually dislike writing about the things that everyone else is talking about, but I'm sufficiently motivated (read: ticked off) about this topic that I might as well throw in my two cents. With all due respect to my readers and the people who take the time to write in to Ask Massively every week, this time I am going to answer questions that have been asked in other columns.

Should employers dismiss job applicants who play MMORPGs like World of Warcraft?

I'm not going to direct this answer to you gamers out there. You probably have a good idea of what my answer is going to be. This is for all of the corporate recruiters, hiring managers, and corporate paper pushers out there who think games like World of Warcraft sufficient reason to disqualify a job applicant.

Ask Massively: Is that really all there is?

by Kevin Stallard Dec 11th 2008 (11 months ago)

Normally, I dislike "To be continued" columns, but some of the responses to last week's Ask Massively got me thinking. One, in particular, stood out.

I think you need to find out more to correctly answer the question. Is it the setting of the game (fantasy/Space) that is getting old or the MMO genre itself?

-LotroME

Now that I've had a week to think about it, it seems kind of silly to blame ennui on the entire genre, doesn't it? Are people tired of side-scrollers? First person shooters? Real time strategy? Sports games? This is an issue that needs a little more examination, and that's why I'm here.

Grab your shovels, kids. It's time to dig a little deeper.

Ask Massively: Is this all there is?

by Kevin Stallard Dec 4th 2008 (11 months ago)

If, like me, you are seeking a break from your Wrath of the Lich King addiction, join me for another weekly installment of Ask Massively. If you are one of the two people on the Internet who play something other than World of Warcraft, feel free to look in as well. It is only a matter of time before you decide to join us in Azeroth/Outland/Northrend.

(note: Please read this with a heavy helping of tolerance for snark and sarcasm. If you think replying to this with "HEY! THERE ARE OTHER GAMES BESIDES WoW, YOU KNOW!" is a good idea, You should pay more attention.)

Our question this week comes from someone who has reached a state of profound ennui.

Dear Ask Massively,

I can't seem to find a game I want to play anymore. Call it boredom, or getting a life or even getting old... But the fact remains, I am losing interest in mmo games. It isn't that I don't want to play games, I just don't seem to get the thrill I used to from them. I think we all remember some special moment when we felt that welling up of pride, or an audible "wow" escaped our lips when we saw something that amazed us.

I don't have those feelings anymore, every game I play seems to be a copy of a copy of a copy.. The only thing that changes is the landscape and the names of the mobs..

I was hoping that you could give some suggestions as to a MMORPG that have something different to offer. Something beyond fedexing the 10 rats I just killed so I can be told to kill this guy back where I started for 80 levels.

Tharkis

Ask Massively: Requiem for a Clean Slate

by Kevin Stallard Nov 27th 2008 (11 months ago)

NCsoft

It's the holiday season, and time, once again, for Ask Massively to spread the cheer as far and wide as possible. It is a testament to the love and dedication that I have for each and every one of my readers that I am postponing the hyper-ingestion of tryptophan-laden goodness today in order to answer your questions so that you may enjoy your holiday weekend free from the burden of unsatiated curiosity.

Dear Ask Massively,

I'm sure that you've heard by now that Tabula Rasa is going to shut down early next year. What now? It seems like only last week that the game was making so much money that Richard Garriott was taking trips into space. What about those of us who still enjoy this game? Don't we count for something?

-Ginny L.

Yes, Virginia, Tabula Rasa is going the way of Auto Assault and Earth & Beyond. As a subscriber, I am a little disappointed but not terribly surprised.

Having conducted a few "Post MMOrtem" sessions with fans at a certain convention in the past, I have heard some interesting ideas about MMOs that are shut down by their developers, ideas which could easily be applied to the brainchild of Richard Garriott.

Ask Massively: So? How is it?

by Kevin Stallard Nov 20th 2008 (11 months ago)

Have you ever had one of those creative moments where you have absolutely no idea how to proceed? Whether you call it "writer's block", "stage fright", or even "performance anxiety", such a moment can be utterly paralyzing. At Ask Massively, for this week anyway, we don't have that problem. The following email is loosely paraphrased from an amalgamation of sources. For a small bribe, I will refrain from using words like "amalgamation" in the future.

Dear Massively,

I think you need to spend more time talking about World of Warcraft. In fact, I'm going to toss you a question that I'm fairly confident that nobody else has thought about asking this week.

What do you think of Wrath of the Lich King, so far?

-- Any one of about a gazillion emails in the Inbox

A special message from "The Ask Massively Guy"

by Kevin Stallard Nov 16th 2008 (11 months ago)

WoW

I don't normally write much outside of the scope of my weekly column, but I wanted to share an experience I had during the Wrath of the Lich King launch that I think sums up the MMORPG experience for a lot of us.

Many of you, I am certain, have spent a considerable amount of time trying to decide what to do first in the expansion. "Do I level my main character to 80 first?" "Should I start playing a Death Knight immediately?" There have even been stories about the first person to hit level 80, or the first level 70 Death Knight, or the first person to reach Grand Master in each of the various professions in the game. While I can admire, to an extent, the enthusiasm of such players and the guilds and friends who support these types of players, I'd like to take a minute to go in a different direction.

Ask Massively: Isn't it ironic?

by Kevin Stallard Nov 13th 2008 (11 months ago)

FunCom

In fairness, this question has been addressed to my colleagues at WoW Insider more than it has directly to me, but if nobody else is going to take it, I will. That's how we roll here at Ask Massively.

Dear Massively,

What's with all of the server fiascos in Blizzard-Land? The so-called "greatest MMO of all time" has apparently become beset by baffling bugs. (I know how you love that alliteration.) How come this hasn't been covered in nauseating detail?

-Alex A.

If I had 10 gold for every time that question has popped up in my inbox during the last 24 hours, I would own Dalaran.

Ask Massively: Wrath vs All Comers

by Kevin Stallard Nov 7th 2008 (1 year ago)

Never let it be said that Ask Massively doesn't give everyone a chance to be heard. We believe that everyone should have a voice, and it is in the interest of providing that voice that we bring you the following question.

Dear Massively

I am SO SICK of all of the coverage of Wrath of the Lich King! I demand that someone at Massively write about something that isn't World of Warcraft related this week. Non-WoW players aren't interested in an expansion for a game that they don't even play. Someone throw me a freakin' bone here!

Sarah P.

Someone hasn't been paying attention, have they...

Ask Massively: Please make George Lucas stop

by Kevin Stallard Oct 30th 2008 (1 year ago)

Those of you who read Ask Massively on a regular basis know that I'm a positive kind of guy. I rarely "go negative" on a game, in fact I have been accused on a few occasions of being a paid shill. Today, however, this is going to change. I'm completely in favor of having a rich fantasy world as long as it is contained within the game and not in the heads of the game developers themselves.

Dear Ask Massively Guy,

What exactly are "they" smoking over at the Skywalker Ranch, or wherever it is that LucasArts has set up shop these days? "Star Wars: The Old Republic will be bigger than World of Warcraft" ?!?!?! Is Jar Jar Binks working in their PR department?

- A. Soberman

At first, I didn't think this email was serious. Only the most naive and hopelessly optimistic game developer would announce a game, then claim it will dethrone the reigning King of All MMO's before the public even sees the first teaser trailer. If Lucas and friends are good at anything (and these days, I have my doubts), it is setting expectations which bend, but don't completely break, the rules of credibility.