Posts with tag jump

When trying to figure out just who we're playing with in virtual spaces like World of Warcraft, we often watch how they talk for clues. Common knowledge suggests that gamers who are more mature -- and therefore older -- will be more grammatically correct, typing in complete sentences with proper punctuation rather than leaning on acronyms and slang. However, a recent study on gaming chat by a Colorado State University researcher suggests our common knowledge might just be wrong -- because while phrasing can certainly give us hints at a typist's age, Millennials are better at grammar than we think.

In a study of players in Second Life and World of Warcraft, research concludes that the more definite indicator of age is how players move. Younger players jump about twice as often as older players, as well as moving more in general (15% more) and moving backwards more often (30% more). So before calling out your fellow players for immature kids, you might keep an eye on how often they jump -- if they don't, they may just be straight-up immature.

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I knew I couldn't be the only quirky person in WoW. Talonhunter of EU-Tarren Mill's thread on the general forums helps me feel a little bit better. He asked what people's "ticks" are, citing "Every time I engage a mob, I strafe a few steps to either side," and "When I have done a brief dismount, to gather something or likewise, I always run a few steps before I get back on my mount again."

There are some things that seem odd, but actually appear to be common. Some examples include jumping when charging or when summoning a flying mount, obsession with repairing gear, and checking out what every linked item looks like. I have some of the habits mentioned in the thread, and a few others:

I don't know why this is so fascinating, but it really is. Tulvar posted this on the forums-- it's him using the Rocket Boots Xtreme (and the Filled Festive Mug from New Year's Eve, which grants multi-use slowfall) to fly from the top of Netherstorm all the way across the abyss to the tip of Hellfire Peninsula. And he survives, which is what surprised me most of all-- I would have thought that a fall like that would kill a man (err, a troll), but I guess he nabbed a Mug just in time.

Xtreme sports, Outland style. Which makes me wonder: what's the highest point in Azeroth and Outland? Surely it's Blackrock Mountain, right? The top of Ironforge Mountain? Or Mount Hyjal? If it didn't exist officially only the Caverns of Time at this point, that is. And surely Molten Core is the lowest point in the land, but what's the lowest non-instanced point? Un'goro?

[Thanks, Jacckk!]

There was some hullabaloo this week over various changes that some thought had been made to the female avatars in patch 2.1. These changes made me think about who makes decisions regarding what female avatars should look like, and if these decisions tell us anything about ourselves as gamers.

First of these alleged changes came to light when somehow some people got it in their minds that the... um... well... that uh... their... um... human and other Azerothian females wouldn't have to buy such large bras if they made a trip to the department store, because the two relevant glands had been reduced in size.

Well, this time it was Death and Taxes to the rescue! Xaviera took up the supposed change with dedication, comparing "old" and "new" screenshots with the utmost precision, and proved for all to see that in fact NO change had taken place! As Xaviera says at the end of her conclusive argument, "you can sleep safely, take it easy."

Stay tuned for more female avatar-change headline news and expert analysis after the jump.