WoW cosplay girl in Taiwan. (By swanky) The ten million player massive multiplayer online roleplaying (RPG) game World of Warcraft has long dominated the MMORPG charts. But what is so enthralling about a game that has, effectively, brought the end to ten documented lives? Well, let me explain. I started playing WoW several years ago, one year before the first expansion. World of Warcraft has been an interesting experience over the years; meeting new people from all over Europe has caused my “WoW” group on MSN to be just... Read More

The sound of excitement filled the crowded bar as Baby Baby made their entrance through the front door of The Alley Cat. They filed onto the stage one after the other like heroes returning from war with their heads held high and instruments in hand. They knew what they had to do; they knew the crowd would soon get restless; they knew that together they could turn Carrollton into once big dance party. The clock was slowly approaching midnight of January 30 and the Alley Cat was packed to the brim. Fans, friends, and family... Read More

I’m not sure if you have ever witnessed what has passed for journalism within the gaming industry, or even if you would call it journalism at all. Due to the online nature of gaming culture it has become the norm for gaming news stories to be written in a blog style, infected with sarcasm and bias. The focus of video game journalism has been to entertain first, whilst informing second. Journalists within this industry have sub-consciously thought their audience comprises solely of thirteen year old boys with short attention... Read More

I had a really tough time finalizing a Top 7 list, as there are so many great guitarists throughout the history of Rock. Anyway, here they are, in no particular order of skill or ability, but ranked somewhat by influence on Rock. 1. Jimi Hendrix - Undoubtedly the best now and forever. He gave the world the true meaning of being a rock guitarist. I consider him the most unique, original, and innovative guitar player. His solos were not very exceptional compared to some of today’s other guitarists, but they were definitely... Read More

The Path - a short horror game by Tale of Tales When I announce to someone I’ve recently met that I study and design video games I quite often get puzzled looks. ‘Really?’ they say. ‘You’re devoting your whole life to games? Errr… Why?’ It is at this point I take a breath, ready myself and begin my rant. I’m pretty proud of this rant; it can go on for quite some time and I’ve put a lot of work into it. It includes everything from Aristotle’s Catharsis theory to psychological theories of escapism and its... Read More

When I was five years old my big brother and I walked up to the neighborhood movie theater to watch the film Santa Claus Conquers the Martians. What we viewed that afternoon was a cinematic production every bit deserving of its future designation thirty-four years later as one of the worst movies of the twentieth century. The plot itself was more than just a bit disturbing to a pre-schooler, Martians descend and kidnap Santa along with two small children so that Mars can have Christmas just like the planet Earth does. I... Read More

Textual Intercourse, a new book by Beob I’m certainly not one of these people who pushes their chest out and proudly says, “Oh I can’t be arsed with texting, if I’ve got something to say then I’ll just ring ‘em!”, as if they should receive some sort of medal for being so utterly, uncreative.  These people (usually men) have seriously missed the point if they think the only thing the text message is to be used for, is practical purposes.  These very people could really benefit from discovering the joys of... Read More

Director: Joel & Ethan Coen Running Time: 105 minutes Rated: R This is a review from the London Film Festival.  This film is currently playing in theaters in the US. Bad luck.  Karma.  Fate.  The wrath of the god(s).  These are just a few of the basic terms that the human race has used to try and signify those terrible happenings that befall them whether it ranges from the trivial, such as that one morning Joe cannot find his keys and runs late for work, to the traumatic, where Sue makes a wrong turn and is stranded... Read More

Director: Jason Reitman Running Time: 109 Minutes Rated: R This is a review, coming from the London Film Festival.  This film will be released on December 25th. Every era, generation, and decade seems to have a film that is reflective of both the happenings and personalities of its time period whether it was intentionally or unintentionally done to be so.  These films seem to grasp the meaning of its period and literally create a time capsule around their plots and surprisingly, are not even meant to be documentaries. ... Read More

Washington DC's Wale is touring the US. “Attention Deficit” by Wale. After weeks of pushing the release of ‘Deficit,’ Washington DC-based artist Wale finally has a studio album under his already studded belt. The production team assembled to work this record, his first studio album, is no stranger to the music world. Mark Ronson was a co-producer in Amy Winehouse’s album “Back to Black,” which won Record of the Year and Song of the Year with the single “Rehab.” Wale... Read More

Although this website is American, I’d like to talk about the issues surrounding censorship in Australia, specifically in relation to video games. The types of discussions this topic generates are universal and should be thought about even if you do not live in the country it is directly affecting. As with all new forms of media, or new artistic mediums, controversy surrounds the content that should and shouldn’t be displayed. For society to come to grips with new media a period of scrutiny must ensue. During this... Read More

This game has sat in my Xbox much more than any other game I have ever owned. It came out two years ago to this month and thousands of people still log on every night to play. Very rarely will you ever see the same person twice in one room once he/she has left yours. Online multiplayer for Call of Duty 4 is said to have the best online play over any other game. Unless you’re a Halo 3 players, then you more than likely think Halo 3 is better. Sorry, but you’re wrong (just saying). The matchmaking is much faster... Read More