My American sources tell me this is a long weekend for you folks across the pond. Something about independence from Blighty a few hundred years ago. Essentially an excuse to let off fireworks, have BBQs, enjoy the fine weather and skive off work. Good on you. It seems like lots of MMOs are using it as an excuse to take the real celebrations in-game. For example, World of Warcraft has the Midsummer Fire Festival which concludes tomorrow with a bunch of snoozing goblin guards and a whopping fireworks display. Likewise, Lord of the Rings Online has one festival with four different names.

Given the fact the games are created by humans, it's no surprise the in-game festivals of all our favourite MMOs share a little in common with actual celebrations in real life. However they can also be handy for people too far away to meet up this 4th of July, most often troops on active duty or family members and friends separated by thousands of miles or even continents. So are any of you out there planning to eschew real celebrations in favour of meeting up with your guildies in-game? Are you going to travel around to see the fireworks or, if you play, WoW raid an enemy city. Do you prefer celebrating such events in-game? Do you mark them on your calendar and anticipate them as much as their real world counterparts? Do you wish the developers would expand world festivals to take account of more important holidays?

Yesterday, the news first broke that Blizzard had applied for a trademark on the name "Cataclysm", in the fields of computer games, paper-based products, and online entertainment services, according to an article at WoW.com. Speculation has spread across the blog-o-sphere as to what this new trademark could be. Could it be the next WoW expansion? More likely it's the name of their next-gen MMO they're said to be working on.

But what if it's not? As the WoW.com article points out, StarCraft: Ghost was also trademarked, and it never actually materialized. Is this Blizzard trying to throw us a curve ball, or is it really a solid lead into what could be Blizzard's second go at a successful MMO? Of course it's all speculation at this point, but from the information presented, do you think Cataclysm is the next Blizzard MMO?

With the recent news of China banning the exchange of virtual currency for real world currency, it brings up the future of gold farming in that country, and possibly the world. While China is certainly not the only country which employs MMO gold farmers, it's often labeled as the biggest offender. There is certainly a difference between trading real world money for virtual money and trading virtual money for real world money, but this new China legislation shows that the legalities of both practices are becoming real issues to lawmakers.

So we're curious to know how you feel about the whole process of trading in either direction. It was once a stigma among gamers, but many companies are adopting this practice in a legal way, conducted by item stores and in-game currency exchange. Besides the fact that these item malls are supported by the game studios, do you see a difference? If so, what are they? Discuss!

The Call to Arms live expansion for Warhammer Online was over six months in the making. It gave WAR players the Choppa and Slayer classes, RvR tokens, keep upgrades, and culminated last week in the arrival of The Land of the Dead mega-zone. Massively wants to know if you're enjoying it.

We've been keeping tabs on various WAR bloggers who have shared their thoughts. Keen feels that the zone flips a bit too easily but is happy with the new content overall. LotD isn't the mecca of RvR that Bootae had hoped for, but he's still quite pleased with the quality of it (over the quantity). As for Thulf, well he was actually drawn back to WAR after a couple months' absence to give it a shot. It's too early for him to tell whether or not he'll keep his subscription open for it.

This writer is still waiting for the dust to settle. I don't know if there are any major issues with the zone or its effect on RvR, but I'm hesitant to jump in head first and have my experience spoiled by anything. The ancient undead can wait a little longer for this explorer.

The summer solstice occurred just over a week ago and it seems like Mother Nature finally stopped slacking and caught up with the season. This has led to a number of us talking about sweltering heatwaves and chaotic storms around the Massively office lately. They seem to be having a positive effect, which rings especially true for this northerner who is usually forced to wear a toque for over half the year.

It also got us wondering: What are your summer plans? Do they involve beaches, books, or barbecues? What about baseball, birdwatching, and beer? (PS. Never mix those last two - trust me.) There sure are a lot of summer-y things that start with the letter B. Biking, bocce, baking on a backyard blanket... Okay, that was a stretch.

One activity that doesn't start with a B is playing MMOs. What MMOs do you have on tap this summer? Will you pillage Land of the Dead in Warhammer Online? Participate in the Aion beta events? Tickle yourself pink in Free Realms? Obsess over every Star Wars: The Old Republic tidbit? Turn enemies into space junk (and then salvage that space junk) in EVE Online? Enquiring minds want to know!

When we heard about the all the goodies in the Mortal Online Collector's Edition - combined with the especially cool one that's up on eBay, with 100% of the proceeds going to Doctors Without Borders - we were pretty impressed. Not only are Star Vault starting off on a great foot PR-wise with their special charity auction, but it sounds like the extras in their CE version are pretty cool - at least, if you were planning on buying Mortal Online anyway! So if you're one of the hardcore PvP MMO fiends, is this on your list of things to get? Are you frustrated by the extremely short notice? Or are you psyched to finally get some details on it - and chomping at the bit to get into beta?

When you look at MMOs like World of Warcraft, Warhammer Online, and Aion*, you'll find that the "good guys" are usually the most popular. The primary conflicts in these games are between Alliance vs. Horde, Order vs. Destruction, and Elyos vs. Asmodian and it seems that more people choose to play on the side of good than evil. That "evil" is actually more of a "misunderstood" in two out of the three games I mentioned, yet the perception seems to stick.

Is it because we were all raised on fairy tales that hammered strong values and good morals into our heads? Maybe it's because the general trend in storytelling predominantly focuses on heroes of virtue? There are even stories about anti-heroes. Flawed though they may be, these protagonists still manage to absolve themselves of their sins and save the day most of the time.

I usually choose to play the villain in MMOs because I see them as the underdog. It isn't something I consciously think about but maybe there's part of me that wants to see the bad guy shine for a change. That doesn't mean I root for the latest serial killer on the nightly news, but in a fantasy world I want to escape from my normal role as a model citizen and cause a little mayhem in a place that doesn't hurt anyone.

* Aion Korea, where the game is actually released.

There are always going to be times when, due to real life commitments, you can't play your favourite MMO, whether it's a month of exams or an important week at work. I started playing WoW in November 2006 and was on the cusp of getting the game when my first month ran out and I had to fly back to Norfolk from Exeter for Christmas. My mother doesn't have broadband and is a little scared by technology (it's taken me two years to show her how to use a DVD player) so I didn't bother bringing my laptop. This meant over a month without the internet or WoW. It was during this time that I realised how much the game had gotten its claws into me. When I got back, a couple of days before The Burning Crusade was released, I re-rolled to my current main and haven't looked back since.

During that month I started to take an interest in the game. I hit the library and devoured WoWWiki, I researched the lore of my chosen class and that of Azeroth itself. Then I started reading the novels and finally, I was reduced to watching YouTube videos to get a better idea of how the game had evolved as well as a peek at the endgame. So, constant readers, let's say something in real life has meant you can't play your MMO of choice for a couple of weeks, how do you cope? Do you do something totally different? Do you use other media about said MMO (like YouTube or novels) to get your fix?

When I first heard about Aion: Tower of Eternity, my first thought aside from "wow" was "I'm so going to play Elyos". It was the wings, you see, and I always seem to play on the 'good side'. However, having now played both sides, I'm torn. I love the look of the Elyos and their angelic society, but I also appreciate the struggles of the Asmodians. Plus they do that groovy glowing-eyes-in-combat thing which just looks awesome. I might just roll one of each. I was curious to see a lot of people loitering in Pandaemonium over the weekend advertising their Elyos guilds and the same thing happened during CBT1 but with Elyos advertising their Asmodian ones.

So now you've had a chance to play both factions from Aion: Tower of Eternity I'm curious to know whether you will still roll (insert your faction here) or whether you've had a change of heart. Does a particular faction's lore or locale grab you more or have you just bonded with your avatar so much that you can't dream of defecting to the other side? If you've not changed your mind, are you going to stick with your avatar during CBT3? Were you glad the Aion devs allowed you to play Elyos this weekend or were you glad you could finally roll that Asmodian? Speak up, readers, and let us know what you think.

We know a decent amount about the general direction Final Fantasy XIV is headed. It'll be very pretty, have a similar-yet-different job system and feature all the classic trappings we've come to expect from the series. Oh, and PlayOnline is going bye-bye, which is something to be happy about.

Specifically, we know that the developers are aiming to create an MMO that allows many more styles of play than Final Fantasy XI does, meaning solo players who prefer both short and long term sessions will find the game accessible this time around. Final Fantasy XI is of course notorious for being one of the hardest MMOs around, and it's earned that reputation. And while the game has seen its share of difficulty smoothing, it's nowhere near as inviting to new players as, well, just about every other MMO on the market, really.

So does the prospect of a friendlier, safer and assuredly more accessible Final Fantasy interest those of you who wouldn't touch its predecessor with a ten foot Gunsword? Will you be looking out for further information or simply ignoring Final Fantsy XIV while you wait for something else to grab your attention?

With the addition of our recent new feature, BetaWatch, we've got a great up-to-date resource on what's in closed and open beta, and what's soon coming down the way. What this doesn't tell us, however, is what you as readers are interested in! As we're always looking to bring you news on the titles you crave information on, we thought we'd ask this morning - what betas are you interested in hearing about?

We know that CCP Games, creators of EVE Online, is going to announce a new project at GDC Europe in August. As CCP acquired White Wolf, creators of pen-and-paper RPG titles like Vampire, Mage, and Werewolf (the World of Darkness setting), we've known for some time that a World of Darkness MMO is in the works. Unfortunately, beyond the fact that the project exists at some stage of development, we know very little. But this mystery project announcement might not be about WoD at all. We're also aware that CCP Games has plans to release a first person shooter based on the EVE Online IP, which they hinted at during EVE Fanfest 2008.

The latest info we've found about a new project at CCP Games (via @crazykinux) is a job listing at CCP for a Senior Game Engineer. The successful applicant "will join a seasoned team based in Shanghai, China where they will work on original IP for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3." The listing also mentions development on the Unreal Engine.

Regardless of whether they're planning to unveil World of Darkness Online or an EVE Online first person shooter, you don't need to be an EVE player to appreciate how cool either of these releases could be. What game do you think CCP is going to announce at GDC Europe?

We all seem to have that one game that hangs on the edge of our radar -- taunting us with alluring gameplay mechanics while still being just expensive enough for us to pass up the offer. You want to play it, you really do, but you just don't want to pay that much for it.

Yet, Dungeons and Dragons Online has shown that it's certainly not impossible for developers to embrace a new business model. So that now begs the question, "What game would you jump all over if it went free to play?" If you could choose any game in the whole MMO genre, what game would it be?

Furthermore, why that particular game? What about it makes you want it to be free, so you can get your paws all over it? Speak to us, oh readers, via that little comment box below, and shout your opinions to the internet beyond!