Are you a man? A woman? Or are you a number? A predefined class? Whoooo are you, who who who who? When people encounter you in game, do they see the person behind the avatar, or just a jarhead filling a rigid role?
Enough existential questioning for the morning — welcome back to /AFK, the weekly roundup of the best and most interesting posts I read this past week:
- Elder Game — More on Classed vs. Unclassed Games
“Imagine an MMO that made you redo everything every year. It’d be called ‘A Tale in the Desert’ and it might have a cult following, but would not be able to find the audience you probably imagine it would.”
- KIASA — True heroism is remarkably sober, very undramatic
“Take her back to Ered Luin where she first began her journey, however, and she can hit a wolf so hard that there’s a very good chance a Higgs boson particle would be detected in the subsequent imploding bloody-mist of lupine limbs.”
- Game by Night — SOE floundering
“Worse, I have serious concerns that DCUO will cause the industry to doubt the longevity of a console MMO.”
- A Casual Stroll to Mordor — Why is buying gold bad?
“The gold buyer is stealing from everyone else in the game. He is not stealing their gold, but he is stealing their gold’s value.”
- Overly Positive — The Comfortable, Familiar MMO
“To be perfectly honest, the good thing that an MMO with familiarity has for people that play it is simple comfort – the kind of comfort you get from a bath or shower at the right temperature, a familiar spot on the couch/recliner, or worn clothes that fit well.”
- ETCmmo — Four Little words
“Taking things too seriously.”
- We Fly Spitfires — MMOs that make me squeal with anticipation
“I’m starting to think about what new MMOs are lurking around the corner to tickle my fancy like some dirty old man in a trench coat.”
- Grimnir’s Grudge — Warhammer is the Detroit of MMOs
“Fine, but what do we win? Why isn’t it something tangible? Where is the value in winning this? Did I really work hard for something?”
- TOROCAST.com — When customization is bad
“Well, just like I can love gin & tonics but decidedly not love waking up mid-puke in a random parking lot in Milwaukee, too much customization has its drawbacks.”
- I Have Touched the Sky — Adventures in Telara: Rift Impressions
“How do you know the story sucks if you don’t read it? Seriously, this sort of attitude torques me to no end.”
Bio Break 
Dirty old man FTW!! 🙂