Context Sensitive: Playing the MMMMG

[Crops]

Would it be frowned upon if anyone brought a child along just to have access to the green lanyard NPCs?
Or perhaps just call upon the help of any nearby child available?

I see the birth of a Hunter and Warlock class...

Though I hope Disney has strict rules against Rogues and ganking, things could get real ugly real fast...

 

[BehattedWanderer]

Haha off to Disneyworld, I suppose. Though, the +10 Pin of Ultimate Goofy sounds like something Russ has equipped at all times.

 

[Sevre]

I really want to go now.

 

[TundraWolf]

Awesome article. It makes me want to carry around a Quest Journal for everything in my life from now on. It just makes daily activities sound so much more epic.

Point of interest, though: the color-coded rarity system wasn't created by MMO's, but by CCG's. Not a big issue, just a little point of contention that stuck with me through the article. But that's just me being anal again.

 

[Shamus Young]

Wow. Brilliant work on the part of Disney. Amazing. Sounds fun.

And yes, some close-ups of the pins would be cool.

 

[Crayzor]

I really want to go now.

Damn, me too.

 

[Susan Arendt]

Awesome article. It makes me want to carry around a Quest Journal for everything in my life from now on. It just makes daily activities sound so much more epic.

Point of interest, though: the color-coded rarity system wasn't created by MMO's, but by CCG's. Not a big issue, just a little point of contention that stuck with me through the article. But that's just me being anal again.

I did not know that. Thanks for sharing the info.

 

[pneuma08]

Whoever came up with this idea is a marketing genius. Just...wow.

 

[Anarien]

In gaming, I am quite the collector. When it comes to MMOs, it is usually clothes or other gear. I am both explorer and collector and that does spill over into real life. Within reason.

I've been to Disney World several times, the last being in 2007. I love it there, but a quick assessment made me decide the pin trading is just way too expensive. Some of these pins cost $15 each. Many of the sets are at least $20. Before you know it, you'd be dropping $100+ on pins. What else can you do with them but display them somewhere? Sure, during the trip, it's exciting, but when you get back, they kind of collect dust. So I never bought into it. I'd rather buy a t-shirt or a mug from the parks. Even a plushie.

Also, the Aerosmith rollercoaster is the only ride I have ever used the chicken out exit on. I waited with my family, saw it shoot straight up at lightning speed on takeoff and said "no way".

 

[The Rogue Wolf]

So. Wait just a second.

Susan, are you telling ua that you have friends that you get to refer to as "Red", "Numbers" and "Skippy"?

Just with THAT, you're living a life so many of us only DREAM of. This whole business with the pins is just extra-sweet icing on the awesomecake. Sadly, I tend to avoid theme parks- I'm prone towards vertigo (only when on the ground in open spaces, oddly enough) and am extremely sensitive towards being upside-down, so a good number of rides are "out" for me- so I guess I'll never see this awesomeness myself. But if I do... I'll see if I can nab one of those Donalds for you. Trade you for a Chip or Dale?

 

[Playbahnosh]

Whoever came up with this idea is a marketing genius. Just...wow.

Trading games are not a new concept, in fact it's older than video games. MUCH older. If you look at it, it's very much like trading cards, Disney only uses pins instead.

Susan only saw it through the eyes of the gamer. You see what you want to see. If you play much MMO, you too will see NPCs, quests and loot everywhere. It's only natural.

 

[Magnatek]

Was there a pin that was a cross between Mickey Mouse and the Rebel Alliance logo on that lanyard, or was that just me?

 

[Anarien]

Was there a pin that was a cross between Mickey Mouse and the Rebel Alliance logo on that lanyard, or was that just me?

There are indeed Star Wars Disney pins. A whole collection of crossover merchandise, actually. It grew out of the partnership between Disney and LucasArts over the Star Tours ride, and has since grown to Jedi Academy, Star Wars Weekends, etc.

I've got a Sith pin somewhere that I got at Disney World. It came with the lightsaber replica I bought.

 

[pneuma08]

Whoever came up with this idea is a marketing genius. Just...wow.

Trading games are not a new concept, in fact it's older than video games. MUCH older. If you look at it, it's very much like trading cards, Disney only uses pins instead.

Susan only saw it through the eyes of the gamer. You see what you want to see. If you play much MMO, you too will see NPCs, quests and loot everywhere. It's only natural.

While that's true (yes, yes, baseball cards and the like), trade of them never been marketed by the primary source, as the Disney "Cast Members" do, to the best of my knowledge. (Typically trade has been a strict secondary market, at the whims of the free market.) Nor has it been combined with the idea of a theme park, such that the experience of hunting pins is combined freely with the experience of visiting the park.

Sure, you can buy them from the Disney Store or from the secondary market, but that lacks the thrill of the hunt of being surrounded by these pins and encouraged to collect them. (Disney employees accomplish this in subtle ways, such as, "Oh, you're collecting the Donald set?", which both reinforces the goal to the informed and establishes a goal amongst the uninformed.) Just buying the pins is dull and boring; you want to go visit the park. And it also gives you something to do during your downtime at the park (such as waiting in line or even waiting for your kid to get off the teacup ride), and makes the whole experience that much more memorable.

 

[Playbahnosh]

While that's true (yes, yes, baseball cards and the like), trade of them never been marketed by the primary source[...]

You sure? How 'bout Pokemon? "Gotta catch 'em all!" ring any bells? It's maybe just a catchphrase based upon the story, but one can see the underlying scheme. I agree, trading per say was never in the core concept when baseball cards arrived, but as with any collectibles, trading is a must if you want to have a complete collection (which is never or very rarely attainable, hence the need for trading).

What Disney did was simply putting the emphasis on trading the pins instead of just simply collecting them. Minor change, but it was the most visible.

 

[Susan Arendt]

Was there a pin that was a cross between Mickey Mouse and the Rebel Alliance logo on that lanyard, or was that just me?

Yep. I got asked to trade for that one quite a lot. That one and the British Mickey were the ones people wanted the most.

 

[Lord S. Binkleheimer]

Man, I've never though of it this way.
Last time I was there, I just traded my pins for Chip and Dale.
It was fun, nevertheless.

 

[Dragonrabbit]

While that's true (yes, yes, baseball cards and the like), trade of them never been marketed by the primary source[...]

You sure? How 'bout Pokemon? "Gotta catch 'em all!" ring any bells? It's maybe just a catchphrase based upon the story, but one can see the underlying scheme. I agree, trading per say was never in the core concept when baseball cards arrived, but as with any collectibles, trading is a must if you want to have a complete collection (which is never or very rarely attainable, hence the need for trading).

What Disney did was simply putting the emphasis on trading the pins instead of just simply collecting them. Minor change, but it was the most visible.

I think you misread what he wrote, I believe he was saying that the company itself engaging in trading is a novel concept. That is to say, you could never send in your Bulbasaur to WOTC and have them send you back an Abra.

OT: I have to say, I could easily see myself getting swept up in this sorta thing. Must... collect... Pixar Pins...

 

[Magnatek]

Was there a pin that was a cross between Mickey Mouse and the Rebel Alliance logo on that lanyard, or was that just me?

Yep. I got asked to trade for that one quite a lot. That one and the British Mickey were the ones people wanted the most.

It makes sense(albeit, remotely). I still remember a Star Wars 4D(I guess you'd call it 4D, with moving chairs and everything) ride from '98.

 

[Dabchan]

Sigh...I never got to visit DisneyWorld when I was little.
Ah Well, I am glad that you had a good time