Embedding Blogs into Games?
The folks over at MIT's Technology Review are asking when we are going to start embedding blogs into games, especially MMP games.
Most MUDs had embedded bulletin boards (BBS) but commercial MMP games have moved this functionality out into external web-based forums that are policed by community management teams. These forums deal largely with out-of-character issues like complaining about the latest combat upgrade or the nerfing of my favorite class.
But what about in-character issues? How can gameplay be served by embedding blogs or blog-like functionality inside the game itself and what would be the downside of doing so?
Into the games themselves? Indeed. Why not place a blog within a massively multiplayer role playing game, the argument goes, where participants can offer fellow players advice, comment on game play, give tips, or spout off on any topic they choose? It seems like a natural extension of the kind of enthusiasm usually found for these games, say proponents, and could help foster a stronger sense of community within the game. Alas, few are looking into this at the moment, but some observers believe it won't be long before game players find blogs in the games themselves.
Most MUDs had embedded bulletin boards (BBS) but commercial MMP games have moved this functionality out into external web-based forums that are policed by community management teams. These forums deal largely with out-of-character issues like complaining about the latest combat upgrade or the nerfing of my favorite class.
But what about in-character issues? How can gameplay be served by embedding blogs or blog-like functionality inside the game itself and what would be the downside of doing so?
posted by foolkilla at
12:06 PM
2 Comments:
Earth & Beyond had a really nice embedded web browser that could display HTML pages in a window inside the game. Sadly we made very little use of this cool technology.
Beyond embedded browsers the merger of blogs and MMP tech could shed the presentation layer of HTML and just use the core concepts of templates and user submitted content. Such content could be attached to various in-game items like scrolls, books, newspapers (good one Artie) even NPCs and displayed like regular game text when the player interacts with those items. Lots of possibilities!
By
foolkilla, at Thu May 12, 11:08:00 AM 2005
This thread is a little past due, but I'll comment anyways.
Embedding blogs into MMO games is a nice idea as long as it fits naturally into the language of the world. There's nothing worse than plonking down something that exists only to serve itself, without any substantive gain for the game characters (note I say characters, not players).
I've actually been thinking along those lines myself (I'm designing my own unique property atm). But rather than taking blogs into the game, I was thinking more of the complete reverse - by taking parts of the game out of the game, and into your blogs. Allow players to easily link, communicate and share elements of the game world much like you're saying, just without having to log in.
By
Kafka, at Wed Jul 06, 12:32:00 PM 2005
Post a Comment
<< Home