Internet Logic?

Blizzard Entertainment (aka Activision Blizzard) has just announced that it's next game, Diablo 3, will require you to be online in order to play. There are a few reasons they are doing this but the big reason as far as I can tell is that they are going to have a micro transaction auction house. Allowing players to play offline would cause item spawning and duping to fetter the online auction house, skewing the micro transaction market.

People are up in arms over this. As any fan community gets over any sort of logical step in the gaming community. A group of people are mad because they allegedly don't have internet access, they posted this on an internet forum, by the way. Really people are mad because this actually makes it a challenge to pirate the game, and it also makes it impossible to hack. Well, not impossible, but it won't last very long, I can guarantee that.

Either way this is a logical step in the right direction for the online gaming community. something like 62% of gamers play online games, and I'm sure that at least 80% have internet access. You can still play alone, it's the same gaming experience, and it's a pretty simple concept to grasp. If you want a premium online experience then you need to control what your players are doing with there accounts. As terrible as that sounds it's true. Your not forcing your player into some awkward social situation, you're simply not allowing them to poison the online community with game breaking spawned items.

While I'm talking about stupid fans, Mass Effect 3 just announced that the box art Female version of Commander Shepperd is going to be one of six models. They put them up to vote last week and it looks like the blond Shepperd won. An internet movement was outraged at the audacity of a stereotypical female figure being chosen. Calling her a "Bimbo," among other ridiculous things. I find this hilarious, Sheppard can be what you want her to be, who cares what she looks like. My Shepard is a red head with a quirky smile and a knack for killing anything that moves with any weapon on hand. And one of my favorite video game characters? Samus Aran. A blond intergalactic bounty hunter, with the power of space aliens. She is definitely modeled after a stereotype and yet this has never been brought up, in fact she is regarded as the perfect female lead in the video game world. No gender conflict, no issue with taking any sort of responsibility, and absolutely no issue with fear. (Terrible Other M Samus not included.)

How I view Shepperd is not going to change because of the box art, and how you view her is also not going to change. Hell, this might even help to reinforce your idea of Shepperd. Because she is probably the most underground game hero ever.

Also Diablo 3... Buy it... I know, you might be like, but I don't play video games. But this, this is a continuation of a game that has been begging to be continued for years. Blizzard, make it sing!