Gaming, LOTRO, Podcast — August 7, 2012 at 13:37

Contains Moderate Peril Episode 71: Killing Humphrey Bogart With A Sledgehammer

In this weeks Contains Moderate Peril podcast, we have our say with regard to the unsurprising news of SWTOR going F2P. The change in business model may well generate more revenue, but will it make a flawed game any better? We have our doubts. We also consider the potential impact that photo-realistic gaming could have upon popular culture. The more you think about it, the more issues seem to arise and not all of them are good. Finally, we discuss the relevance of Non Disclosure Agreements. The current Rider of Rohan beta test is subject to one, yet material is still being leaked. Do Turbine or any developers really care about enforcing NDAs? Do they ultimately just rely on player good will? Are leaks really just guerilla advertising?

Here is the full running order of this weeks show:

SWTOR F2P: Will the change in business model really do anything for the game other than make EA more money? Will free access alone, bring players back? [Starts at 01:52]

Games will be indistinguishable from reality in 10 years time: Or so claims some pundit from ILM. Is this a good thing for gaming and other markets? Will this further increase public disengagement from reality? Will this lead to more image and identity copyright? What would be the potential abuses of such photorealism? [Starts at 15:59]

Riders of Rohan. Breaking the NDA: Turbine don’t seem to be bothered by the numerous NDA breaches that are occurring, as the recent videos from Eyes & Guard tavern and leaked map details show. Do they really care or is it guerilla advertising? Are beta tests relevant anymore or are they really about previewing the product? What action can be taken against such breaches ? Where do you stand on such matters? [Starts at 37:15]

The podcasts are intended to be broad in content and casual in their nature. They are fun to record and are intended to inform and amuse. All opinions offered are our own and do not reflect any official view held by the game developers or film studios whose products we discuss. There is some strong language used occasionally. To listen to the show you can use the embedded media player below, directly download the MP3 file or alternatively use the iTunes store.