Voice chat in MMOs - Pros, Cons, Options (Ventrilo, Teamspeak)

Image via Wikipedia

Voice chat is becoming increasingly popular to use in MMOs for ease of communication with players. What options are out there?

Read more here!

Facebook Games - How They Are Similar to and Different from Traditional MMOs

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Is Facebook the new MMO platform?

Either the industry must adapt the definition of an MMO, becoming more accepting of games played on social networks, or we must find a new definition of games like these that seem right between the definition of online multiplayer games and MMOGs.

Read more here.

Piecing together WoW Cataclysm series

I published a series you WoW junkies might be interested in: Piecing Together WoW Cataclysm.

The idea behind the series is simple - collecting all the random facts tossed around about Cataclysm from Blizzcon and the forums, organizing them by game mechanic/system, and then handing 'em out in bite sized chunks. Let's be honest, the Cataclysm stuff is massive and hard to swallow all at once.

Here's the series. Enjoy!

• Piecing together WoW Cataclysm: Guild Leveling
• Piecing together WoW Cataclysm: Mastery
• Piecing together WoW Cataclysm: Path of the Titans
• Piecing together WoW Cataclysm: Rated Battlegrounds
• Piecing together WoW Cataclysm: Archaeology
• Piecing together WoW Cataclysm: New Race and Class Combos
• Piecing together WoW Cataclysm: Reforging and Item Stat Changes

World of Warcraft: Trial of the Champion Guide

Image by Jeff Kubina via Flickr

Never been to World of Warcraft's newest instance - or having some problems? Check this guide for all the tips, tricks, and strategies to beat Trial of the Champion on both normal and heroic!

Read the full guide here on Bright Hub!

Free Realms Codes and Cheats

Want exclusive items, a leg up on leveling, and some awesome buffs - all the stuff that people will ask, "Where'd you get that?" Look no further - all of the Free Realms codes and cheats are right here!

Subscription-based MMOs breeding addicts?

Image by swanky via Flickr

In late July, a news story surfaced about Dr. Richard Graham, a psychiatrist who is seeking to open in-game counseling services in World of Warcraft. The claim was that World of Warcraft is more addictive than crack – and there's certainly some evidence that players have, at times, taken their virtual world experiences too far. There's the real world cases of stabbing upon selling a sword loaned in-game, the suffocation death of a 4-month-old child due to parents neglect while playing World of Warcraft in an Internet Cafe, and a player committing suicide because he couldn't beat his addiction to EverQuest. There are dozens more cases, and at least half a dozen studies, about the addictive nature of virtual worlds.

Continue reading the article here!

Free Realms Ninja Guide

Stealth. Speed. Honor. These are the values of the Ninja, one of the most honored historical warriors of the modern world. And now, they can be yours too.

Read the full guide here!

Are MMOs becoming Anti-Social?

Image by Getty Images via Daylife

"The truth is, MMO players have come to accept a different definition of friendship – a definition with different expectations and norms than exist in the real world. Simply put, there was an understanding of a common good in MMOs, and players worked toward achieving that goal with amazing cooperation. As time has gone on, however, the social bonding that took place in MMOs has gone with it, leaving us with a more competitive, individualistic game – one that seems to be forgetting what MM stands for in MMORPG."

Read the full article here. I think you'll enjoy it, even if you disagree.

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