Day Five – Lord of the Rings Online

I learned about something new today, at least to me. My friend gave me a tour of the online game, The Lord of the Rings And according to my original rule, this meets the criteria for a post. Plus I created a little graphic using a few iPhone apps including Pixlr and Tangled FX from screenshots so I'm covered.

There is actually a lot of creativity with this RPG. Not only are the 3D graphics and animation pretty good but you really get to customize your attire, house interior and horse accessories to create the personas of your liking. Without upgrading for real money, you can have up to three characters. The game is free to download and play, but you'll need to have a fast computer and enough hard disk space, about 20 gigs. As with most digital games, there are "opportunities" to purchase better stuff. This is historically known as the "razor and blades" business model or now as the "freebie marketing" scheme. You give or sell the product real cheap as your customers will be required to buy additional supplies to continue using it. Inkjet printers are another good example of this principle. The first time you need to replace all six or eight ink cartridges in your photo printer, you could have bought a new printer! The manufacturer knows they will make up the difference and profit with the ink cartridge sales. Anyway, this game is a lot more fun than razors and ink. It is extremely detailed and true to the universe created in Tolkien's books. You can travel all over Middle Earth experiencing the lore firsthand while completing quests to earn loot and interacting with other players.