Beyond Bossfights

In this episode, Draculetta joins me to talk about how video gaming has impacted our lives, how our lives impact the way we game, and the good and bad effects gaming can have on individuals. We also discuss obscure topics such as Judas Priest and the unfortunate heavy metal smear campaigns of the 1980’s. Sound weird? It is, a little.

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Show notes:

Definitive Gaming History

Main Topic – How Has Gaming Affected your Real Life?

Questions/Topics for discussion:

What Have I Been Up to?

Feedback

(comments)

FREDELAS (@BRANDYWINEFRED)

I originally enjoyed LOTRO’s F2P implementation. They stuck to their five Cs of selling content, consumables, cosmetics, concierge services, and convenience. However, as the years went by, it seemed like the developers were constantly pushed towards engineering more inconveniences into the game.

Gameplay systems that previously featured reasonable goals were expanded into unreasonable grinds. The design of the game made these systems increasingly inscrutable to newcomers, but obvious buttons to click and pay to progress through them were always front-and-center.

The thing that really drove me crazy was the addition of Hobbit Presents, which is basically a slot machine to take your real money and maybe if you’re lucky give you back something you can actually use. This seemed so disrespectful to the world Tolkien created. No self-respecting hobbit would give you a random gift on his or her birthday, then turn around and offer you the chance to buy another.

I don’t consider myself a LOTRO player anymore. I do still log in once or twice a week just to enjoy the game world and connect with friends, so I’m glad Turbine continues to operate the game.

PASDUIL

Thinking about it, I’m not sure LOTRO grind is really a function of F2P at all. The grindiest slayer deeds were in Angmar and Moria, and as far as I know they were there before F2P ever came along. Not that I was around then.

I suspect the grinding is more a function of old-fashoned game design. By all accounts sub-only MMOs back in the day weren’t short of grind, nor other game mechanics that would tax a modern player’s patience. (Waiting ages for a mob to respawn, long treks to get to the start of an instance, etc etc.)

If anything LOTRO has been trimming the numbers of mobs needed for deeds in the time that I’ve been around, not increasing it.

TOMEORIC (@PUCKBYTER)

In a sense, I think there are two levels of “quitting” an MMO (or any game really). There is the “this game sucks and I’m out!” /uninstall level; and the “I was playing Game A, now I’m playing Game B” level. I don’t think I’ve ever gotten so upset that I quit/uninstalled a game because it was that bad.

Furthermore, I don’t think you really “quit” a great game – it sort of just fades to the background as a new great game takes it place. I can recite a ton of games (including LOTRO), where I thought, “This is so awesome, I’m going to play this forever!” As I look back, I don’t recall “quitting” any of them, they just sort of got replaced by the next latest and greatest.

IZLAIN

Quitting MMOs is a thing, but then not a thing for me. For instance, I quit EQ2 after playing it for several years, but have started up playing it again multiple times, so like you I think I just take a hiatus here and there. The only game that has been constant for me for the past 4-5 years is League of Legends, which doesn’t really constitute as an MMO, but surely holds my interest.

(iTunesl)

Great perspectives – Draven03

Really interesting topics, well discussed and presented. I always look forward to the next episode and soon I’ve finished one.

Need more Beyond Bossfights – Cray Ambler

Well organized, light-hearted, and interesting. I look forward to this podcast showing up as “new” each month.

You can send your feedback to [email protected] and I’ll read it on the podcast. Reminder that Beyond Bossfights is on iTunes and would appreciate your ratings and reviews!

Beyond Bossfights is also on stitcher, AND Player FM so add it to your playlists!

Lastly, Beyond Bossfights now has a “nook” & forum on Anook.com, so make sure to follow us there, and start a conversation of your own!

Contact information:

Draculetta

Me

 Voiceover by Alexa Rubinov

Beyond Bossfights is made with Jetpack Podcast. Full show notes and every episode at https://braxwolf.wordpress.com/

This month, we have a special roundtable episode that includes members of The Gaming and Entertainment podcast network. This rowdy crew saw fit to discuss all manner of gaming topics, from upcoming expansion packs to the changing mobile gaming scene to Syl’s hidden desire to shower with World of Warcraft soap. Please be sure to visit all of the fine podcasts of my guests this month!

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Introductions & shows

Belghast – Aggrochat

Contact information:

Belghast:

Jason:

Syl:

Roger:

Liore:

Me:

Beyond Bossfights is made with Jetpack Podcast. Full show notes and every episode at https://braxwolf.wordpress.com/

In this episode, Sean from Gaming Conjecture joins me to talk through our experiences quitting or fading away from MMO’s and some of the reasons we chose to do so.

Download | Subscribe on iTunes | Stitcher

Show notes:

What Are the Kids Playing?

Portal & Portal 2 – Brodkil

Definitive Gaming History

Main Topic – Quitting Your MMO

Questions/Topics for discussion:

What Have I Been Up to?

Featured network show: Cat Context

Feedback

FREDELAS (@BRANDYWINEFRED)

I agree with all of the reasons given for having a separate persona online for gaming. I have another reason: In many ways, Fredelas is my funnier, handsomer, more interesting self. I’ve actually found myself becoming more like Fredelas over the last 8 years (especially in terms of pie consumption).

I had always been something of an introvert in real life, but learning how to socialize as a pastry-loving hobbit has led me to some great adventures that I might otherwise never have embarked upon.

TOMEORIC

Another great show. I totally agree with keeping things separate, and I’ve actually gone to the extreme on that. I have absolutely no “personal” presence on the internet – no Twitter or Facebook or anything. Mostly to safeguard the work I do, but I likes me privacy as well!

Mistah Helpful

Hi Brax,

I loved your conversation with Braag recently.  I discovered that he’s a very funny guy when he’s just talking off the cuff (moreso than his prepared gags, imho).   I wondered if he would reference my not-entirely-positive review of his podcast, and he did!   But he also mentioned requiring a thick skin to deal with ‘negative’ reviews.   It made me think about the way that fan casts are generally rated, which is to say they get 5-stars or they feel like they’ve been aggrieved, or failed in some way, or there may even be a sense of “Geez, it’s free, what do you want?”.

As someone who does creative work for a living I love good reviews, but I get the most information when people call out what they perceive as problems.  It’s humbling, but it gives me a lot to think about.  Ultimately you can’t be everything to everyone, but it’s helpful to know if you’re missing your own mark, so to speak.

A few years ago, I realized that the Netflix descriptions of star ratings are kind of perfect:

You can sense a quality distinction in these descriptions.  It generates a pretty perfect bell-curve, with a huge number of movies right in the middle, tapering to both ends.  When I started using this scale the way it’s intended, the suggestions I got from Netflix became quite prescient.

So I’ve started approaching all rating along these lines, including podcasts, and I try to be constructive in my criticism.  (I once implored LOTRO Players News to ‘thin the herd’;  they didn’t actually do that, but they fixed the real problem of pacing caused by all those people.)  And I try to be fair and go back to rewrite my reviews and change star ratings.

So what I’m curious about, from your perspective, is if my ‘use all the stars’ rating system is hurting or helping podcasters (or NBI folks) who are building their audience?  Am I just being a picky bastard?  Or is there some value in someone who wants to avoid the “5-stars for effort” ethos.  I’m honestly doubting myself here, and I’d love to get your perspective.   (I know you’re busy, so don’t post, podcast, or otherwise respond to this unless you actually find it an interesting topic.)

Mistah Helpful

You can send your feedback to [email protected] and I’ll read it on the podcast. Reminder that Beyond Bossfights is on iTunes and would appreciate your ratings and reviews!

Beyond Bossfights is also on stitcher, AND Player FM so add it to your playlists!

Lastly, Beyond Bossfights now has a “nook” & forum on Anook.com, so make sure to follow us there, and start a conversation of your own!

Contact information:

Sean

Me

 Voiceover by Alexa Rubinov

Beyond Bossfights is made with Jetpack Podcast. Full show notes and every episode at https://braxwolf.wordpress.com/

This month, I’m happy to have my friend Braag, proprietor of the Light the Beacons podcast, on the show to talk about LOTRO, community content creation, and using pseudonyms for our “gaming” personas. I also have a quick interview with my youngest son about his (and my) latest favorite game, Marvel Heroes 2015.

Download | Subscribe on iTunes | Stitcher

Show notes:

What Are the Kids Playing?

Marvel Heroes 2015 – Tiny Brax

Definitive Gaming History

Main Topic – Light the Beacons

Questions/Topics for discussion:

What Have I Been Up to?

Contains Moderate Peril ending, but new podcast is starting: Burton and Scrooge

Multiplaying also ending, but spinning up new show: The MMO Show

Voiceover for Middle Earth Lore series (follow on Twitter: Middle-Earth Lore)

Featured TGEN show: Contains Moderate Peril (for old time’s sake)

Feedback

You can send your feedback to [email protected] and I’ll read it on the podcast. Reminder that Beyond Bossfights is on iTunes and would appreciate your ratings and reviews!

Beyond Bossfights is also on stitcher, AND Player FM so add it to your playlists!

Lastly, Beyond Bossfights now has a “nook” & forum on Anook.com, so make sure to follow us there, and start a conversation of your own!

Contact information:

Guest

Braag son of Balin

Me

 Voiceover by Alexa Rubinov

Beyond Bossfights is made with Jetpack Podcast. Full show notes and every episode at https://braxwolf.wordpress.com/

Storytelling comes in many forms. In gaming, we play out scenes through our avatars and with our imaginations. As strange as it may seem, the creative storytelling process of filmmaking isn’t much different! In episode 17, Ron Newcomb and I examine Ron’s journey from law enforcement officer to filmmaker, some parallels between gaming and filmmaking, and the movement towards community involvement for independent filmmakers.

Download | Subscribe on iTunes | Stitcher

Show notes:

What Are the Kids Playing?

Driver San Francisco – Locowolf (also, check out Locowolf’s YouTube video on this game)

Definitive Gaming History

Main Topic – Community Filmmaking

Questions/Topics for discussion:

What Have I Been Up to?

Retirement of two TGEN shows: Massive Failure and Roleplay Domain due to creator Joseph’s retirement from podcasting

Newbie Blogger Initiative

TGEN Tribunal 2 – All about the NBI

Featured network show: Couch Podtatoes

Feedback

You can send your feedback to [email protected] and I’ll read it on the podcast. Reminder that Beyond Bossfights is on iTunes and would appreciate your ratings and reviews!

Beyond Bossfights is also on stitcher, AND Player FM so add it to your playlists!

Lastly, Beyond Bossfights now has a “nook” & forum on Anook.com, so make sure to follow us there, and start a conversation of your own!

Contact information:

Guest

Ron Newcomb

Me

 Voiceover by Alexa Rubinov

Beyond Bossfights is made with Jetpack Podcast. Full show notes and every episode at https://braxwolf.wordpress.com/