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Lots of terrific MMO and game news broke this week, thanks to the big E3 event here in LA (we're still wrapping up here at the temporary Joystiq/Massively HQ -- we're still a little shell-shocked from learning how awesome our readers are last night at the meetup). And our question today is: is any of it driving you back to play an MMO game? As we ask every Friday, E3 or otherwise, What aRe yoU Playing?

You might have missed it in all the chaos -- Star Wars announced some new loot cards, so maybe you're headed back into Galaxies. Or maybe you're playing Age of Conan and excited about learning some patch timeframes? Or maybe you just wish you were playing DC Universe Online -- we sure wish we were.

So what are you up to in the world of MMOs this weekend? Leave a comment below, and let us know what virtual worlds you're visiting.

Any Pirates of the Burning Sea fans heading to Gen Con Indy this year will be able to catch up with the folks from Flying Lab Software. They will be there representing their game in the Exhibitor Hall at Booth #1033, but if you really want to get to know the team, then you'll want to go along to their meet-up at the pub!

On August the 14th, wear your PotBS shirt if you have one and head on over to Loughmiller's Pub. From 6pm to 9pm -- and probably later -- you'll find yourself in good (albeit pirate) company, with members of the FLS team and your fellow fans. There will even be some prizes up for grabs, so if you're going to be in the area, register for the meet-up and treat yourself to a night of PotBS fun.

Attendees of this year's Comic-Con International at San Diego will be able to catch up with members of the Age of Conan team, as Funcom has confirmed that two of their big names will be visiting the convention. Product Manager Erling Ellingsen and US Community Manager Glen "Famine" Swan will both be in attendance and ready for the fans.

The AoC crew will be at the San Diego Convention Center from July 24th through July 27th, in Exhibit Hall G Booth 5129. To assist in your journey to meet them, you can check out the center's floor plans ahead of time. Just remember to be on your toes at their booth -- Conan fans are among the bloodthirstiest of gamers, so keep an eye on any twitchy cosplayers with sharp weapons.

Massively Speaking Episode 14 is a another special episode! Two in a row! This week we're in Los Angeles for E3, and the minds behind the site's direction sat down for some jawwing about what we've seen. Alongside Leads Krystalle Voecks and Michael Zenke, Joystiq Producer Barb Dybwad and Joystiq Senior Editor Elizabeth Harper sat in for all the MMO news from the biggest games event this week. Sit in with us as we talk about DC Universe Online, Runescape, Combat Arms, The Agency, Age of Conan, and much much more.

Have a comment for the podcasters? Shoot us an email to podcast AT massively DOT com. Maybe we'll read your letter on the air!

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Read below the cut for the full show notes.

Correct us if we're wrong (and we know you will, you clever lot), but 1930's-era gangster fiction is a genre that hasn't been explored in MMOs -- until now. Nemesis Studios Entertainment is a relatively new game company that's hard at work on Goon World, an MMO set in a world where warring Mafia-like crime organizations run rampant.

While details are vague owing to this early stage of development, you can read an interview conducted with the team at the Warcry Network, and the official site has an FAQ that delineates some of the pertinent features. Will this title, along with APB, usher in a new era of MMOs, away from the overwhelming fantasy/science fiction mode? Will Goon World make you an offer you can't refuse? It could be a contender ...

An academic named James Gee told lecture attendees at the Games, Learning, and Society Conference in Wisconsin that game and virtual world developers have a better handle on how to foster "passionate communities for learning" than most teachers do. He used World of Warcraft as an example of excellent game design that creates communities that share information and solve problems together.

He also referenced Second Life, telling the story of a girl who started using Photoshop to make clothes for her Sims in The Sims. She went on to start a business selling her fashions in Linden Labs' virtual economy. "Education isn't about telling people stuff," said Gee. "It's about giving them tools that enable them to see the world in a new and useful way." Gee argued that game developers know how to do that, and that educators should learn from their example.

Gamasutra has some more quotes and analysis, but the sum of it all is that Gee believes that since delivering raw information to students' brains isn't going to work in a rapidly changing, postmodern world, they should be trained to come up with their own unique ideas in response to all the data that makes up the complex system that is our society. So, think emergent gameplay, but real!

Those of you unfamiliar with The Non-Adventures of Wonderella rest assured: She's snarky like that all the time. Second Life residents, try to resist the urge to flame on. In the latest installment of her non-ongoing story, Wonderella decides to check out the world's favorite online hang out Sucking Life (subtle criticism!), with revolutionary results.

Actually, we'd play a giant mechachicken any day of the week! Developers, are you listening?

As closely as we watch the MMO scene here at Massively, all too often we neglect to look at the bigger picture. In the shadow of AAA titles developed in the US, there is an entire nation of MMO-players that all to often get ignored by the gaming press of the west. South Korea probably has the most enthusiastic population of online gamers in the world. The way they do MMOs is, most likely, going to dictate the future of the genre on a worldwide basis. Concepts like RMT, microtransactions, and the tenacious need to pay only when the mood takes the player are already being reflected in popular games here in the states. Gamasutra's Brandon Sheffield tackles this nation of gamers head-on, in an impassioned editorial meant to explain why we should all be paying closer attention to this fascinating country.

Sheffield notes that Korea is actually a country where non-MMO developers have to compete for staffing resources, so prevalent is the desire to work on Massive games in the country. This is a also a nation almost purely of PC players - many Koreans like to mix their work and play by earning some extra cash from RMT. As long as Koreans see gameplaying as something that can be a lucrative passtime, "for fun" console gaming will never take the place of more serious MMO titles. Check out the piece, to gain the perspective the veteran journalist displays here: "Aside from World of Warcraft, they've taken a genre we invented, and perfected it to the point where an online dance game like T3 Entertainment's Audition has tens of millions of subscribers worldwide."

Every week, hardworking Massive gaming fans put their voices on the line to bring us news, opinions, and 'critiques' of their favorite games. Podcasts are a staple of many hobbies nowadays, and fans of online worlds are especially fortunate in this regard ... there are a ton out there.

As such, every so often we'll try to update you on the podcasting world. Keep your eyes on this space for links to your favorite MMO-commentary celebs. Good and bad, straight-man or blue-mouthed, they all have something to offer about this amazing style of gameplay.

Our sister site has a podcast, and this week it's the one we want to be sure and feature. The WoW Insider show is a great collaboration with the folks at WoW Radio, and regularly features the blogging masterminds behind the site. This week Massively's own Kyle Horner sat with Turpster, BigBearButt, and Mike Schramm to give a look back at WWI and re-examine one players immersion into the game. Well worth a look!

We've talked previously about the tug-of-war that seems to be happening between the PC-yes and the PC-no crowd. Gabe Newell, head of the well-known Half-Life developer Valve, firmly stood up in the PC-yes column late last month. His impassioned statements were even referenced by the folks at Blizzard in their own denouncement of PC platform haters earlier this month.

It's worth noting, though, that Newell sees MMOs specifically as the future of PC gaming. Valve itself is looking at the subscription fee and microtransaction models for future projects. They're also looking to the genre itself, something we've talked about here on the site once or twice before. Ultimately, they feel, the Wrath of the Lich King expansion is going to do more for the medium of videogames than the best efforts of groups like the PC Gaming Alliance. Make sure to check out Newell's now-slightly stale comments with a new eye towards the MMO-love.

Gamasutra's "China Angle" column has a new look at the changing face of gaming in China's heartland. While most of us in the West think of China's biggest cities - Hong Kong, Beijing, Shanghai - the vast majority of its people live in less-developed and semi-rural areas. In the biggest cities, the net cafes are facing extinction as laws tighten and people purchase the means to enjoy internet connectivity at home. In these more rural areas, though, the internet cafes remain the primary means of accessing the web. The article goes on to say that wealthy young people in these areas are particularly drawn to MMOs - sometimes the only form of amusement in particularly remote areas.

Giant Interactive, the Chinese gaming powerhouse headed by Shi Yuzhu, has tapped into this by connecting the social aspects of MMOs with more traditional social networking. The company has apparently invested in the site 51.com, with the hopes of getting some of their players together offline as well as on-. China Angle author Frank Yu notes that the company is a likely to have a lot of success in this endeavor, as it has proven especially cunning at promoting online services in the past. In-cafe representatives will touch base with future customers, and (they hope) continue to improve the online lifestyle of China's heartland.

During a recent media event at Cryptic Studios, Jack Emmert gave a presentation on what the Champions IP was all about, including the history of the Champions universe and its super-powered beings. He also took some time to answer a few questions, and delineated how the Champions Online MMO will distinguish itself from City of Heroes.

Although the video misses a few minutes of the beginning of the presentation, it does cover the major figures such as Defender, Doctor Destroyer, and Foxbat (pictured above); the various organizations the world harbors; and the Nemesis system. There's a lot of great content in Emmert's words, and if you're like us, it all just makes you hungry for more. The full 14:50 video is all yours after the break!

Massively Speaking Episode 13 is a special episode covering a unique topic. The summer pre-E3 slumps left us wanting to do something a little different, so this week Shawn and Michael are joined by three very special guests. Darren and Karen of the "Shut Up, We're Talking" Podcast hop on to help us put some questions to former EverQuest 2 Senior Producer Scott Hartsman. We talk about the transformation of EQ2 from the game at launch into what it is now, run down some of Scott's favorite moments from his time at SOE, and even dance around what he's working on now. Join us!

Have a comment for the podcasters? Shoot us an email to podcast AT massively DOT com. Maybe we'll read your letter on the air!

Get the podcast:
[iTunes] Subscribe to Massively Speaking directly in iTunes (MP3)
[RSS] Add Massively Speaking to your RSS aggregator.
[Digg] Like the show? Digg it.
[MP3] Download the MP3 directly.
[VW] Listen at VirginWorlds.com
Listen here on the page:



Read below the cut for the full show notes.