The record has finally been set for an Onion article (video, actually) to turn into real life. It's now a real game. You can download it. It's free. time: about 1 day. The subject is MMORPGS (pronounced 'more pigs') and how popular they are. (more inside for descriptions)
posted on Jun 11, 2008 - View this thread

In this way, Lu Yang became one of the "RMB gamers" she disdains. More than 10,000 RMB was quickly and nearly imperceptibly spent. In the game, the "queen" possessed fearsome power. She carried out vengeance for herself and her friends, she accepted entreaties, and she protected the caravans of the kingdom. At the same time, she went out with the heroes to invade other kingdoms. Her reputation spread far and wide. [...] "Long live the Queen!" People bowed to her in submission. That was the high point for Lu Yang on ZT Online, and for that one fleeting moment, she felt that the time and money she had spent was worth it.

The System is a translated Chinese article examining ZT Online, an MMORPG that has taken fleecing gamers to a new level.
posted on May 6, 2008 - View this thread

Second Skin [is a documentary that] takes an intimate look at computer gamers whose lives have been transformed by the emerging genre of Massively Multiplayer Online games (MMOs).
posted on Jan 31, 2008 - View this thread

Nick Yee's Daedalus Project (touched on previously) is dedicated to the study of human behaviour in MMOs. His recent dissertation names "The Proteus Effect": a correlation between MMO characters' appearances, and their players' behaviors. "In the final study (pdf), I showed that the Proteus Effect persists outside of the virtual environment. Placing someone in a taller avatar changes how they consequently negotiate in a face-to-face setting." His archives cover a lot of ground, and current MMO players can help by taking the survey. For a little lighter reading, refer to his critique of Internet Addiction Disorder, a "condition" that started as a joke, but almost made it into the DSM-V.
posted on Sep 2, 2007 - View this thread

Why science fiction is hard. Inspired by reports of a creative new, Rube-Goldberg spamming technique in World of Warcraft, MetaFilter's own Charlie Stross imagines trying to explain gold farming to someone from 1977. (Previously: 1, 2, 3)
posted on Jul 20, 2007 - View this thread

The Life of the Chinese Gold Farmer.
posted on Jun 19, 2007 - View this thread

MMORPG maker to create oversight committee of elected players -- The makers of Eve Online, are taking a bold step in combating charges (previously discussed here) of favoritism towards one of the dominant in-game groups: holding elections for player ombudsman who will be flown to Iceland to audit the company's practices and report back to the game's subscribers.
posted on Jun 12, 2007 - View this thread

"What are they talking about?" Was it just an April Fools' joke? Are they really gonna end Red Vs. Blue: arguably the most successful machinima series ever? Will Blood Gulch be silent of one-liners and snide comments once more, or is this a blatant attempt by Rooster Teeth to drum up interest in their 100th episode? Considering the fact they started it four years ago on April Fools Day, it's really hard to tell. (surprise! no youtube links!)
posted on Apr 3, 2007 - View this thread

A hacker breaks into the forums of the guild Band of Brothers on the MMORPG Eve, where he discovers an Eve devolper, called t20, is not only a high-ranking member of the alliance, but has been feeding BoB expensive and rare in-game items. CCP, the company who runs EVE, denies any wrong doing, before it is revealed that CCP knew about t20's abuses for over six months. Players are not happy.
posted on Feb 12, 2007 - View this thread

Raising for Ryzom. Saga Of Ryzom's parent company is having some sort of undisclosed trouble, and a group of users are raising funds to purchase the source code and art assets. So far, they've raised 60k in euros.
posted on Dec 1, 2006 - View this thread

Our characters met in North Freeport in EverQuest. His dark elf cleric was on top of the roofs, an area which I didn't know characters could access. I sent him a /tell, asking how he got up there, and he kindly showed me how. [EQ, F, 22] Massive Multiplayer Online games make for "impossible" romances.
posted on Sep 1, 2006 - View this thread

Anarchy Online is free until January! ...but is it worth it?
posted on Aug 8, 2006 - View this thread

Love in the MMORPG world can be something of an odd topic for those that haven't spent countless hours playing one of these online games. Virtual marriages in the game and online relationships that became real life married couples are odd to the average person. Especially when the consequences just go too far.
posted on Jun 23, 2006 - View this thread

A little over a year ago, the Guiding Hand Social Club issued a stunning press release - after months of infiltration and planning they had fulfilled an assassination contract on the CEO of a major corporation and ransacked the corporation's hangers, stealing almost 20 billion ISK, worth over $16,000 USD at the time. See PCGamer's excellent detailed description of the event: pages 1, 2, 3, 4. As synthetic worlds like Eve-Online and World of Warcraft gain popularity, what should we make of this kind of behavior? Eve's own players respond. Also, a response with a little more perspective. And what's going to happen when the IRS catches on?
posted on May 14, 2006 - View this thread

The Endless Forest is a strange piece of software (that can be a screensaver), where you control a deer in a, well, endless forest. And so do a bunch of other online players. And you can interact all you like with them - with the minor caveat that deer can't talk.
posted on Apr 27, 2006 - View this thread

In the World of Warcraft, Serenity Now - a hardcore Player-verus-Player (PvP) guild - attacked an in-game memorial service held by another guild for a guild member who passed away in real life. They made a video of the exploit, apparently for recruitment purposes. In their wake they left many questions...
posted on Apr 24, 2006 - View this thread

^NSFW MMOrgy: No more logging on and feeling sheepish 'cause you wanna know where the bordello is first. No more endless search through horrible shops finding implements for you and your fiancee who's 3000 miles away to have fun with. ^NSFW
posted on Dec 22, 2005 - View this thread

Man spends $100k on imaginary nightclub to tax those who hunt its native dinosaurs. Man is likely to make a profit. <bgsound>
posted on Nov 13, 2005 - View this thread

Anti-Japan War Online "The game will allow players, especially younger players, to learn from history. They will get a patriotic feeling when fighting invaders to safeguard their motherland" The background for "Anti-Japan War Online" is the Japanese invasion of China during World War II, from 1937 through 1945. Nothing like a good MMORPG to foster a little patriotism.
posted on Aug 24, 2005 - View this thread

Vader Boosts Morale [via golublog]
posted on Mar 8, 2005 - View this thread

Flashy Cars, Flashier Avatars: Each project looks remarkably similar, but the differences are enough to provide hours and hours of fun, be those hours in the combat-oriented venue of Sherwood, the rodent slaughter of the Ratinator, the sparkling conversations and fast cars of Marian's World, or what have you. Enjoy. [Incidentally, it's hard for me to imagine this hasn't been posted yet, but I looked, really I did, and I didn't see it.]
posted on Nov 20, 2004 - View this thread

It's like EverQuest...only pink. Well, maybe not exactly like EverQuest. But Sanrio is entering the world of online gaming with their new MMORPG, Hello Kitty Online World. Preliminary views indicate that it's going to be a fully-realized 3D world where players can control both their own avatar and an "angel," which seems a little bit like a witch's familiar. The Sanrio characters are, of course, NPCs - you can't make Hello Kitty punch Spottie Dottie, because that's just not what Kitty-chan would do! There will be countries, populated with player homes (you can decorate it with a Titanic poster!), and you can also adventure, train, and form alliances.
posted on Nov 5, 2004 - View this thread

Scamming in the MMORPG Eve Online
posted on Aug 14, 2004 - View this thread

Policing Virtual Reality. Wired reports on Sociolotron(NSFW). A MMORPG that allows gamers to rob, rape, and kill other players. Being a gamer, I understand that actions in an MMORPG aren't "real" but how far can you take it?

"Lord Foucault is an admitted rapist. He does it on impulse -- for the thrill of it and for the feeling of control he has over his female victims." Is this any different than running around and killing dwarves?
posted on Jun 29, 2004 - View this thread

"Then we realized that somehow an insane god had taken control of our world and was out to kill us all." Subscribers of the multiplayer online game "Shadowbane" were in for a shock Tuesday evening when they realized the game system had been hacked, and the rules fundamentally altered, and not in a good way (unless you happen to like mayhem). While this ended up being a "no harm, no foul" scenario, as everything was eventually set right, it was breaking new ground in terms of the uses of hacking. In a world where characters in these games are sold via EBay, and nearly half a million people subscribe to Everquest, how long before legitimate (non "fun and games") version of what just happened occurs?
posted on Jun 1, 2003 - View this thread

Can't wait for The Sims Online? Try There.com. An online, avatar based metaverse game, not involving orcs, elves, or, for that matter, much out of the ordinary of our suburban lives. Is this the future of online gaming, or the flavor of the month?
posted on Jan 8, 2003 - View this thread

'A Tale in the Desert' seems to be shaping up into a rather interesting game. Not just another MMORPG, it's based upon the ancient Egyptian 'Seven Disciplines of Man'. From the FAQ:

It contains no combat: no monsters, no player-killers, no swords or armor. Your character advances by completing, participating in, or leading large projects. Negotiation and politics play a very large role. The game has a plot that unfolds in response to player actions, and when the story is over, the game ends.

posted on Jul 16, 2002 - View this thread

"Massively Multiplayer Online Entertainment." Our own AdrianHon has posted an interesting article to his weblog, dealing with this budding genre. Last year's AI movie web game tie-in was the first of a new breed of online interactive fiction, attracting thousands of players world-wide. Mr. Hon takes a look at the genre and puts forth some interesting ideas about where it could go. (more inside)
posted on May 19, 2002 - View this thread

Sold to the stupidest bidder! A level 50 (highest) Ranger class character from the online game Dark Age of Camelot sold by owner on eBay for $3,150 US. Wow.
posted on Jan 14, 2002 - View this thread

The ultimate online community: a massively-multiplayer online sex game. Be a dominatrix! Experiment with whips and chains! Sleep around in a place where everyone is beautiful and willing and there is no disease! Pick your own body: you can be the stud or babe of your dreams! Ah, the virtual life for me. (Why are all the samples heterosexual?) (Via Lum the Mad)
posted on Jul 22, 2001 - View this thread

EverQuest is just a game right? At what point do you play it so much that is becomes your life? And just what does it take to be a player?
posted on Nov 21, 2000 - View this thread