This blog is now officially 1 year old. The number of stories has't abated. Have they increased? I'm not sure. But I am pretty certain that we aren't anywhere near the peak yet: Online gaming industry figures indicate that the North American market is nowhere near saturation.

Is the online game genre going to change significantly in this new year? From what I have reading so far, I doubt the games are going to become any "easier" or "shorter": World of Warcraft has been somewhat praised because its quests are fast to complete, gameplay involves far less grinding and players can accomplish some things in less than 30 minutes. But does that solve everything? Apparently a lot of people who have reached level 60 tire of the game and move over (or added) Everquest 2. Now how can you blame the games for the fact that these gamers are actually COMPLAINING for not having to spend countless hours and days for accomplishing very little? I certainly cannot. Well, I do think that Everquest, Lineage etc. have a lot to do with changing online gaming expectations. But in the end, I can't rid myself of a somewhat baffling visual: a donkey that complains about the carrot that dangles too closely to its mouth. Will it demand that the carrot be placed further, or will it simply eat more carrots and march on? I sincerely hope the donkey will stop and ponder for a second.