Context Sensitive: Playing the MMMMG

It was supposed to be a simple trip to DisneyWorld, but it became a quest for epic loot.

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But you did complete the Tier 6 Donald Duck set?

I can't believe you actually refer to Disneyworld employees as "cast members." Are you just completely lost in their corporate buzzwords?

Wow. Disney are even smarter than I thought. Glad I don't plan to go to Disneyworld soon - I'd just get sucked in.

not a zaar:
I can't believe you actually refer to Disneyworld employees as "cast members." Are you just completely lost in their corporate buzzwords?

Most likely she isn't using the corp-buzzwords, she's using her own. The employees represent trade NPCs, part of the cast of the quest she was on. Completely correct usage of the word in my opinion. =)

not a zaar:
I can't believe you actually refer to Disneyworld employees as "cast members." Are you just completely lost in their corporate buzzwords?

I've been to Disney world twice in my lifetime so i can tell you with a fair amount of certainty that his terminology is quite appropriate. most of the Disney employees walk around wearing costumes of the many Disney characters who are all part of the vast Disney cast. when he says cast members, he means an employee dressed up like Minny mouse.

i have never even heard of this pin collecting thing though.

darthmath:

not a zaar:
I can't believe you actually refer to Disneyworld employees as "cast members." Are you just completely lost in their corporate buzzwords?

I've been to Disney world twice in my lifetime so i can tell you with a fair amount of certainty that his terminology is quite appropriate. most of the Disney employees walk around wearing costumes of the many Disney characters who are all part of the vast Disney cast. when he says cast members, he means an employee dressed up like Minny mouse.

i have never even heard of this pin collecting thing though.

Nope she means cast members for all of the staff, not just the ones dressed up like a character. Which by the way you will never see out of costume or hear them talk.

Cast member is indeed the term used by Disney for its park staff.

According to Hiddenmikeys.org "Not all the people who work for Disney are called Cast Members. Film crews are called employees because of the confusion it would cause to call members of the film or TV show's cast Cast Members AND the crew Cast Members. Only people who work for Disney Theme Parks & Shops are called Cast Members."

I'm going to Disney in a few days, but I went last year, and my lanyard is pretty much covered in pins. I care more about the rides (I am going on that "Aerosmith ride" by the way), but collecting stuff is always fun, even if it costs an exorbitant amount.

That also makes me think of Pokemon. And God knows Pokemon made money so I guess it's a really smart move from Disney.

great piece of writing susan, i really liked it. disney may be slightly evil, but that story was awesome. thanks for that.

level250geek:
But you did complete the Tier 6 Donald Duck set?

Sadly, no. I completed just about all of the sidequests, but I failed to make any progress in the Main Story. I thought about buying the pins from online sources -- there are many -- but that smacked of goldfarming to me.

So for the first time in my life, I want to visit Disney World. Cynicism and hatred of Disney movies aside, this very much sounds like the sort of thing that I would become addicted to.

My sister has 3 Donald pins from her visit to Disney World with me. I'll probably PM you a picture of her lanyard and see if anything catches your fancy.

Also: the Aerosmith ride kicks serious ass. I rode that thing at least 20 times, and I still couldn't get enough of Steven's "THREE! TWO! ONE! YAAAHHHHHHH!"

Thanks, Susan, for bringing a smile on my lip, on an otherwise dull and gray day.

I caught myself laughing out loud, several times. 'Twas enjoyed.

One in particular, was when you first referred to a pin as low leveled.

Susan Arendt:

level250geek:
But you did complete the Tier 6 Donald Duck set?

Sadly, no. I completed just about all of the sidequests, but I failed to make any progress in the Main Story. I thought about buying the pins from online sources -- there are many -- but that smacked of goldfarming to me.

Wait...you mean there was actually a zombie Mickey and pirate Mickey?

I quite agree. The Aerosmith ride is awesome.

This is an awesome article and it gives me hope that I will have something else to do at Disney World besides wait while my friends are in line for various rides. (I get really bad motion sickness) ...And Zombie Mickey, liek ZOMG!!

If my parents played video games, this is the story they would have told. They go to Disney every year and they have tons of these things. There's a display case hanging up in the basement with all their rarest finds and they put them in books and... ah it's so crazy! And yet I understand the compulsion to collect all too well. So many games, so many items, so little time.

WrongSprite:

Susan Arendt:

level250geek:
But you did complete the Tier 6 Donald Duck set?

Sadly, no. I completed just about all of the sidequests, but I failed to make any progress in the Main Story. I thought about buying the pins from online sources -- there are many -- but that smacked of goldfarming to me.

Wait...you mean there was actually a zombie Mickey and pirate Mickey?

Yes, indeedy. Top two on the left hand side of the lanyard as pictured. :) I can post close ups if you like.

I've got 2 lanyards full of pins from trips to Disney World, including an Indiana Jones set of 4 and a rather fetching golden Mickey and Minnie pair. I've also got a version of Mickey and Minnie that are only sold in Disney Land Paris that blew the cast members' minds.
I never knew they were ranked according to rarity though, I'm very tempted to go check how many of mine are rare now.

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...

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

I really want to go now.

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.

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

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

Sevre90210:
I really want to go now.

Damn, me too.

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.

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

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

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".

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?

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.

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

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?

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.

Playbahnosh:

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.

pneuma08:
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.