2020 Redux

To The Editor: You’ve nailed it, Escapees. Thoughtful articles, slick design, polished copy. This is just what games journalism needs.

Hope you keep it up.

– Dave

In Response to “Speed Thrills” from the Escapist Lounge: I just read your article in 3 minutes 25 seconds. Beat that!

– Andrew

In Response to “Speed Thrills” from the Escapist Lounge: I have been in QA for the game industry for a few years now. Exploits described in the article are what we call “Aggressive User” bugs. For the most part we decide not to fix these bugs as they can be time consuming to fix and what do you really accomplish? If a player gets their enjoyment from finding glitches, hidden paths, and shortcuts through the levels then what is the harm if there are some in there?

– Jason

To The Editor: In the article “The Forgotten Gamers”, Dana Massey touches on a number of interesting and important issues for the world of gaming. Unfortunately, he doesn’t ask the big question which her introduction begs: is Chess really a good game?

It seems like outrageous hubris in some ways, but I’d be quite confident in answering: no. By modern standards Chess fails to deliver much of what a game needs. If “released” today it would make no impact on even the world of board games, never mind computer games.

– Dom

In Response to “I Thought Games Were Supposed to Be Fun” from the Escapist Lounge: I suppose the big question I have with regard to grind in MMORPGs is – why are MMORPGs stuck in the “roll-player”/Monty Haul mindset that spawned this trend in pen and paper RPGs so long ago? Is there a reason there has to be equipment that is just plain better? Why is some orc that lives in a grass hut in the middle of barbarian lands carrying a sword that’s 40 times better than the one you got from the blacksmith at the castle, who makes them day and night and has for the last 10 years? And why in god’s name is the orc back there 3 hours after he’s killed? That’s not a “persistent world”, that’s a world where someone is hitting reset button every few hours, and no one notices (or cares).

– Chas

In Response to “Drudgery” from the Escapist Lounge: I’d say that most (if not all) MMOs have 3 phases: The Dating Phase, where everything is new and the possibilities are endless, The Honeymoon Is Over Phase, where the grind sets in, and The Twilight Years, where you’ve progressed far enough to enjoy the fruits of your labors.

– Chris

In Response to “Lester Who?” from the Escapist Lounge: That was the lamest thing I’ve ever read on The Escapist. How about you avoid self-analysis and stick to writing about games.

– a