World of Warcraft

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After He Died at 25, His Parents Took Comfort in His Secret Life

They didn't realize Mats Steen had a whole community of friends in World of Warcraft

(Newser) - When Mats Steen died at age 25, his parents were devastated—not only by the loss of their son at such a young age, but by what they saw as his lonely, isolated life. Steen had been diagnosed as a toddler with Duchenne muscular dystrophy, a genetic muscle wasting disorder...

World of Warcraft Leads to Arrest in Case of Missing Teen

Ohio girl's account was active at home of 31-year-old Florida man Thomas Ebersole, police say

(Newser) - A missing 16-year-old girl from Ohio was found and a 31-year-old was arrested after investigators found that their accounts in the World of Warcraft online role-playing game were active at the same Florida address, authorities say. In a Facebook post , the Marion County Sheriff's Office said officers found the...

Another NSA Target: World of Warcraft

Agents saw games as a 'target-rich communications network'

(Newser) - It's not just us humans who have faced NSA surveillance: Orcs and elves were also among its targets. The agency, along with its British cousin GCHQ, did some of its spying in the virtual world, through games like World of Warcraft and Second Life, the Guardian reports, based on...

Maine Candidate Attacked for ... Playing World of Warcraft

State GOP sets up a page devoted to bashing her virtual life

(Newser) - Would you want a state senator who enjoyed stabbing and poisoning people? The Maine GOP is betting you wouldn't, so they've launched what may be the most surreal campaign against Democrat Colleen Lachowicz, attacking her because (gasp!) she plays World of Warcraft. "In our world Colleen...

No More World of Warcraft for Iran

Blizzard shuts down game to comply with sanctions

(Newser) - How punishing are US sanctions on Iran? Ask the nation's nerds, many of whom have now been cut off from their drug of choice: World of Warcraft. Last week Iranian players discovered they suddenly couldn't access the popular MMO, the Guardian reports. Blizzard eventually revealed, in a battle....

To Prep, Breivik Studied al-Qaeda, Played Call of Duty

He also read more than 600 bomb-making guides

(Newser) - Anders Behring Breivik "trained" for his shooting massacre by playing Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, studying al-Qaeda, and reading bomb-making guides. The best-selling military game let him practice his shot using a "holographic aiming device," much like the one he used when slaughtering 69 people at a...

10 Celebrities and Their Sometimes Weird Hobbies

David Arquette really likes ... to knit?

(Newser) - How to unwind after a tough day of attending awards ceremonies and movie premieres? Well, if you're Tom Cruise, by fencing. That's the sport Tom enjoys along with Will Smith and David Beckham, the Huffington Post notes in its list of 10 celebrity leisure activities:
  • David Arquette: The
...

Justin Bieber, Johnny Depp, Kristen Stewart, and Other Celebs with Weird Hobbies
 The Strangest 
 Celeb Hobbies 
Aug 6, 2011 11:06 AM CDT

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
...

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...

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—...

Letters to Juliet Best Left Unsent
 Letters to Juliet 
 Best Left Unsent 
Movie Review
May 14, 2010 12:15 PM CDT

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,”
...

Bathroom Is for Texting, Not Talking: Pitt
 Bathroom Is 
 for Texting, 
 Not Talking: Pitt 
celebrity advice
Jul 16, 2009 10:33 AM CDT

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
...

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 "...

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...

Online Gaming Boom Outpaces Real-Life Critiques
Online Gaming Boom Outpaces Real-Life Critiques
OPINION
May 31, 2008 1:14 PM CDT

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...

Sony Aims to Power Up Online Gaming
Sony Aims to Power Up Online Gaming
May 22, 2008 10:38 AM CDT

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 ...

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?...

World of Warcraft Inspires Porn
World of Warcraft Inspires Porn
Mar 3, 2008 4:55 PM CST

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,...

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...

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...

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