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Wizard 101: Gaming Goes Mainstream
SBFord
Former Associate EditorMember LegendaryPosts: 33,129
If there has been any doubt in anyone's mind about the power of gaming, look no further than KingsIsle's announcement that it is partnering up with Disney star and recording artist Selena Gomez for an in game promotion. In his latest column, MMORPG.com's Garrett Fuller takes a look at how gaming has truly gone mainstream.
Wizard 101 has an interesting story in the MMO world. It was considered a kid’s game that had enough intensity and storyline for hardcore players. It came from an independent company that not many people had heard of, in other words it did not have Turner, Disney, or Nickelodeon attached to the title. It came from the team who made Shadowbane, one of the most hardcore PvP MMOs ever created. It also remains on top of the heap of kid friendly MMOs and continues to drive development in reaching out and providing fun family entertainment while still appealing to hardcore players. It is also very successful and continues to do well in the market. Now they are taking things one step further. They have partnered with Selena Gomez for a promotion and in game quest which will bring some pop culture fun to an already wild success story.
Read more Selena Gomez & Wizard101: Gaming Has Truly Become Mainstream.
Comments
its not really f2p, you can play for free for 10 levels ,then you have to pay or just grind away in the first areas.all other area have to pay to get in.
Awesome game. even for adults.
well DDO took or atleast they are both the same model atleast near it . in DDO you can advance by buying area or buying a sub.
in a way they are both not free , and the other they are both free cause you can do whatever you want withint the restriction for free.
Wake me up when Scarlett Johansson shows up in some game and they've got a lifetime subscriber in me. That's when you'll know that MMO gaming has gone mainstream
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Who the heck wants gaming to go "mainstream"? Look what the mainstream made in Television, they made... REALITY TV. God aweful waste of hard drive space, tape, and talent. No thanks, I'll stick with my games the way they are.
I'm extremely happy for the KingsIsle team. When so many studios were targetting the tween market, they were able to make one of the few MMOs that was truly successful at doing it. They emulated the games that tweens/teens were already playing and they created an intuitive system for new players to the genre to quickly learn how to play.
Kudos to the devs behind Wizard 101!
There isn't a "right" or "wrong" way to play, if you want to use a screwdriver to put nails into wood, have at it, simply don't complain when the guy next to you with the hammer is doing it much better and easier. - Allein
"Graphics are often supplied by Engines that (some) MMORPG's are built in" - Spuffyre
Flat out Wrong.
With DDO you can earn points to buy the new zones by gaining faction without ever spending a single IRL $.
With Wizard 101 the ONLY way to get to the new zones is to buy them with money. There is no ingame way to earn access to the other zones.
Awesome,
You've got a point. Fanbase size has pros and cons on both sides of the scale: small fanbases are limited when it comes to capabilities (due to typically few specialties within its few fans) and, well, availability to find others to share the time you spend with, due to the lack of fans overall. However, even when more people become interested, the people making the money (or those who find interest in making money) start to change their focus: from quality to quantity. Instead of providing products that their original--albeit small--fanbase spent endless hours playing/using, their newer, "better" products try to draw in the masses, which oftentime leads to warping the original product into something that the original fans can no longer appreciate.
But it's going to happen, because the masses choose the quantity. There will always be small things that a few of us enjoy above all others, but the reason they're not the popular thing is because most people WON'T enjoy those things, unless changes are made to make them more appealing.
-stud
You have an error in your description of this game. This game is definitely NOT free. It has trial where you can play to level 10, but it is pay after that. You can't rely on marketing departments to provide correct information.
Good game though. One of the few I would recommend for your kids. It makes Free Realms look sad.
Terrific game.
Thank you for all the kind words, and I just want to clarify how Wizard101 works with regards to Premium areas.
Wizard101 has a free to play area that you're invited to enjoy for as long as you want, however every school has a tuition.
If you wish to explore beyond Triton Avenue, you will need to purchase time in the game with a Subscription, or areas in the game with Crowns.
Remember, young Wizard, you can earn your own Crowns!
Go to https://www.wizard101.com/game?context=iaf .
Follow the instructions and you're well on your way to Earning Crowns that will allow you to purchase Premium areas and items in Wizard101.