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MMOs from the Inside Out: The History, Design, Fun, and Art of Massively-Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games
This is an astonishing collection of ideas, information, and instruction from one of the true pioneers of Massively-Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games. "MMOs from the Inside Out: The History, Design, Fun, and Art of Massively-Multiplayer Role-playing Games" speaks to the designers and players of MMOs, taking it as axiomatic that such games are inspirational and boundless forces for good. The aim of this book is to enthuse an up-coming generation of designers, to inspire and educate players and designers-to-be, and to reinvigorate those already working in the field who might be wondering if it s still all worthwhile.
Playing MMOs is about fun, immersion, and identity. Creating MMOs is about imagination, expression, and art. MMOs are so packed with potential that today's examples are little more than small, pioneering colonies on the shore of a vast, uncharted continent. What wonders wait beyond the horizon? What treasures will explorers bring back to amaze us? "MMOs from the Inside Out" is for people with a spark of creativity: it pours gasoline on that spark.
It: Explains what MMOs are, what they once were, and what they could and should become.Delves into why players play, and why designers design.Encourages, enthuses, enrages, engages, enlightens, envisions, and enchants.Doesn't tell you what to think, it tells you to think.
What You Will Learn: Myriad ways to improve MMOs and to decide for yourself whether these are improvements.What MMOs are; who plays them, and why.How MMOs became what they are, and what this means for what they will become.That you have it in you to make MMOs yourself.
Whom This Book is For: "MMOs from the Inside Out" is a book for those who wish to know more about game design in general and MMO design in particular. It's for people who play MMOs, for people who design MMOs, and for people who study MMOs. It's for people with a yearning to see beyond the world around them and to make manifest the worlds of their imagination.
"
Playing MMOs is about fun, immersion, and identity. Creating MMOs is about imagination, expression, and art. MMOs are so packed with potential that today's examples are little more than small, pioneering colonies on the shore of a vast, uncharted continent. What wonders wait beyond the horizon? What treasures will explorers bring back to amaze us? "MMOs from the Inside Out" is for people with a spark of creativity: it pours gasoline on that spark.
It: Explains what MMOs are, what they once were, and what they could and should become.Delves into why players play, and why designers design.Encourages, enthuses, enrages, engages, enlightens, envisions, and enchants.Doesn't tell you what to think, it tells you to think.
What You Will Learn: Myriad ways to improve MMOs and to decide for yourself whether these are improvements.What MMOs are; who plays them, and why.How MMOs became what they are, and what this means for what they will become.That you have it in you to make MMOs yourself.
Whom This Book is For: "MMOs from the Inside Out" is a book for those who wish to know more about game design in general and MMO design in particular. It's for people who play MMOs, for people who design MMOs, and for people who study MMOs. It's for people with a yearning to see beyond the world around them and to make manifest the worlds of their imagination.
"
748 pages, Paperback
Published December 26, 2015
9 people are currently reading
62 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
March 23, 2020
Written like a collection of sometimes slightly disconnected blog posts, this book takes you through the workings and history of the MMORPG genre in a lot of detail. While clearly meant to be a textbook for aspiring game designers (don't think you can carry the physical version around with you for casual reading, it's a proper doorstop), the tone is quite casual and aims to entertain. Definitely a worthwhile read for genre fans.
September 15, 2022
There's about 150-200 pages of great content here that provides a much-needed update to Bartle's own 'Designing Virtual Worlds'. Those are definitely worth a read.
However, this is a 700+ page book (over 1,200 pages, if you count its borderline unreadable companion, 'MMOs from the Outside In'). And the rest of the pages read like a series of uninspired blog entries, ego trips and "old man yells at clouds" rants that grow tiring very fast.
Seriously, one of the entries is just trivia about a train in the Harry Potter films:
"The role of the Hogwarts Express steam engine in the Harry Potter films was played by Olton Hall, a Great Western Railway “Hall” Class 4-6-0, number 5972. It was built in Swindon in 1937."
That's the literally entire entry. Why is it printed on a book about MMOs? Who knows...
However, this is a 700+ page book (over 1,200 pages, if you count its borderline unreadable companion, 'MMOs from the Outside In'). And the rest of the pages read like a series of uninspired blog entries, ego trips and "old man yells at clouds" rants that grow tiring very fast.
Seriously, one of the entries is just trivia about a train in the Harry Potter films:
"The role of the Hogwarts Express steam engine in the Harry Potter films was played by Olton Hall, a Great Western Railway “Hall” Class 4-6-0, number 5972. It was built in Swindon in 1937."
That's the literally entire entry. Why is it printed on a book about MMOs? Who knows...
June 27, 2018
A lot of insights. But the book is poorly structured and there are grammar / spelling errors here and there.
August 15, 2022
[Paused at 40% - need a break from it]
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews