| Off Topic A place for members to tell a joke, share a funny story and generally goof off with each other. |
 |
April 07, 2009, 11:32 AM
|
#31 (permalink) |
|
Character Info
Opathu 80 Orc Warlock Scarshield Legion Euro RP PvP Guild: Theatre of Cruelty Profile: Blizzard Armory Talent Spec: 0/20/51 |
Re: Media request ... from a Warlock!
It's almost impossible to get a 'full' answer out of Blizzard, they're very tight-lipped. But one of the interesting themes to come out of this research (I did for the four articles) was: a) MMO and other video games companies can, and do, provide 'sanctioned' RMT. See this week's article, part 4, for more details when it comes out tomorrow or Thursday. b) The Chinese gold sellers I spoke to, and several RMT companies who replied to me too late to be featured, strongly suggested that Blizzard actually makes money out of mass bannings of 'farmers' accounts. The farmers have to buy new Classic, The Burning Crusade and Lich King CDs + the monthly subscriptions to carry on. They are, ironically, very loyal customers (bizarre, I know) because they value their high-level (80) characters to be able to do the farming. Now, is Blizzard *deliberately* doing this - the mass bannings - partly as a (indirect) way of making more cash? I don't know. But I suspect, although I can't prove it, that they must be thinking of some form of sanctioned RMT at some stage. Or maybe their new MMO will have some form of new approach to the whole 'grind' and gold situation. Maybe I can get a magazine to send me out to China to do more ... some of you folks may be interested to know I am writing for Wired magazine right now, on an 8,000 word story (not to do with gold selling, however). Occasionally I post new articles up at my website or over on my blog. Last edited by Opathu; April 07, 2009 at 11:37 AM.. |
|
|
| Sponsored Links |
|
|
|
April 07, 2009, 12:59 PM
|
#32 (permalink) |
Character Info
sassyevil 80 Undead Warlock Garona US PvE Guild: The Sesame Street Gang Profile: Blizzard Armory Talent Spec: 02/14/55 |
Re: Media request ... from a Warlock!
I have always thought that if Blizzard would provide some sort of avenue to purchase gold via a legit transaction this would greatly reduce or eliminate "gold sellers" from the game. |
|
|
|
|
April 07, 2009, 02:42 PM
|
#33 (permalink) |
|
Character Info
Carlinda 80 Gnome Warlock Daggerspine US PvP Guild: Crimson Dragoons Profile: Blizzard Armory Talent Spec: 53/0/18 |
Re: Media request ... from a Warlock!
The gold-selling theme is definitely an interesting one for gamers and non-gamers alike. It's also highly controversial, which is probably why media outlets want stories like that in their archives. I am interested to hear what happenned with the WoW "families" theme... did that take off or is it still a sitting duck? I think an article like that could go a long way to help diffuse the current stereotypes about online gamers. I know SO many people play the game as a way to stay in constant connection with distant loved-ones and friends and it's an important part of the social dynamic in most guilds. |
|
|
|
|
April 07, 2009, 02:53 PM
|
#34 (permalink) |
|
Character Info
Opathu 80 Orc Warlock Scarshield Legion Euro RP PvP Guild: Theatre of Cruelty Profile: Blizzard Armory Talent Spec: 0/20/51 |
Re: Media request ... from a Warlock!
The WoW families is now going ahead for the BBC website. The only reason I haven't finished it is simply because it's down the list of priorities for the many stories and projects on which I'm working  (basically lots of stuff which takes a ton of time)I'm hoping to have something up within the month. Obviously I'll let you all know when that happens. I'm also doing a separate piece or two for the BBC on private servers (and MMOs) if anyone wants to assist me with that? cheers, NR |
|
|
|
|
April 07, 2009, 03:10 PM
|
#35 (permalink) |
Status: Gnome Deluxe
Character Info
Shadoekaster 80 Gnome Warlock Shadow Council US RP Guild: Generic Profile: RPG Outfitters Talent Spec: 53/1/17 |
Re: Media request ... from a Warlock!
Nick, Not sure if someone has mentioned something like this already or not. It is a rather lengthy thread and I am currently at work on my lunch break. Anyways, here it goes: In 2005, I went to Kuwait as a civilian contractor. While over there, my brother and I, who had been in a tiff with each other for 2 years, reconciled and wanted to try and make up the time lost. Well, since I was overseas, we couldn't necessarily "hang out" with each other after work or on the weekends. He had been playing WoW for about a year at this time, and told me about it. We discussed how it would give us an opportunity to "hang out" with each other while doing something fun considering the distance between us (he was back in the States). I have to say that this worked beautifully. It gave us something to dao and accomplish together and was much more fun than the typical Messenger conversation. From that time until recently (my brother has since quit playing WoW) we made many strides in mending our relationship. I am back in the states now, so the fact that my brother doesn't play WoW anymore isn't a hendrance to our rerlationship. We can now go grab a beer with each other after work or go hit the beach on the weekends and don't need WoW as a medium to communicate and interact with each other. With that said, I do credit WoW with helping my brother and I to rebuild our relationship, and I bring this point up to thise who wrinkle their nose at me when I tell them I am a WoWer. So many people seem to overlook the social aspect of this game, and don't realize that is what drives many people to play it. This is not a FPS or RPG you play single player on a console. This game REQUIRES interaction with other people for you to get anywhere. I will also mention that my current GL and several of my guildies have known each other for a couple of years via WoW, and last year we all decided to meet in a centralized location for about a week and meet in person. To be honest, I was expecting what all of the non-WoWers was expecting... a group of geeky goobs with 1/2" thick glasses, pocket protectors, etc. But, when I finally arrived, I realized not one of us fell in that category. I would not have guessed any of them played WoW if I passed them on the street. We all had a great time. Consumed lots of booze, real-life tea-bagged those who passed out early (All clothes remained on, and I am sure many of you have tea-bagged a fellow guildie after dying on frogger in Naxx), and had an absolutely wonderful time the whole time we were there... and we never even sat in front of a computer and logged. It was rather funny though when we would go out to eat and refer to each other as our WoW names, i.e., Shadoe, Nill, Nas, Fek. Actually, I think I only remember 3-4 of their real names. We have decided that we are going meet up with each other on an annual basis. It is now known as the "Annual Generic Geekfest". This year we are looking at Vegas, but that's still up in the air. So, I hope this gives you a little bit of material to use. If you would like more information, please let me know and I can provide further details.
__________________
|
|
|
|
|
April 07, 2009, 03:59 PM
|
#36 (permalink) |
|
Character Info
Opathu 80 Orc Warlock Scarshield Legion Euro RP PvP Guild: Theatre of Cruelty Profile: Blizzard Armory Talent Spec: 0/20/51 |
Re: Media request ... from a Warlock!
Hi Shadoe, Thanks for sharing that experience: people on my server know I'm a journalist but I'm also a regular player too. We all met up in London (I'm in the UK) recently, with about 3-4 guilds represented from the Horde on our server. Standing outside a Cuban bar in Camden (a trendy area of London) shouting above the din: "I'm Opathu" has got to be one of those surreal moments I'll always remember (or cringe at!). Yeah, as you said, a lot of folks are pretty 'regular'. Certainly more normal-looking than the D&D geeks I grew up with ;) p.s. ironically I spent some months in Kuwait just prior to the first Gulf War ... |
|
|
|
|
April 09, 2009, 10:33 AM
|
#37 (permalink) |
|
Character Info
Opathu 80 Orc Warlock Scarshield Legion Euro RP PvP Guild: Theatre of Cruelty Profile: Blizzard Armory Talent Spec: 0/20/51 |
Re: Media request ... from a Warlock!
Final part of the 'gold trading' series is now up on Eurogamer.net: i) Part 1 of the series: 'The Elephant in the Room': Introduction ii) Part 2 'The Road to Eldorado': The Gold Sellers iii) Part 3 'Playing Away': The Players iv) Part 4 'The Carrot and the Stick': The MMO Companies' response |
|
|
|
|
July 09, 2009, 04:32 PM
|
#38 (permalink) |
|
Character Info
Opathu 80 Orc Warlock Scarshield Legion Euro RP PvP Guild: Theatre of Cruelty Profile: Blizzard Armory Talent Spec: 0/20/51 |
Re: Media request ... from a Warlock!
You can see my latest piece on MMO's up at the BBC's Technology site. It's been a bit edited (there was a lot more introduction in the original) but it's essentially an interview with three WoW players, two of whom use these forums, who've used WoW to stay in touch with their family/loved ones: BBC NEWS | Technology | Playing together and staying together |
|
|
|
|
October 08, 2009, 11:36 AM
|
#39 (permalink) |
|
Character Info
Opathu 80 Orc Warlock Scarshield Legion Euro RP PvP Guild: Theatre of Cruelty Profile: Blizzard Armory Talent Spec: 0/20/51 |
Re: Media request ... from a Warlock!
New request I am writing a new article for the BBC website (BBC News/Technology, as above) about the topic of "private servers". I've already met and interviewed a senior representative of Blizzard about their position here - obviously they're opposed to people using private servers - what I'm keen to do now is juxtapose that official view with the reality out there. Without either condoning or denying use of these servers, I'm interested if anyone can suggest any useful articles or background research they know which has been done, or written, about the scale of the situation (whether World of Warcraft or other games); and if anyone wants to suggest someone who can speak to me about it, either as an "expert" on the topic, or an anonymous user (perhaps personal experience of being involved), then feel free to PM me. I won't quote anyone's real name unless they tell me that's ok. Thanks again, Den. |
|
|
|
|
| Bookmarks |
| Tags |
| media, request, warlock |
| Thread Tools | |
|
|
