We pause for commercial break...

I found this interesting tidbit on the Gamasutra site. Seems that you casual gamers don't mind a bit of commercial advertising in exchange for free play!

"Survey: 83% Of Casual Gamers Embrace Ad-Supported Games

Survey: 83% Of Casual Gamers Embrace Ad-Supported Games According to the latest annual global survey on casual gaming from Macrovision, 83 percent of respondents said they would be willing to watch a 30 second ad to play a game for free, indicating what the company sees as "an acceptance of alternative business models," that also includes online trials and cross game promotion.

The survey, conducted between June 26 and July 11 and hosted on Macrovision's Trymedia Network, drew the participation of nearly 400 gamers comprising a variegated demographic-- 69 percent were female, for example, and 29 percent were aged 50-60..."

You can read the rest of this article HERE

I've been happily handing over my hard-earned cash for years to play my MMOG's of choice. But, thinking about it, I'd be willing to sit through 30 seconds of advertisement in order to play my favorite game for free.

And you know they wont be sleepy, mundane ads for constipation meds or toilette cleaners. They are going to be astounding visual candy inviting you to even more options of gaming! It's a vicious cycle isn't it folks? Hehe.

This seems like it may actually be a new avenue of gaming coming our way so we may want to get used to it. Developers are always striving to come up with the "new thing" in gaming and the next generation of gaming may just be free. There are already many free-to-play games out there such as Second Life and others. Most of them have an optional premium account one can pay for and get some benefits that the free players don't see. But this totally free with advertising route just may catch on if this survey proves truthful. The casual gamers make up a very large portion of the MMOG gamer community (whether others admit it or not) and as we get older, the developers will need to find new ways to keep us playing. And they seem to be doing just that...

What do you think? Would you endure some advertisement to kick off your session in order to play a MMOG of the same quality as WoW or EQII for free? Or would you prefer to continue making the game developers rich out of your pocket instead letting the big time advertisers do it for us?

As always, feel free to comment on this. Your ideas and opinions are what makes our community what it is. And until our next grouping....safe and prosperous travels to all.

That Old Magic Called MMOG

Your first kiss. You'll never forget it. I bet you can distinctly remember how it felt, who it was with, when it was, where you were and how it affected your life at the current time. Am I right? Sure I am.

I had the same experience when I logged into my first MMORPG back in 1999. It was a wee little game called EverQuest. Oh my the magic I felt. And I'm not talking about the fireballs that the magicians were hurling about. I mean the magic of the whole experience.

EQ was a vast world full of adventure, treasures and best of all, people! Real live people from all over the world. And you were actually playing along side of them. Battling with them, sharing loot with them and even trading items with them. How utterly cool is this?

What really got me was the newness. The finding of new lands and new cities. Even new races of people! And of course it took you some time to travel between places which was an experience rich in thrills, danger and adventure all in itself. Once you arrived at your destination, whether it was planned or you just stumbled upon an interesting place to lay down your helm, you not only found what seemed to be a whole new world, but new real life people again! Anyone who completed the trek from the Dark Elf city of Neriak to Qeynos certainly knows of what I speak.

I played EQ for 6 years and eventually it became stale of course. And as each new MMORPG released, I logged into them to rekindle that magical spark that I felt when I entered the world of Norrath. And yes it was exciting to explore new lands and worlds but it quickly became mundane and that feeling that EQ provided was never found again. I even rolled on the "Old School" type servers that EQ launched to try to feel some of that old magic of the original game state. It certainly had its merits but it still was not what my heart longed for.

I have now come to the conclusion that that magic I felt in my first years of EQ will never again be found. It's like your first kiss. Sure there can be other first kisses with new people, but it is not your very first ever so it will never feel the same. There will be many more fantastic MMOGs released but there will never be another EQ, my first.

So, yes my first kiss is gone forever, but boy the magical memories I still have from it. Feel free to comment and discuss your first MMOG kiss and if you've even come close to finding it again in another game.

Until our next grouping, safe and prosperous travels to you all...

Blog Creation Page - ENTER WORLD!

Well, here it is. My virgin blog. Yep, my first blog on anything anywhere. That is if you don't count Myspace because I really don't. Virgin it may be but I can write and I can run my mouth and hold people's interest so I thought I'd delve into one of my passions, online gaming.

I have been gaming since the days of pen and paper but in 1999, I clicked "Enter World" in Everquest and I was a hooked fish. And that hook was set deep let me tell ya. Talk about immersion! Up to that point RPG's were great and fun and held my interest but this new MMORPG as they called it became a whole new world for me. And countless (hundreds of thousands to be exact) others as well.

Over the years, I tried just about every MMORPG that released. I liked some, loved some and didn't last but a few weeks in others. And as I set out to grind levels and achieve my heroic status in each of these games, I noticed that other than the graphic engines and MOB skins, not much in the gaming mechanics had changed. But there was one that that DID change and is still changing even today. The community. The players and how and why they play these types of games. It has now come to the point that I am just as intrigued by the people that play MMOGs as I am the games themselves.

So, herein lies the reason for my joining the vast world of blogging. To maturely discuss these games from the point of view of the players and their motives for playing. Sure, we can chat about stats and raids and the optimal template for a most effective healer but I have many, many a topic in my head about the way these games are played and by whom they are played. I love the different playstyles and the reasons behind them. Motives of the players behind the characters and how these games affect those who indulge both on a social and entertainment level is what I intend to address.

Now, my blog character has a new hair color, stats, and class. So, kick back, grab your Mountain Dew or Red Bull and join me in seeking insight into the very souls of gamers as I now click the "ENTER BLOG WORLD" button! And of course you are free to comment and discuss anything here!