What Makes A Good Seasonal Event?

Which games do Christmas well?

Phil: It’s the season! Which season? I’m not sure. Magazine production lead times still confuse me. But, when you’re reading this, it should be slightly after Halloween and slightly before Christmas. As such, games will both just have and be about to update with themed seasonal events. Have any of you spent a festive season in Overwatch, World of Warcraft, Dota 2 et al? And what’s the key thing that prevents a good seasonal event from being a Christmas turkey?

Andy: I like it when MMOs do their own version of Christmas, which is usually called something like ‘Frostmas’ or ‘Winterfest.’ When you play these games for hundreds of hours, a sudden change of scenery – and the ability to throw snowballs at other players – adds some welcome variety. It’s all a bit frivolous and daft, but hey, so are most games.