Did you know it’s World Turtle Day? Yes or no, it’s time to bring out your tortoise friends, because we’re celebrating with all things turtle today! This yearly holiday was started in 2000 by the American Tortoise Rescue non-profit organization to increase awareness and respect for turtles and tortoises.
In our games, we’re celebrating with some pretty awesome turtle sales and new turtle mounts… but on the KingsIsle blog we thought today would be a great day to learn some cool facts about turtles and tortoises! Did you know…
- Turtles are one of the earth’s oldest animals and have been around for more than 200 million years!
- A turtle’s shell is actually made up of 60 different bones connected together
- You can find a turtle on every continent except Antarctica
- Turtles can live to be over one hundred years old
- An Indian Ocean Giant Tortoise was documented to live to approximately 202 years old!
- Leatherback Sea Turtles are the largest turtle and can weigh over 2000 pounds
- Many turtle species are endangered and need our protection
- Turtles are reptiles and cold blooded
- Turtles have good eyesight and an excellent sense of smell
Turtle facts sourced from Drs. Foster & Smith Education
We hope you have a turtle-rific day today!
Now it’s your turn to tell us what you think — Do you have a favorite turtle or tortoise from Wizard101, Pirate101 or real life? Let us know in the comments below!
There’s been some buzz lately about a rare Goblin Shark being captured (and released) off of the Gulf of Mexico, but Pirate101 fans are already aware of the rare species as Witchdoctors will be gaining a new Crewmate modeled after a Goblin Shark in the Spring 2014 update, which is scheduled to launch soon.
According to an article on CNN, the goblin shark was caught last month by a fisherman named Carl Moore, who snapped this now famous picture, and it was all thanks to his 3-year old son! Moore began carrying a camera with him on-the-job because he wanted to show pictures of his profession to him.
A real-life Goblin Shark sighting isn’t something you’d see every day, but soon you’ll be able to capture tons of screenshots of “Carcarius Grimtooth” the Goblin Shark Witchdoctor in Pirate101. In fact, now you can be like Carl Moore to your family by sharing your screenshots (and your knowledge of Goblin Sharks) with them!
David Beau Paul, one of the writers for Pirate101, was the employee who made the call to model “Carcarius Grimtooth” after a Goblin Shark. Although he jokingly admitted his initial reasons were based around a funny Internet meme, Paul stated that sharks are serious business on Skull Island.
“We had been wanting to explore new sharks for Skull Island–not that I don’t love the Cutthroats, bless ’em–but we wanted to mix it up a bit,” said Paul. “At the same time we wanted to drop some new, class-based companions into the game. “
He continued, “I remember a bell ringing in my head because the ‘goblin’ term has a great supernatural feel and what a great natural fit it made for a witchdoctor shark character . . . so he kind of took out two birds with one goblin-y stone.”
In fact, according to this article on National Geographic’s website about the recent Goblin Shark sighting, these sharks do spend a “Life in the Dark” some 2,000 feet below the surface of the Ocean. Very mysterious indeed!
Although no absolute launch date has been announced for releasing the Spring 2014 Update to Pirate101, signs point to our Grimtooth friend making an appearance in game well before the end of Spring. Set your browsers to www.pirate101.com, download the game, and advance to around level 4 as a Witchdoctor, then a Goblin Shark of your own could be joining your crew too!
Today we want to showcase some of the creativity we’re lucky to have at KingsIsle. This doesn’t just apply to making games though – many of our employees have highly creative hobbies outside of the office as well!
My making the statement that KingsIsle is the most creative environment I have ever worked in is probably no surprise to anyone reading this. What’s really fun to see is how this creativity manifests outside of our day to day work. Given this I thought it would be fun to start a series on the KingsIsle blog showcasing some of this creativity.
For this first installment, I wanted to showcase our very own Executive Producer William Haskins. By day he’s an incredibly talented producer, but at night his creativity really comes out. He has been writing poetry for years. I was able to convince him to share a bit on his background as well as a few of his original works here on the blog. I hope everyone enjoys the work. I’d also encourage any budding poets out there reading this to share your own poetry in the comments section.
Howdy. My name is William Haskins and I am Executive Producer here at KingsIsle.
I started out with the company as Associate Producer on Wizard101, back when it was little more than a lot of brainstorming and some hilarious doodles scrawled on index cards. I took the helm as Producer for the two years leading up to its launch and shepherded it through its first year or so as a Live game.
I then served as Senior Producer throughout the development and launch of Pirate101. Now, in my role as EP, I oversee both games, in addition to our fascinating new projects.
Though I’ve been in the videogame industry since the 1990s (spanning two centuries, yo!) and have been at KingsIsle now for nine years, I have been writing poetry for much, much longer. It’s been a constant thread in my life since before I was a teenager, and it’s something I will do as long as I live.
Robert Graves famously said: “There’s no money in poetry, but then there’s no poetry in money, either.” Fortunately, I have been extraordinarily blessed to be able to make a living in a highly creative environment, which allows me to take care of my family doing something I love and still be inspired on a daily basis by the creative energy that surrounds me. I try to take this forward into my writing.
Anyway, here are a couple of my poems. Hope you enjoy.
One of the (many) perils of commuting in Austin is the dreaded traffic jam. One day, both before and after work, this slow crawl brought me in uncomfortably close proximity to a possum that had made the mistake of straying into the highway when traffic was actually moving. It didn’t end well for him, but it inspired this meditation on risk and, ultimately, mortality itself:
Ode to Roadkill
I saw you at eight
and again at six,
your fur blood-matted,
eyes like ice,
your grimace greeting
the traffic, speeding
to places where
slaves while away
their days and
nights in cages,
swallowing rages.
I wonder if they
ever felt the rush
or risked the risk
to bolt between
those metal monsters
on instinct alone;
I wonder if you
took some satisfaction
in those errant tracks in
the roadside grass and
foolish fear of
the human heart.
Sleep well, my friend.
The buzzards will wait
until rush hour ends
and traffic thins, when
the sun isn’t watching,
then pierce your skin
and take you home,
piece by piece.
Peace.
This one is an admonition (to myself, as much as to anyone else) to never squander creativity, no matter what life throws at you. Though the metaphor of the pen connects it to the act of writing, it applies to any creative endeavor:
Alea Jacta Est
In fury’s grasp
or throes of pain,
when nightmares stalk
the waking brain,
and monsters wear
the masks of men—
still the mind,
move the pen.
Beneath the heel
of tyrants’ wrath,
when robber-barons
plot your path,
to journey through
the vipers’ den—
steel the soul,
move the pen.
And when the
final die is cast,
each breath connected
to your last,
a matter of
not if, but when—
steal the night,
move the pen.
Thank you for sharing this poetry with us William! If you are a fan of creative writing, make sure you check out the Wizard101 Fan Fiction and Pirate101 Fan Fiction sections. We love to publish poetry alongside the creative prose of our players!
It’s National Autism Awareness month, and we asked community member Dead Sparrow of Duelist101 to touch on the subject for us.
Growing up on the autism spectrum, I often found the social world to be a confusing place. Interactions involve so many unwritten rules and hidden layers that a simple conversation can feel like an endless minefield.
For this reason, I avoided online games when they first came out. Specifically, I avoided MMORPGs (Massively multiplayer online role-playing games): large, virtual worlds where players can interact in an intensely social environment. For me, the whole point of games was to escape the social world…why would I play one that contains all of the elements I wanted to avoid?
One day, however, I was talked into playing Wizard101. I grudgingly made a character and began the quests. I braced myself for what was sure to be a long line of confusing, negative interactions with random players. Instead, something unexpected happened: I quickly discovered many in-game features that made it easier for me to manage the social difficulties I often ran up against. I was having fun. More importantly, I was having positive experiences with others, not in spite of this online world, but because of it. Years later, I’m still playing Wizard101, as well as its sister game Pirate101.
As an adult on the autism spectrum, I couldn’t help but think that these in-game features would have been even more helpful when I was a kid, a time when I was struggling mightily to navigate the social world. To help explain what I mean by this, I thought I would share just a few of these gaming experiences with you.
Here are 4 features of MMORPGs that I believe can be beneficial for those on the autism spectrum.
1. Chat101
One of the primary struggles I had growing up was understanding the structure of conversation. I was not developing the ability to intuitively understand social cues- the “unwritten rules” of interactions, so to speak. This made it difficult to navigate even the simplest of discussions. For example, knowing how to begin and end a conversation; knowing when to speak and when to listen- these are things most people can do without having to think about it, but for those of us on the spectrum it can be a real challenge.
This is what drew my attention to a feature common to most online games, including both KI games: the chat menu. This is a list of pre-written statements that players can select in order communicate with others. As I played and utilized this menu, I was struck by how useful and easy to understand the menu options were.
It’s not merely a list of random statements…it actually provides a structured overview of how conversations work. There are greetings, farewells, statements that provide info about a player’s progress. All helpful ways of sharing information…but for autistics, it’s also an easy way learn those “unwritten rules” that can be so difficult to intuit.
I think the menu chat feature can be a great way to look at statements, identify where in a conversation they belong, and practice navigating the subtle twists and turns of a conversation.
2: Finding Your Style
People on the spectrum can be very different from one another. It has become a cliché, but one so true that it’s always worth repeating: if you’ve met one person with autism, you’ve met one person with autism. And one thing I like about online games is that they offer a huge variety options when it comes to how one chooses to engage with that particular world.
For example, some people on the spectrum have a very strong need for structure. The repetitive observance of clearly defined rituals and tasks can help provide an enormous sense of comfort and stability. Online games are filled with linear quest lines and well-established goals. They are filled with items that can be tracked down, obtained and collected. For autistics who seek out structure, checking off these to-do lists can be both fun and comforting.
For others on the spectrum, it can be the exact opposite; lack of structure is a source of comfort, since it allows one to establish their own internal rules and forms of play. I fall into this 2nd camp. When I was a kid, I was often frustrated by the “rules” of traditional video games. I didn’t want to work through a stage or beat the final boss. I just wanted to roam around and make up my own set of goals. I was particularly fond of discovering glitches. If I could find an area where I could jump off the screen or trigger visual errors in the game, I was thrilled. That was my definition of a good time.
Back then, most kids wanted to rescue the princess. I wanted to break the game. (I’m a natural born beta-tester, in other words.)
It wasn’t until I played Wizard101 for the first time that I found a game that was ready-made for someone like me. You have all the freedom in the world to simply walk around, sight-see and create unique goals that are separate from the quest line.
Autistics can have a hard time finding settings where they are allowed to play based on their own preferences. With online games, that can be less of a problem. If you need structure, they have it. If you’d rather avoid structure, that’s okay too. Whatever your style, the ability to customize your play experience is a pretty awesome thing.
3. Crowd Control
This one might be my personal favorite. In both Wizard101 and Pirate101, you have something called “realms”. This is a feature common to many online worlds, though it can go by any number of names (e.g. servers, areas, zones).
Here’s how it works: in order to manage the immense volume of players logged into the game at any given time, there are actually many identical copies of the game that are running simultaneously. As one “realm” fills up, other players are logged into a 2nd realm…or 3rd or 10th realm, just as many as they need to accommodate the players and leave them with plenty of elbow room.
Why am I describing this? One common challenge people on the spectrum can face is processing social cues. Most people do this instinctively, but for autistics, trying to piece together what is said, what is meant, as well as the overall context can be mentally exhausting. And if you are around a large crowd, where even more social cues are being expressed, it can be a painfully stressful experience.
Which is where “realms” come in. Not only are there a variety of realms to choose from- but they are sorted by crowd-size. Check out this screen shot from Pirate101. The highlighted realm is currently “crowded”. But as you can see, the lower realms are “perfect”, meaning they have a smaller number of people.
So, if you find crowds to be anxiety-inducing and prefer to avoid an onslaught of social data, you can transport your character to one of these less-populated realms.
This feature was designed so that servers can better handle the influx of players. But for people on the spectrum, it can be a great tool for managing their in-game stress levels. It’s an option I utilize almost every time I log in, and it’s always a relief. (The real world could stand to learn a few things from KI games; I would love to be able to do this at grocery stores and parties.)
4: Making Connections
Online games have benefits that extend outside of the virtual world itself. They are also a great way to connect with the people in your life.
It’s like I said, social cues can be confusing, and following even the most basic conversations can be a challenge. But with gaming, you have plenty of ready-made experiences to share with others. They give you pre-existing activities to engage in (quests, gold farming, etc) as well as pre-existing conversation topics (gear, pet selection, and so on).
Certainly, one could say this about many hobbies- like sports or extracurricular school activities- but online games can be the more comfortable option. Many people with autism spectrum disorder have sensory issues; this can include a painful sensitivity to lights, sounds, touch, etc. So being able to socialize while remaining at home, in a sensory friendly environment, is no small thing.
Conclusion
Today, as an adult, I still struggle with the ambiguous world of social cues and small talk. But in a virtual world like Pirate101, it’s a lot easier to spend time with friends and have positive experiences.
It makes me wish the option of online games had been available when I was younger. Making friends was a monumental struggle back then. I think having a world to explore and quests to follow would have made easing into playdates a less daunting challenge.
I will close with this reminder: online games are social in nature. Problems that autistics might encounter in the real world can just as easily pop up in an online game. It’s always a good idea to monitor a younger player’s game time, to make sure that they are both identifying and avoiding problematic encounters. Caution is always recommended, but I do think online games provide numerous safety measures that give players the ability to protect their gaming experience. This is especially true in the case of Wizard101 and Pirate101, which have put a huge amount of effort into making their worlds a family-friendly experience.
No two people on the spectrum are alike, but I do think the features listed above can make MMORPGs a positive experience for many autistics.
So, start gaming. Study those menu chat options. And if all else fails…switch realms.
M. Kelter writes for Autism Parenting Magazine, as well as his personal blog Invisible Strings. He also writes (as Dead Sparrow) for Duelist101, an official fansite dedicated to both Wizard101 and Pirate101.
We have lots of fun making cool games for kids of all ages at KingsIsle Entertainment, but we also make sure to spend time playing games of all types. Card games may inspire a new card spell in Wizard101, while new tactics in a land conquest board game can be the seed for units in Pirate101. Plus, games are a great way to let off steam when you are feeling stressed out.
We have several break rooms at the KingsIsle offices, and most of the time these are filled to the brim with people playing games on their lunch hour. We even have several games set up to be played over many weeks, one hour at a time. A recent favorite board game is a cool one called Krosmaster: Arena. This plays almost like a board game version of Pirate101. You command a team of characters who must battle in an arena against other players. The plastic figurines have a great anime look to them and are very colorful. The strategy is nice and light for a lunch game, but there are enough tactical layers to make for an interesting challenge for everyone.
Another game that we have been playing a lot of is VERY old school. Riichi Mahjong, or Japanese Mahjong, has been in heavy rotation at the office for several months now, and there is even a tournament going on as we speak! Every day I swing by the break room to see a great looking set of Mahjong tiles on several custom boards. These gamers take their games seriously!
What do gamers do when they are outside of work making games? Why, they play MORE games! We have a regular Blood Bowl (PC) tournament outside of work that consumes the office like March Madness. It gets pretty intense and you’ll hear colorful stories of wild victories and tragic defeats throughout the halls, the conference rooms, the break rooms, the bathrooms, at Starbucks, etc. If you don’t know Blood Bowl, think of it as fantasy sports (full contact football and/or rugby) played by elves, dwarves and orcs with a tremendous amount of mayhem. You never know who is going to come out on top or whose top player might be killed by an unlucky roll! We even have a bracket tournament system of wins and losses that culminates in a finale that is fought out live between the two finalists while spectators watch and cheer (and also eat a lot of BBQ)!
So we take games very seriously here at KingsIsle Entertainment…. we won’t even mention the round-robin style ping pong that gets played at the close of business almost every day! There is nothing wrong with a little gaming at work, after all! Who knows? Maybe it will inspire people with a new creature, ability, story, or interesting technique for what we do in Wizard101, Pirate101 and everything that is still to come.
Game on!
Jeff Toney
Principal Artist
KingsIsle Blog 