First off, anyone who wants to add me to their Xbox Live can feel free to do so. My gamer tag is my last name (if you can’t figure that out, you’re either a bot or you aren’t intelligent enough to be my Xbox Live friend). Secondly, if anyone has NHL 09 and would like to get on a team with me, please let me know. I’m starting one up tonight with a couple guys from work, but we could use more.

I still remember the first time I saw the Final Fantasy VII intro CGI. It was incredible. It conveyed emotions in a very short period of time, and it hooked me on the game. I bought FFVII because of the intro cinematic–I made the decision to buy it before I’d even played or read up on it. Back in those days, this was common for me to do. If I loved the CGI cinematic they showed me, I wanted the game. But that’s not true anymore. Continue Reading »

4 years ago today, I converted Nerfbat.com from its original format into a blog. About a year ago, I fired up this shiny new theme you see today (remember the old school theme?), and relaunched the Nerfbat Forums, which are still going strong. Thanks to all of you who have made both the main page commentary and the forums a great little community, and I look forward to writing more about MMOs and game design over the coming year. Feel free to provide suggestions for things you’d like to see on Nerfbat in 2009 (e.g. do you even care about the podcast, or should that project be abandoned?).

I love defining terms. It creates controversy, but it can make things easier. How do I define the grind? “Necessary repetition.” I started off with the following definition and streamlined it: “Necessary, laborious, unvaried repetition.” The grind is mitigated with variety in an MMO, and is encouraged with the required repetition of significant content (e.g. repeating a quest, repeating a dungeon, etc.). I hate grinds, and refuse outright to do them. But, give me some variety in how I can gain faction, loot, etc., and I’m happy to work for it.

Massively multiplayer games are inexpensive entertainment. You can get dozens or even hundreds of hours of fun out of just $15 a month. In a time like this, when the economy is struggling and people are trying to regain their monetary footing, do you expect people to start seeking entertainment in MMOs more than ever? Every time I’ve been strapped for cash in the past, I’ve sought solace in an MMO. Have you given up more expensive entertainment habits like going to the movies in favor of playing a new (or old) massively multiplayer game?