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NEWS ABOUT: World of Warcraft

The Strangest Celeb Hobbies

Bieber rocks a Rubik's Cube; Depp plays with Barbies

(Newser) - Here’s a surprise: Justin Bieber can solve a Rubik’s Cube in less than a minute and a half (watch him do it in the gallery). That’s just one of 13 bizarre celebrity hobbies rounded up by the Frisky .
  • Johnny Depp is a big fan of playing with
... More »

Chinese Prisoners Forced to Play Online Games

Prisoners earn credits that guards flip for cash

(Newser) - Welcome to chain gangs 2.0. Prisoners in Chinese labor camps toil away by day, digging ditches and breaking rocks—and by night, they're forced to play online games like World Of Warcraft, where they mine virtual gold that prison guards sell for actual cash, the Guardian reports. According... More »

Calif. Researchers Hack Kinect for World Of Warcraft

USC researchers provide software free online

(Newser) - It's about time academics applied their brain power to something really useful. Researchers at the University of Southern California have hacked Microsoft's touchie-feelie Kinect camera for the XBox to play the hugely popular World of Warcraft online game. What's even better is that the software they developed to do it—... More »

Letters to Juliet Best Left Unsent

Sappy, predictable rom-com a guilty-pleasure only

(Newser) - Critics aren't exactly head-over-heels for Letters to Juliet, a predictable romantic comedy about a young woman helping an older one reconnect with a lost love, but it has its charms. Here's what they're saying:
  • “Letters will hardly go down as the funniest or sharpest caper of the year,”
... More »

Bathroom Is for Texting, Not Talking: Pitt

Brad doles out etiquette tips for the Internet age

(Newser) - The times, they are a-changin’—and that calls for new rules of etiquette. To help out, Brad Pitt addresses issues ranging from inter-Rock Band dynamics to texting in the bathroom for Wired:
  • Problem: Your Rock Band bassist sucks. Solution: “Fire his ass. Bonus: It'll put the others on
... More »

World of Warcraft: the 'Cocaine of Gaming'

Fantasy game involved in nearly every case of game addiction, foundation says

(Newser) - World of Warcraft is the most addictive video game on the market, the Local of Sweden reports. WoW is the most popular of the online multiplayer fantasy games—by far the most addicting game genre, according to a study by the Swedish Youth Care Foundation. The Blizzard title is "... More »

Study: Video Game Addicts Aren't Nerds

'Problem gamers' may be unhealthy, but they're not lonely geeks

(Newser) - The stereotype of the hard-core gamer as a friendless geek may be as outdated as Pac-Man, Reuters reports. An Australian study looked at "problem gamers" who spent more than 50 hours a week playing and discovered that less than 1% had poor social skills. The findings contradict statements from... More »

Online Gaming Boom Outpaces Real-Life Critiques

Cultural attitude toward virtual world reflects antiquated view

(Newser) - The dizzying growth of the video game industry continues to alarm cultural Luddites, writes Tom Chatfield for the Prospect, but the critics are trapped in video gaming’s past. They haven't adjusted to the development of social, team-based gaming worlds, treating games “as an odd mix of the slightly... More »

Sony Aims to Power Up Online Gaming

Games developer seeks to reach new markets with innovative scenarios

(Newser) - Sony is seeking to boost online gaming to the next level with a pair of new adventures in the pipeline. The company's 1999 EverQuest was the first massive online game to rocket to popularity, but rivals like World of Warcraft have since taken the lead. With spy shooter game The ... More »

Competitive, Social Aspects Make Video Games Addictive

No shortage of horror stories about fun-seekers-turned-junkies

(Newser) - The American Medical Association may not yet rank video gaming as addictive, but players who call World of Warcraft “World of Warcrack” know the score, writes Kristin Kalning on msnbc.com. But what is it that drives obsessed players to neglect their jobs, their health and even their kids?... More »

World of Warcraft Inspires Porn

Sex series' homage to the game is a blockbuster hit

(Newser) - Perhaps it was inevitable: The 8 to 10 million members of the user community for Blizzard Entertainment’s World of Warcraft multiplayer game now have porn tailored specifically to the details of their escapist world, the Village Voice reports. Entering its second season, the “Whorelore” web-series (originally “Whorecraft,... More »

Exploding World of Warcraft Population Hits 10M

Online fantasy game has most subscribers in genre

(Newser) - Online role-playing game World of Warcraft has topped 10 million subscribers, making it by far the most popular game of its kind, GamePro.com reports. The fantasy kingdom of Azeroth now has a higher population than many of the real world's countries. More than half of the game's addicts are... More »

Shakespeare Game Much Ado About Nothing

MMO game hoped to be social experiment - instead it's 'no fun'

(Newser) - Edward Castronova’s Arden: The World of Shakespeare was supposed to be a revolutionary academic experiment, a massive multiplayer online world where players learned about Shakespeare while Castronova tested economic theories on them. There’s just one problem, Technology Review reports: “It’s no fun,” says Castronova. Focused... More »

Vivendi to Buy Activision

Get ready for World of Tony Hawk's Pro Guitar Warcraft

(Newser) - Vivendi, producer of mega-hit World of Warcraft, today announced plans to merge operations with Activision, forming an independent video game behemoth to rival EA. Vivendi will buy 52% of Activision for $1.7 billion and $27.50 per share, the Times reports, a premium on Friday’s $22.15 closing... More »

Ghosts and Ghouls Invade Virtual Worlds

Digital realms like Halo and Second Life are getting in the Halloween spirit

(Newser) - Take a break from scarfing candy to join in silly spookiness online. Wired gives you the inside scoop on special events and areas in your favorite virtual worlds dedicated to the holiday:
  1. Halo 3: A seasonal addition to the matchmaking playlist should keep players entertained for the 27 hours surrounding
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Shot on Location—in Azeroth

(Newser) - World of Warcraft is home to 9 million adventurers—and one film crew. A team of New York-based programmers, filmmakers and geeks has been shooting a feature-length movie entirely within the online game, a uniquely difficult location shoot. “The crew doesn't usually start running off after their mortal enemy... More »

Fantasy War Game Models Global Pandemic

Virtual outbreak gave scientists chance to study spread

(Newser) - A programming error in an online fantasy game gave researchers a profound insight into how a deadly epidemic spreads and how to combat the crisis. The London Times reports a glitch occurred in World of Warcraft, which has millions of online players. A disease aimed at a handful of characters... More »

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