Anyone who has maintained even remote ties to the online gaming world in the last three years has heard of the phenomenon that is World of Warcraft. This game is one of the best-selling games of all-time and currently has a community in excess of 9 million people. That's the entire population of a major city (we're talking on the order of Los Angeles here...) just think if EVERYONE in L.A. played WoW...you've got a really big game.
WoW and I have something of a love-hate relationship. I played the game nearly non-stop for a year and a half, to the exclusion of quite a bit else in my life (though thankfully I didn't lose any friends or a job because of it.) I'm off it now, but as I look at the other games in my library, they all seem to pale in comparison. No other game in my life (and my gaming life extends quite a ways. 21 years if memory serves me correctly) has kept me so enthralled so completely for so long. While I may have really enjoyed them and played them a lot, Quest for Glory IV, Starcraft and Final Fantasy IV didn't keep me playing them every day for a year and a half.
As you can see, I love WoW. I love the world, I love the lore, I love the gameplay (for the most part.) I love creating a unique character, going anywhere, doing anything...I love surprising hapless Hordies in the battlegrounds who think I'm a ret paladin when I'm really a prot paladin in disguise. Oh, did that string of Reckoning crits hurt? Here, have another. Nah, keep hitting me, my shield likes you. That sting a little Rogue? Keep it up, it'll all be over soon.
Classic.
But I also hate WoW. I hate it because it offers gratification too easily. As the new expansion, Wrath of the Lich King draws ever closer, it is becoming easier and easier to get at the high-level content in the game. Why? Because Blizz wants you to experience as much high-level content as you can before it all becomes obsolete. And it will, practically overnight. Just watch.
When Burning Crusade, the first expansion was released, many people found their gear being replaced within 2 levels of hitting Outland. I know I did. Many people grumbled at the ease with which their hard-earned gear was turned into crap by the first green drop in Outland. Those same people are going to grumble again when their Tier 4 is instantly rendered obsolete an hour after they hit Northrend. But I digress.
WoW offers such an easy method of gratification. Instancing, completing quests, arena fighting and battlegrounding are all designed to provide rewards that ultimately can be exchanged for even greater ones. You need but spend a few hours in a battleground or an instance and you can walk away with several new pieces of armor or a new set of weapons. World of Warcraft is great at holding the proverbial 'carrot' in front of you, then continually moving it away. And you want it. DAMN how you want it.
I have realized recently that I hate WoW for an entirely different (and seemingly paradoxical) reason: it's good. Again, I realize that's strange. A game is good, so you hate it. Here's why. It demands to be played. Once you've tasted WoW and found it to your liking, the taste of any other game is bittersweet. Other games I enjoyed playing (Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic mostly) jumped in to fill the gap when I stopped playing WoW, but were quickly beaten and forgotten.
I even tried other MMOs. Dungeons and Dragons online is horrendously bad on healers and is practically impossible to play solo (I spent a whole gorram week solo-grinding one effing instance to get to level 2...WoW has you at level six inside of half an hour.) Age of Conan has potential, but is largely PvP focused. I'm not a huge fan of PvP, despite my prediliction for doing it (hey, it's quicker to pvp for gear when you're not in a raiding guild...) That, and Age of Conan has some serious graphical and gameplay issues to sort out before it gets really good. And finally, my computer is, shall we say...'dated.' I lack the funds/motivation to buy another computer, particularly a gaming computer, so Age of Conan is pretty much out. WoW, on the other hand, was designed to work for older machines. I have to sacrifice some graphical features (guessing where your Consecration is is fun, but you get used to it...) but it works well enough.
Bottom line: no other RPG out there is as good as WoW. None of them have the staying power (constant content updates, gameplay updates, tweeks, etc.), the depth or the entertainment value that WoW has. I love it, and I hate it. I love it because it is quite possibly the best game I have ever played. I hate it because it burns up so much of my time.
Anyone who has ever gone to a raid in WoW has gone to both good ones and bad ones. I was never part of a raiding guild and never wanted to be. Not my cup of tea. I do however, like some light raiding. I know how to main and off-tank every fight in Karazhan. I've finished the whole thing in two hours. I've also spent seven or eight hours just trying to get to and kill Maiden (and ultimately went home with her still standing.) It is so ridiculously easy to blow your entire day doing nothing but WoW. And that worries me. I don't want to look back on my twenties and see nothing but WoW memories.
Another thing that bothers me is how much I want to return to it. I left it for a variety of reasons. I had reached the point where I was basically killing time before the next expansion. I didn't raid or do any heavy pvp; I had my Nether Drake, I could make a thousand gold in a couple days or less, I have my Shattered Sun title...not much else to do but raid and I wasn't in for that (beyond Karazhan.) I figured I should find something else to do with my time besides get killed in the arena and pissing & moaning about the Alliance getting crushed in the battlegrounds. So I left. But now, about four months later, I find myself thinking that I'd really like to go back. There are things I miss. I miss the friends I met through WoW. I miss the community, I miss stepping out of myself for a while (I found WoW lets me do this better than pretty much anything else.) It's left a void in my life, and in me. And I fear the only thing that can fill it now is more WoW.
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Review: Star Wars: The Force Unleashed
Seeing as how most of my work these days involves video games, I thought I'd post a little something on my latest acquisition. Ok, who am I kidding, video game work is all I do.
**SPOILER WARNING**
So yesterday, I picked up Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, with great anticipation. I'd been following this for a while now, I'd seen the trailer where the guy pulls the Star Destroyer out of the sky and I thought "that's just strong!" I buy the game, I get home, I play it...and I'm having mixed thoughts.
On the one hand, it is a fantastic addition to the Star Wars universe. The story is interesting and compelling (thought much much shorter than I was hoping for) and opens up a world of possibilities while at the same time not interfering with the canon. The action is cool and throwing Stormtroopers several hundred meters just never gets old.
On the other hand, it has some parts that annoyed the crap out of me. The gameplay mechanics need a little tune up, particularly the part where you pull the Star Destroyer down. The damn thing has to be just so, or you can't pull it! I've also read that many people have encountered a bug here that prohibits you from pulling it down at all.
I'm not really a fan of jumping games and I hate to say it, but this is definitely one. If you ever want to upgrade your Lightsaber with crystals that do more than change the color, you NEED to be good at jumping. I also hate games that are filled with mooks who have IWIN buttons. You know, the mooks that knock you down, kick the crap out of you then knock you down again the second you get up? It's boring for a player to have that ability and it really bites the big one when it gets used on you. Getting trashed by cheap moves is no fun at all and there are plenty of mobs in TFO that have chump moves.
Call me crazy if you will, but I like character customization. I think games with fixed main characters are becoming a minority, and this is no bad thing in my mind. I like being able to own my character, I like the feeling that it is *my* character I am playing, as opposed to living out someone else's adventure. With that in mind, I was disappointed to see that you don't even get a choice of premade characters; you get Starkiller, Vader's Secret Apprentice. That's it. You don't even get to choose gender. Again, call me crazy if you like, but I enjoy playing female characters. I know what I guy's body looks like and frankly, I'd rather not look at a male ass waggling at me for hours on end (as much as I love it, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic did a great job of showing off the male ass...) In it's defense, TFO does a good job of covering that up, but still. I would have preferred at least a little choice in character options.
All things considered, I wish I had rented this instead of buying it. It's a good game and is worth money, but for the length of time I spent playing it (<10 hours) I would've liked to have seen a smaller price tag on it. Bottom line: if you like Star Wars and action/ninja-style games, you'll love The Force Unleashed. If you like RPGs, play Knights of the Old Republic; you'll be happier.
**SPOILER WARNING**
So yesterday, I picked up Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, with great anticipation. I'd been following this for a while now, I'd seen the trailer where the guy pulls the Star Destroyer out of the sky and I thought "that's just strong!" I buy the game, I get home, I play it...and I'm having mixed thoughts.
On the one hand, it is a fantastic addition to the Star Wars universe. The story is interesting and compelling (thought much much shorter than I was hoping for) and opens up a world of possibilities while at the same time not interfering with the canon. The action is cool and throwing Stormtroopers several hundred meters just never gets old.
On the other hand, it has some parts that annoyed the crap out of me. The gameplay mechanics need a little tune up, particularly the part where you pull the Star Destroyer down. The damn thing has to be just so, or you can't pull it! I've also read that many people have encountered a bug here that prohibits you from pulling it down at all.
I'm not really a fan of jumping games and I hate to say it, but this is definitely one. If you ever want to upgrade your Lightsaber with crystals that do more than change the color, you NEED to be good at jumping. I also hate games that are filled with mooks who have IWIN buttons. You know, the mooks that knock you down, kick the crap out of you then knock you down again the second you get up? It's boring for a player to have that ability and it really bites the big one when it gets used on you. Getting trashed by cheap moves is no fun at all and there are plenty of mobs in TFO that have chump moves.
Call me crazy if you will, but I like character customization. I think games with fixed main characters are becoming a minority, and this is no bad thing in my mind. I like being able to own my character, I like the feeling that it is *my* character I am playing, as opposed to living out someone else's adventure. With that in mind, I was disappointed to see that you don't even get a choice of premade characters; you get Starkiller, Vader's Secret Apprentice. That's it. You don't even get to choose gender. Again, call me crazy if you like, but I enjoy playing female characters. I know what I guy's body looks like and frankly, I'd rather not look at a male ass waggling at me for hours on end (as much as I love it, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic did a great job of showing off the male ass...) In it's defense, TFO does a good job of covering that up, but still. I would have preferred at least a little choice in character options.
All things considered, I wish I had rented this instead of buying it. It's a good game and is worth money, but for the length of time I spent playing it (<10 hours) I would've liked to have seen a smaller price tag on it. Bottom line: if you like Star Wars and action/ninja-style games, you'll love The Force Unleashed. If you like RPGs, play Knights of the Old Republic; you'll be happier.
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Tips for Successful Freelancing #6: Knowing what you're Worth
There's a definite line between a good freelance gig and a crappy one, and that line isn't always drawn with fringe benefits. Quite often, the difference between a gig that's worth your time and one that's designed to give desperate college students a little extra pocket money is quite simply, money. Many writers feel that in order to remain a successful freelancer, they may only take freelance gigs. They obviously didn't read our post on keeping your day job. Taking (or keeping) a day job does not make you any less of a freelancer. Need we remind you? Being able to remain a full-time freelance writer is nothing short of miraculous. There is absolutely no shame in being a part-time freelancer.
With that in mind, hopefully you kept your day job. If you didn't, go get one unless you're making a lot of money as a writer (and by "a lot" I mean "more than 60k/year.") Part of being a good freelancer is knowing what you're worth. Despite what some people will tell you, there are a lot of gigs out there that don't pay jack or shit. Even if you're just starting out as a freelancer, there are some gigs you should steer clear from. I know that the urge to work is powerful and the urge to take any payment, no matter how minuscule, is equally powerful. Believe me when I say that you need to resist this urge. Here's why you should NEVER take a gig that pays an less than 8 cents a word (and even that is pushing it.)
1) You won't get paid jack. Let's take a look at a fairly common example, say, 5 cents a word. You are contracted to write a 350-word article. 350x.05= $17.50, $14 after tax. Not terrible, but you can certainly be doing better. Get the current copy of Writer's Market (or check it out at your local library!) and you'll see that most reputable publications pay at least 10 cents a word. Some large publications like Popular Mechanics pay up to ONE DOLLAR per word! Granted, getting your work into Popmech is like pulling hen's teeth but hey, it could happen.
2) Companies that don't pay well won't treat you well. If you sign on for a gig that pays a penny a word (or worse, even less...) you can expect to give your blood, sweat and tears along with those words you just shelled out. Companies that don't pay their writers well are just looking for a source of cheap content and honestly couldn't give a shit about where it comes from. They probably have some hack in-house who is getting paid a hell of a lot more than you are to do a quick rewrite. And I'll bet you every cent I've got that the hack hates their job. Good deal? Hardly.
3) You can do better. Again, even if you're just starting out, the modern world will ALWAYS have a place in it for freelance writers. The hard part is finding the place in the world that works for you. That's why there are resources like the Writer's Market (plug plug.) Nobody should have to settle for .5 cents a word!
4) Acceptance. In almost every gig you'll get, your articles need to go through a process of revision before they can be accepted. Depending on the company, the revision process may or may not involve you. More often than not, it does. If the company likes your work enough to ask for a rewrite, you may find yourself doing more work than you bargained for. Is a day's worth of work worth it for three cents a word? Not unless your day is twenty minutes long.
5) Don't believe the hype. A lot of writers will tell you to take whatever you can get. That a shitty, low-paying gig is better than no gig at all. This is simply not true. Talk to the same writer in a year or two and ask them how their freelance life is going. You'll hear them say either "it's over" or "lousy." Why? Because if you settle for less than you're worth, you're going to get frustrated at doing good work for jack shit. You're going to burn out and you're going to can a potentially successful writing career.
There are a few minor exceptions to the rule, the most notable being stories. Most of us can't pull this off (yours truly included) but if you can manage to make a living selling stories, you can settle for less than 8 cents a word. Most publications, even reputable ones, don't pay more than seven cents a word for fiction. But that's ok! Your average short story runs around 5-6,000 words, possibly up to about 10,000. Let's take a mean, say 7,000 words. At 5 cents a word, that's $350, $280 after taxes. Not too shabby. That's a whole week's worth of working retail.
Think of it this way: you always have a choice in jobs, just like in the real world. You can either endure some rough times and wait for a job that pays what you're worth, or you can be miserable flipping burgers and scraping by. Resist the urge to take crappy jobs! Nobody should have to work for a penny a word unless they're getting paid to transcribe the Library of Congress!
With that in mind, hopefully you kept your day job. If you didn't, go get one unless you're making a lot of money as a writer (and by "a lot" I mean "more than 60k/year.") Part of being a good freelancer is knowing what you're worth. Despite what some people will tell you, there are a lot of gigs out there that don't pay jack or shit. Even if you're just starting out as a freelancer, there are some gigs you should steer clear from. I know that the urge to work is powerful and the urge to take any payment, no matter how minuscule, is equally powerful. Believe me when I say that you need to resist this urge. Here's why you should NEVER take a gig that pays an less than 8 cents a word (and even that is pushing it.)
1) You won't get paid jack. Let's take a look at a fairly common example, say, 5 cents a word. You are contracted to write a 350-word article. 350x.05= $17.50, $14 after tax. Not terrible, but you can certainly be doing better. Get the current copy of Writer's Market (or check it out at your local library!) and you'll see that most reputable publications pay at least 10 cents a word. Some large publications like Popular Mechanics pay up to ONE DOLLAR per word! Granted, getting your work into Popmech is like pulling hen's teeth but hey, it could happen.
2) Companies that don't pay well won't treat you well. If you sign on for a gig that pays a penny a word (or worse, even less...) you can expect to give your blood, sweat and tears along with those words you just shelled out. Companies that don't pay their writers well are just looking for a source of cheap content and honestly couldn't give a shit about where it comes from. They probably have some hack in-house who is getting paid a hell of a lot more than you are to do a quick rewrite. And I'll bet you every cent I've got that the hack hates their job. Good deal? Hardly.
3) You can do better. Again, even if you're just starting out, the modern world will ALWAYS have a place in it for freelance writers. The hard part is finding the place in the world that works for you. That's why there are resources like the Writer's Market (plug plug.) Nobody should have to settle for .5 cents a word!
4) Acceptance. In almost every gig you'll get, your articles need to go through a process of revision before they can be accepted. Depending on the company, the revision process may or may not involve you. More often than not, it does. If the company likes your work enough to ask for a rewrite, you may find yourself doing more work than you bargained for. Is a day's worth of work worth it for three cents a word? Not unless your day is twenty minutes long.
5) Don't believe the hype. A lot of writers will tell you to take whatever you can get. That a shitty, low-paying gig is better than no gig at all. This is simply not true. Talk to the same writer in a year or two and ask them how their freelance life is going. You'll hear them say either "it's over" or "lousy." Why? Because if you settle for less than you're worth, you're going to get frustrated at doing good work for jack shit. You're going to burn out and you're going to can a potentially successful writing career.
There are a few minor exceptions to the rule, the most notable being stories. Most of us can't pull this off (yours truly included) but if you can manage to make a living selling stories, you can settle for less than 8 cents a word. Most publications, even reputable ones, don't pay more than seven cents a word for fiction. But that's ok! Your average short story runs around 5-6,000 words, possibly up to about 10,000. Let's take a mean, say 7,000 words. At 5 cents a word, that's $350, $280 after taxes. Not too shabby. That's a whole week's worth of working retail.
Think of it this way: you always have a choice in jobs, just like in the real world. You can either endure some rough times and wait for a job that pays what you're worth, or you can be miserable flipping burgers and scraping by. Resist the urge to take crappy jobs! Nobody should have to work for a penny a word unless they're getting paid to transcribe the Library of Congress!
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