Politics and Economics in Sci-Fi/Fantasy Worlds
John Scalzi's Collapsing Empire is a fun, quick read that fits comfortably alongside some of his other sci-fi novels like Old Man's War and The Ghost Brigades. The novel, like most other Scalzi novels, balances multiple witty and humorous characters with serious galaxy-spanning plots. I have read basically all of Scalzi's work and would recommend... Continue Reading →
Sustainable. Beloved. Monopoly? Three words not usually used together, but in the case of the gondoliers of Venice, they certainly fit. Although this topic is not strictly sci-fi or fantasy, Venice and its gondolas are the closest experience we have to a real-life fantasy experience, so we (I on my own blog) will let it... Continue Reading →
Background: The Lion King story is pretty well-known, so I will just give a brief plot refresher to help put Scar's main song in context. Mufasa, Scar's older brother, competently rules over the pridelands, of which rulership will one day transfer to his son, Simba. Scar covets the position of king, and eventually will set... Continue Reading →
Just in terms of sheer entertainment value, musicals are one of my favorite art forms. They also, due to their unique presentation format, provide the audience with an unfiltered and clear look into the progression of the musical's plot and the development of characters. Unlike in movies, where characters often conceal their thoughts, emotions, and... Continue Reading →
Actual Cold War Impact- 5 (out of 10): Much of the difficulty in assessing the impact of NATO on the Cold War is that we simply don't know what would have happened without it. Its purpose was to provide a unified and ideologically similar alliance in Europe as a counter to the Soviet Union's military... Continue Reading →
Twilight Struggle, for those who are unaware, is one of the best board games ever made. And while that may sound hyperbolic, empirical data from Board Game Geek (the definitive board game website) backs me up here as the site rates Twilight Struggle as the 5th best game in existence right now. Personally, it is... Continue Reading →
In my previous post, I discussed how Path of Exile's (POE) unique league system prevents in-game prices from bottoming out, thus holding player interest and keeping the game experience fresh. Today, I will be examining how the league system also continuously generates real revenue for POE's developers through microtransactions (MTX). POE's MTX, which are the... Continue Reading →
In my previous post, I provided a quick background on the multi-player game economy and how Path of Exile (POE) fits into that structure as a free-to-play game. Today, I will detail how POE uses its unique league system to keep the player experience fresh and to avoid the issue of devalued currency and loot.... Continue Reading →
For most MMO games (especially ones where players can interact and trade with each other), there is a natural market progression where initially players have minimal currency and equipment and then gradually gain more of both as they progress through the game. However, eventually most players reach some sort of max level endgame and possess... Continue Reading →
