Spam Spam Spam Humbug 137.5 – Achievements Are Like Merit Badges for Gamers
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Podcast Topic(s)
Continuing on from the previous episode, WtF Dragon, Golem Dragon, and Draxenath are joined by Harmony Dragon, and after briefly discussing VPNs and unsecured wifi hotspots (as well, for some reason, voice assistants and how Microsoft is relegating Cortana to Office 365 (making her, in effect, the new Clippy), the subject turns to Shroud of the Avatar and their recent efforts to curb multiboxing. Or not curb it, but also take measures to limit it.
This, in turn, leads to a discussion about gaming-related peripherals, especially mice and keyboards, button-mapping and hotbar configurations.
Because this recording took place some time ago, whilst WtF Dragon was in Bismarck, North Dakota, the discussion also turns toward Scouting for a bit (as WtF had several opportunities to interact with local Scout groups during his stay in the area). The distinction between Scouts, Girl Scouts, and Girl Guides is briefly discussed (as are cookies), but a parallel is soon drawn between the way that these organizations reward learning and achievements with merit badges…and the way that games now reward players with achievements, which are then available to be displayed on their gaming profiles (on whichever platform/s they play games through).
Has the advent of in-game achievements changed how gamers approach games, encouraging both completionism and odd approaches to situations within games in order to unlock some of the more ridiculous awards available. WtF Dragon cites the “Juggling” achievement in Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning, which requires the player to first render a foe airborne, and then land a number of additional hits as well before said foe hits the ground again. This, in turn, leads to a discussion of how melee-centric Reckoning tends to be.
To wrap up, the group discuss MMOs, and some of the more notable examples — Star Wars Galaxies, Final Fantasy 14, Destiny 2 — of ways in which MMOs have been revamped to add “new player experience” features.
Community & Patronage
As always, this episode of Spam Spam Spam Humbug is brought to you by our Patreon backers; thank you to everyone who supports Spam Spam Spam Humbug and the Ultima Codex by that means. And, as always, a hearty thank you to our co-producers: Seth, Goldenflame, Chris, Dominik, Violation, Cranberry, Christopher, Bruce, Dark Wraith Dragon, Helgraf, Gronkh, Pascal, and Thorwan.
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Music
Ultima VI Gates of Creation by OC ReMix
Ultima V – Stones 2001 Remix by DJ Lizard
Image
Gaming Badges by TeeChu
Remember: gaming aids social distancing, and breaks up the self-isolation.