QUESTION
WHAT IS NOR?
ANSWER:
In simplest terms, NOR is a platform for play.
This means many things for many people, with the two most important things being the games and the economic “world” that surrounds the games.
QUESTION
WHAT KIND OF GAMES?
All kinds of games! We’re not restricted to any specific genre, but every game on the NOR platform must be playable as an esport. This means easy to learn/hard to master. This also means fair, fierce, and fun. We love games with high skill ceilings, and those are the games we are making.
Our first titles are being built right now, spanning multiple genres and styles. We’re always looking for smart innovators, so if you’re building a game that might be a fit for NOR, don’t hesitate to contact Contact us
QUESTION
How much does it cost to play your games?
Nothing. Zero. Zip. Nada. Not only are our games free, but we’ve also designed it so money can’t enter the actual gameplay. Players literally cannot buy anything inside the games themselves. This means players can’t buy a powerful sword or gun or whatever and then bring that unfair advantage with them. The victory conditions of every player in the Arena are determined solely by that player’s skill.
We’ll say it again: our games are 100% free, and players cannot purchase any unfair advantage. Ever.
QUESTION
ISN’T “FREE-TO-PLAY” A SCAM?
That’s why we aren’t calling our games “free-to-play” even though they are literally free to play. The term “free-to-play” was co-opted by games that are anything but free. Those games sell the illusion of skill by manipulating challenges to reward players who spend the most money.
QUESTION
HOW MUCH DOES IT COST TO PLAY THE META-GAME AKA “THE GAME OF GAMES”?
While there’s no set cost to play the meta-games in NOR, it will cost money to enter the meta-game via our Aspect NFTs. A NOR Aspect NFT grants meta-gamers the opportunity to sponsor players, assemble and buy teams, secure virtual land surrounding the game stadiums, purchase advertising, and any other financial abilities within the NOR platform.
If you want to build your esports empire on the NOR platform, the first step is purchasing an Aspect NFT.
QUESTION
So no microtransactions?
No microtransactions. Our games themselves have zero purchase pathways.
QUESTION
And no “special items” that make you more powerful than other players?
Nope. We’ll make our Arena games as close to pure sport as possible. Our games won’t be about who spends the most money–they’ll be about who’s the better player. Just like an actual sport, the more time you spend playing our games, the better you’ll tend to become. But to spend that time, we want you to be having so much fun that you forget time exists. Some call it a “flow state”, others call it “being in the zone.”
Whatever you call it, we believe it’s far too rare in modern gaming.
QUESTION
Do you get why I’m extremely skeptical?
You should be. The game industry has been exploiting us for a long time. By “us” I mean anyone who loves playing games. Consortium9 is a company founded by gamers, for ourselves. Like you, we hate microtransactions and find them insulting and manipulative. Like you, we’re sick of losing to players who purchase victory instead of earning victory; e.g. losing to someone who figured out how to farm a virtual currency 15 hours a day for months on end so they can buy a game-breaking weapon. Like you, we loathe the manipulation and deceit that’s infected online games especially, and now that many gamers are rejecting microtransactions, the gaming industry is using cryptocurrency and NFTs as a new kind of cash-grab.
It’s a classic “meet the new boss, same as the old boss” because crypto and NFTs are becoming synonymous with all the other cynical ploys meant to extract as much money from each player as fast as possible, without any consideration as to whether or not that player actually enjoys playing the game.
In fact, these developers are actually going out of their way to build games that aren’t fun, so they can sell you the ability to speed up those not-fun games. As a perfect example of just how broken the system is, it’s become lucrative to make people pay to not play their game.
QUESTION
WHY DO YOU CALL YOUR GAMES “ESPORTS”?
Because our games won’t be about who spends the most money on superpowered items—they’ll be about who’s the better player. Just like an actual sport, the more time you spend playing our games, the better you’ll tend to become. Skill is everything in NOR, from the games to the meta-games.
QUESTION
You think you have a better arrangement?
Yes. And we intend to show you.