#disabledgaming
Earlier this year World of Warcraft player Unwelcome suffered an accident that permanently robbed him of his hearing. Feeling alienated and shunned by his real life friends, he returned to World of Warcraft for some online alienation and shunning. More »
#clips
We've made it an important milestone in the increasingly long list of hacks that transform Microsoft's Kinect from Xbox 360 motion controller into something grander. World of Warcraft is now playable with Kinect hand-waving action. More »
Avid World of Warcraft players are always looking for that special something to incrementally boost their in-game performance -- little did they know that the greatest boost wouldn't come in the form of a legendary item, but rather a motion-detecting Kinect hack from researchers at USC.
#mmo
There have been whispers on the internet winds for years now about a Blizzard project named "Titan", supposedly the company's follow-up to the world-conquering World of Warcraft. Well, Blizzard is now speaking a little louder on the subject. More »
#legal
Bots. Like it or not, they're part of online games like World of Warcraft. A U.S. court ruled on the legality of one particular popular and profitable bot. More »
#wellplayed
This week, exceedingly popular computer game World of Warcraft undergoes a cataclysm, reshaping not just the game's landscape but how you play in the game. More »
Whether you're looking to rebuild your Diablo or Starcraft software collections, or if you just want to get down on the complete World of Warcraft anthology before it gets extended tomorrow, you should probably go hit up Amazon. For today only, they've got big sales on Blizzard's big games.
Hey GameString! You guys need to cut it out. Yes, the tech demo you've been circulating for your cloud-based, game-streaming technology is wicked impressive, but the subject of said demo is just plain irresponsible. Using its own "Adrenalin Host Server" and a customized, touch-based user interface, GameString has managed to run a playable version of World of Warcraft on an HTC Desire smartphone. (Check out a video demonstrations after the jump.)
Sure, we've seen WoW running on an iPad recently, and we've seen a few cumbersome attempts to put it on a mobile phone in the past, but we're concerned nonetheless. Until now, the only thing keeping the world from ... well, stopping, was the fact that you couldn't properly play World of Warcraft without sitting (or biking) at your computer. Just think: If GameString pulls this off, you could soon be able to grind, farm, raid and PvP your way through Azeroth using a thing that fits in the pocket of your skinniest jeans! That's gonna be it, man. That's gonna be the end of this great big beautiful experiment we call humanity.
If you're looking to contribute to, you know, the apocalypse, you can sign up for the Adrenalin Host Server's public beta on GameString's official site.
#clips
This is what happens when a 25-man Alliance raiding party sacks their own capital city - with rock. They may not have started the fire, but they have created one of the most beautiful videos I've ever seen. More »
#wow
Of all the things she's done in her life - like starring in sitcoms, animated series and big Hollyood movies - there's nothing actor Mila Kunis would love more than to play a "kick-ass mage". More »
#tshirts
Geek culture and gaming-inspired clothing company Jinx adds another game to its lineup as Call of Duty: Black Ops joins World of Warcraft and StarCraft II as part of the company's holiday 2010 line. More »
#blizzard
Remember: If you ever ingest the Battle.net Authenticator you use to protect the integrity of your World of Warcraft account, the first thing you should do is seek medical attention on the official World of Warcraft forums. Just like this WoW player did... More »
This is the second part of Joystiq's in-depth discussion with Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick, in which we've covered his side of the Brutal Legend situation, Activision's Bungie partnership, and why Kotick's been cast in the role of video game industry villain. Up second: The Call of Duty business, from Xbox Live to DLC to a rotating stable of development teams.
"You know, Call of Duty games probably represent more than 50% of the total Xbox Live traffic," Bobby Kotick told me when I asked him about Microsoft's recent $10 Xbox Live price hike. You see, Activision is tasked with monetizing an immensely popular online game through a traditional - and inflexible - system: a retail disc played in a video game console controlled by another company. And despite a constant refrain of Call of Duty subscription rumors, the only subscription you may pay to play it online isn't to Activision at all; it's to Microsoft.
"I think the thing that sometimes even I don't fully appreciate - and I think I have a greater appreciation for it today, having spent a lot of time up with Microsoft recently - but they invest billions of dollars in the Live platform. Billing, credit collection, things like foreign currency conversion, being able to manage point systems. All of that is extremely expensive to manage and maintain." Of course, this is all to say that it deserves something, but how do Activision and its customers factor into Microsoft's agenda?
"Because of our Blizzard experience we have an incredible understanding of how important the provision of appropriate customer service is," Kotick said, citing 2,500 World of Warcraft customer service employees for the US and Europe alone. "What we'd like to ideally see is that the investment in the subscription fees going towards the provision of a higher level of customer service [...] to see some portion of the subscription fees go towards game enhancement." Activision does enjoy a "very modest amount of the subscription fees," Kotick told us, but he's more interested in seeing any cost increase in the service go towards "directly benefitting the Call of Duty players."
You're a giant video game company. You've released StarCraft II this year, and Call of Duty: Black Ops is selling ridiculous amounts. Your first name's Activision, last name's Blizzard. You have a plan for the future and, today, you shared. More »
Are you troubled by strange activity in your Battle.net account? Do you experience feelings of dread in your WarCraft or StarCraft games? Have you or your family ever seen a fraud, hacker, or scam?
If the answer is "yes," then don't wait another minute. Pick up the phone and call the professionals: Blizzard's Dial-In Authenticator. Their courteous and efficient automated system is on call 24 hours a day to verify your identity in case of suspicious account activity.
It's ready to authenticate you.
#blizzard
Blizzard is offering one more way to keep your World of Warcraft and StarCraft II account safe, this time by making a standard, toll-free phone call to authorize any weird login attempts. More »
We don't know about you, but seeing WoW machinima in this clip instead of R.E.M.'s lead singer Michael Stipe is totally fine. And the song -- a rendition of "It's the End of the World" by Nyhm & Sharm -- could be more gracefully sung, sure, but it's really the heart coming through that counts.
#blizzard
The first World of Warcraft charity pet brought in $1.1 million for the Make-A-Wish Foundation, and it was nowhere near this cute. How much do you figure these adorable little Moonkin Hatchlings will make? More »
#clips
Witness a musical celebration of the life of Falstad Wildhammer, courtesy of Twenty First Records and the world's greatest World of Warcraft fan. More »
#clips
Last week, deeply knowledgeable World of Warcraft fan "Red Shirt Guy" called Blizzard's top men on the carpet at Blizzcon, a dazzling display of Warcraft lore and continuity expertise. Today, that man addresses his fans and detractors. More »
#crime
This past March in British Columbia, two teenage boys — 16 and 18 — raped and killed 18-year-old Kimberly Proctor before mutilating and burning her body under a bridge. When it was over, the 16-year-old told a friend on World of Warcraft what they'd done. More »
#clips
Geek. This word is power, Chris Metzen, Blizzard's senior vice president of creative development tells us. This is word is identity. This is our word. And for one weekend it was also BlizzCon's word. More »
#blizzcon
See, they're trolls, and they are female, get it? No? Just check out the second and final BlizzCon 2010 cosplay gallery, packed with the three W's: Wizards, warriors, and Waldo. More »
#blizzcon
You can't throw a rock without hitting someone wearing one of video game clothing company Jinx's new World of Warcraft murloc hoodies. I chatted with the designer of this adorably terrifying garment. More »
#blizzcon
BlizzCon? More like DrizzCon, am I right? No? Still BlizzCon? Either way, we'll be bringing you news, videos, and more cosplay than you can shake Thrall's hammer at all weekend long. More »
#blizzcon
We're coming to you live from BlizzCon 2010's World of Warcraft Live Raid, where Blizzard promises they're doing something new and fun. Join us! More »
#blizzcon
The last World of Warcraft charity pet, a Pandaren Monk, generated $1.1 million for the Make a Wish foundation, so Blizzard is going to offer another. Revealed today at Blizzcon 2010: A Moonkin Hatchling. (not pictured) On sale in November. More »
