Guild Wars: Interview @ CVG

CVG talks with Michael Gills, ArenaNet Tournament Coordinator, about the future of Guild Wars as an online sport.

What challenges have you faced when attempting to stay on top of keeping the game balanced, and how has the introduction of large cash prizes changed the way you run the league?

Gills: As with any game, whether computer, card, or even a board game, there are many, many more players than there are the people who create it. While the designers do their best to create a fair and balanced game, the simple reality is that the player base will do a much more thorough job in testing the game and stretching the rules of it than can ever be done in-house.

With that said, one of the advantages that Guild Wars has over more static games such as trading card or videogames is the ability to be constantly monitoring and making changes to maintain the overall competitive balance of the game. With our streaming technology we are able to quickly make needed game balances and upload them to our entire player base. This was done constantly before high level PvP play was started and is watched even more closely now.

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Source: CVG