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02-14-2006, 09:21 AM
Multiplayer games, online with thousands, or in the living room with your spouse, are a special segment of the gaming world, pushing the limits of entertainment as we know it. The authors at The Escapist look at playing games together in this week's issue of The Escapist: Love the One You're With (http://www.escapistmagazine.com/issue/32). Articles include:
Mark Wallace: Love in the Time of Pixels (http://www.escapistmagazine.com/issue/32/3)
"This is a love story of a particular kind. It's a story of love in an online world, and of the ways it can bleed into the real world around it." Mark Wallace tells us the story of Diamond Hope and Unmitigated Gall.
Pat Miller: Playing with Strangers (http://www.escapistmagazine.com/issue/32/7)
There's no direct competition, you don't kill anything, and you have no set goals. But it can get almost anyone, gamer or not, to sit down and play with others, to trade stories, and to show off their work. Pat Miller looks at the social wonder that is Animal Crossing.
Spanner: The Digital Whorehouse (http://www.escapistmagazine.com/issue/32/11)
The arcade is unique in that it can provide short, intense bouts of personal interaction without so much as a word, as players win, lose, and play together in rapid succession. Spanner takes us to Blackpool's Golden Mile, a place where gamers can buy companionship one game at a time.
N. Evan Van Zelfden: Tom Hall Makes His Move (http://www.escapistmagazine.com/issue/32/14)
What makes a designer jump from creating single-player games at an established company to working on an MMOG at an untested startup? N. Evan Van Zelfden interviews Tom Hall, Creative Director at KingIsle Entertainment.
Hitchhiker: Together Time (http://www.escapistmagazine.com/issue/32/16)
Multiplayer gaming can be tough to get going if you stick to the usual hardcore titles, but cooperative modes and party games can make this easier. Hitchhiker tells us how he plays games with his wife Danielle, starting with the odd one out, Halo.
Mark Wallace: Love in the Time of Pixels (http://www.escapistmagazine.com/issue/32/3)
"This is a love story of a particular kind. It's a story of love in an online world, and of the ways it can bleed into the real world around it." Mark Wallace tells us the story of Diamond Hope and Unmitigated Gall.
Pat Miller: Playing with Strangers (http://www.escapistmagazine.com/issue/32/7)
There's no direct competition, you don't kill anything, and you have no set goals. But it can get almost anyone, gamer or not, to sit down and play with others, to trade stories, and to show off their work. Pat Miller looks at the social wonder that is Animal Crossing.
Spanner: The Digital Whorehouse (http://www.escapistmagazine.com/issue/32/11)
The arcade is unique in that it can provide short, intense bouts of personal interaction without so much as a word, as players win, lose, and play together in rapid succession. Spanner takes us to Blackpool's Golden Mile, a place where gamers can buy companionship one game at a time.
N. Evan Van Zelfden: Tom Hall Makes His Move (http://www.escapistmagazine.com/issue/32/14)
What makes a designer jump from creating single-player games at an established company to working on an MMOG at an untested startup? N. Evan Van Zelfden interviews Tom Hall, Creative Director at KingIsle Entertainment.
Hitchhiker: Together Time (http://www.escapistmagazine.com/issue/32/16)
Multiplayer gaming can be tough to get going if you stick to the usual hardcore titles, but cooperative modes and party games can make this easier. Hitchhiker tells us how he plays games with his wife Danielle, starting with the odd one out, Halo.