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It’s been a big week for World of Warcraft. The cinematic trailer for Warlords of Dreanor went live last week, and the usual updates regarding subscription numbers and future plans that we’ve all come to expect have been circulating through our Twitter feeds. On such article by IGN featuring a spread on WoW’s traditional, pre-expansion dwindling subscriber count, Game Director Tom Chilton discusses the plans for future expansions. The interesting thing about this article (listed below) is that Chilton expresses that the plan was for expacs to be released more frequently with shorter gaps in between. We all know that for the past expacs the rollout period has been approximately every two years, with a sizeable patch in between to break up the wait.

I was casting about for a good topic to write about in this month’s installment of Culture Clash, my montly column for the International Game Developers Association, and this one fell into my lap. It is, after all, American Politics Season – and a completely irrelevant race in the state of Maine got my attention. Topic discovered!

In other news, this is actually the second time I’ve used a play on World of Warcraft in my title- wait… third time? I’ll have to check. In any case it’s not the first. Originality and me, we’re not always, you know, together. Enjoy!

I may occasionally bitch about the IGDA, but I am lucky and proud to be a member. The Detroit Chapter has struggled mightily to maintain itself on account of a vast geographical area – we don’t want to splinter into an Ann Arbor Chapter, a Lansing Chapter, an EAST Lansing Chapter, a Grand Rapids Chapter, etc etc etc – and is currently amidst a new period of growth and energy. At our monthly social meetings you get to drink and meet the wonderful game development community of southern Michigan. And thus it was that I met Jacob Elert, who stated without a hint of irony that most people called him Bear. If you ever meet Bear, you will see why. Bear is a big fella; but he’s not a “Gorilla” or an “Elephant,” he’s definitely bearlike. In addition to being bearlike, Bear is a passionate new entry to the game development world, and I enjoyed chatting with him so much that I suggested he toss me an article for Tap. And he did! Today you’ll be getting a bear’s view of what MMOs have meant to the game experience as well as just the market. I think you’ll find it well worth your time. Take it away, Bear!

— S

“Well I did it,” begins a recent post on Blizzard’s World of Warcraft forums. We often discuss here at Tap-Repeatedly how killing, in its many forms, has long been the predominant form of expressing progress in the medium of video games. Today it is such a given to seasoned gamers, most of us would never give pause to even consider what we’re doing. Although the how has evolved — from the hell-spawn in Doom, to …

There were raised eyebrows when ArenaNet first cited Team Fortress 2 as a point of reference for elements of Guild Wars 2’s Player versus Player combat.  Most individuals naturally felt the influences between the games would be drawn from the core principals of class team work and players knowing their specific duties within their class framework. What has become apparent however over recent days, is that at the heart of Guild Wars 2’s crafting system …

Review by Lewis B RIFT Developer: Trion Worlds Publisher: Trion Worlds Released: 04th March 2011 Available For: PC Time Played: 50+ hours (and counting) Verdict: 4/5 Thumbs Up! “A well polished and accomplished MMOG that has launched brilliantly.  Although there are some minor cosmetic and game issues, it really is a pleasure to play.  The class Soul System is a triumph. With fantastic server stability, great instanced dungeons and well balanced player versus player combat, RIFT deserves its good …

Have you ever had such a desire to play a video game that to soak up every column inch of information and to repeatedly tap F5 on the developer’s blog is simply not a good enough fix? That need eventually becomes a permanent itch, where the first thing you do at 6am as the alarm sounds isn’t to say good morning to your partner/girlfriend/lover/cat/other, but is instead to leap onto the computer and check the latest forum posts …

I’ve started to utilise the Auction House for the first time in my MMOG history.  I’ve always adopted trade skills in any MMOG, to their maximum ability, yet have never actually used it to weigh down my pockets with gold, only to ever benefit myself in the form of potions (for personal use)…

Professor Drew Davidson, Ph.D., Director of the Entertainment Technology Center at Carnegie-Mellon University, can be a little intimidating when seen from across the room. A big bear of a guy with a beard and long dreads, he doesn’t match the traditional vision of “college professor.” I’d be quite surprised to learn Drew owned anything with elbow patches.

I first met him at SIGGRAPH several years ago, when I was sitting on a panel and he was giving some papers. We happened to share a table at the evening’s drinking and snacks networking event, and as we got to know each other I found that while he may look intimidating, he’s one of the nicest, most sharply curious, and most intellectual people you’ll meet in this field. He loves discussing games, chewing them like gummi to break them down and find their meaning. It’s no surprise that he’s the mad genius behind the Well Played series, which thanks to him I had the honor to be part of. In this Celebrity Guest Editorial, Drew remembers the time before the end of secrets, and what it will mean for game design. Take it away, Drew!

— S

It’s difficult to know where to even begin when covering World of Warcraft’s latest expansion set.  The game is already so vast as a result of its unprecedented success that to add further content becomes a daunting prospect for anyone wanting to jump in… (warning – may contain spoilers)

My parents named me “Matthew.” It’s a good name, a reasonable name that places no undue burden on me. If I was a girl I was going to be “Christine.” Also good. What if my parents had named me “Deathwing,” though? If my name were Deathwing Sakey and I turned out as I have – as a mild-mannered games industry consultant and user of unnecessarily long sentences – would I be… complete? Shouldn’t I be …

Hype is a dangerous commodity within online communities.  It is sought, and disliked in equal measure. Like an addict, there are the highs before the lows.  The slow, steady realisation that the rolling stone of excitement may, more often than not, find itself brought to a halt by an immovable object, known as reality.  To ride the wave of hype is a publisher and developer dream. A free underbelly of excitement that ripples through forums …

Rock, Paper, Shotgun beat me to this story, but our friend Bobby Kotick (the man we all love here at Tap), has been delivering speeches at the (Bank of America) Merrill Lynch Media, Communications & Entertainment Conference in California. Evidently not happy enough with the gazllions of pounds Activision already makes, he’s now touting the idea to sell pre-rendered cut-scenes to fans as feature length videogame cinematics…

APB creator Realtime Worlds be leavin’ the hizzle, dawg. Various outlets report that the  company has entered administration, which I guess is kind of like bankruptcy but politely British. Despite a reasonable amount of pre-release interest in the gang-banger MMO, the game imploded almost immediately upon hitting shelves, thanks to a disastrous public beta and lukewarm reviews.

For my third MMOG news piece, Blizzard and the World of Warcraft Armory has finally begun testing the long awaited Remote Auction House for the iPhone, iPod touch and web browser. The free App (and desktop download, available now) allows players to log into the WoW Armory and browse any in-game Auction House that characters on a players WoW account have access to.  Once beta testing is complete and the Remote Auction House is truly live, players who …