In a press release sent out today, Blizzard announced that World of Warcraft has achieved yet another milestone: the massively successful MMO is now played by more than 11.5 million subscribers worldwide. WoW’s already impressive numbers have been bolstered by the recent release of its second expansion, Wrath of the Lich King which, by selling more than 2.8 million copies in its first day of release, became the fastest-selling PC game of all time. Wrath sold more than 4 million copies in its first month, breaking yet another record for most monthly PC-game sales. Both of these sales records, ironically enough, were previously held by the first WoW expansion, The Burning Crusade.

‘Twas Winter Veil’s eve, and Azerothians know,
That Greatfather Winter soon follows the snow.
Through Ironforge and Orgrimmar, cheer will be spread,
A well-earned respite in a world full of dread.

For just when the world seemed to be on the mend,
When heroes of 70 stood poised to defend,
Foul Arthas returned, the Scourge at his back,
Ready, once more, to renew his attack.

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I’ve always had a soft spot in my heart for role-playing games (that’s what she said?), dating way back to the original Final Fantasy on the NES. There’s just something about embarking on epic quests to far-away lands that really embodies gaming to me. Regardless of the game, RPGs represent escapism in perhaps its purest form, especially those RPGs that have a robust character creation system where you can literally be anyone you want to be. However, like any other genre, there are variations between games that can affect just how “escapist” an RPG can be, perhaps the strongest of which is perspective. The perspective a developer chooses for their game has a huge impact on how the story is presented to the player, whether it’s meant to suck you in and tell “your” story, or whether they already have an engaging story to tell and want you along for the ride.

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A few months ago, my fellow GotGame writer, Britney, laid out the reasons why gamers will inevitably rule the world. Considering this inevitable-ness, I feel that we, the gamer community, have a responsibility to begin preparing for the changes that our new order of awesomeness will bring about to the world at large. As gamers, we’ve always been obsessed with tech, be it the real-world gadgets that get us in the game or the seemingly unending supply of new and fantastical gear we wield in game, every day. Today, I want to look at the technological advances of a gamer-ruled society, the kinds of breakthroughs that will equip our population for the trials of the future, like maintaining our personal finances, caring for our families, and fending off the annual zombie invasions. I feel confident that these advances will further cement the idea that we should clearly be in charge of, well…

…everything.

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With the Big 3 home console makers constantly vying for the top spot with consumers (particularly this time of year), it can be easy to overlook the robust handheld market and its own system war. The Nintendo DS and the PSP are the two major competitors in this battle, and both are holding their own in the handheld market as each offers a different experience, depending on what a gamer is looking for. In a recent report from Gamasutra, however, sales figures for Nintendo’s and Sony’s handhelds reveal some interesting trends—particularly in software sales—that may or may not point to a clear winner thus far in the handheld wars.

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One of the best parts of any game experience is the different gadgets and weapons you get to play with along the way. Perhaps no franchise better embodies this idea than the Legend of Zelda series; each dungeon presents a new treasure to uncover and subsequently use to either defeat the boss or reach your next challenge. Since my love for this series is already well documented, we can skip past the praise-lavishing and get straight to the good stuff: my list, in no particular order, of some of the best Zelda weapons and gadgets of all time. I’ll try and forgo some of the more iconic choices, i.e. the Master Sword, on the assumption that you and I both know that the Master Sword owns you.

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With the recent release of Tom Clancy’s EndWar, the voice command-centric real time strategy title from Ubisoft, the possibilities inherent in using your voice to play a game are once again brought to light. Using your voice to command battalions of troops is certainly a natural progression; the omnipotence granted to the player by most RTS games is only enhanced by having your units live and die by your order. However, I want to take a look at other genres and titles that could benefit from this kind of vocal integration. Some of these suggestions are serious, some are ridiculous, and some (if not all) almost certainly require technology that doesn’t exist yet.

But I digress.

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Every Christmas in Gamerland, there’s always the hot new console or game title that is a must-have both here in the States and around the globe. As tech and gaming have grown exponentially over the past decade, there seems to be more and more frenzy surrounding gaming during the holiday season. Recent numbers posted by Hitwise (a company that monitors internet traffic) have shown that Wii Fit is far and away the most searched-for title online during this year’s holiday lead-up in the UK.  In contrast to last year, the Wii console was the front-runner.

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