Massively^™

There must be something in the (virtual) air. If this year doesn't see everyone moving en masse to Flash-based, personal virtual worlds cum social spaces, then it certainly isn't for lack of trying. SmallWorlds joins Whirled and Metaplace as virtual worlds you can embed in your own blog, forum, home page or what have you. Need a place to watch "The Guild" with your friends between rousing games of Chinese Checkers? You got it. SmallWorlds can bring YouTubes, Twitters, Flickrs, games and more into your little isometric 3D corner of the web. Avatars are fully customizable, and so are their pets (!!!).

SmallWorlds is going into open beta June 2 after eighteen months of development. They'll be letting the first thousand people who sign up for the beta in a week early. If you're at all interested in seeing what you can build with their tools and how many friends you can crowd into your little virtual cabana, why not visit their site and sign up for the beta?

Buoyed by their success against Bladezz, the guild takes on the awesome might of the boss; but this is a six-man raid! How can our heroes possibly hope to triumph with only five?

Who gets pwned? Who gets pudding? Who has the Notary feat? And where the heck are Clara's kids? All (but one) of these questions will be answered in this, the season-final episode of The Guild's first storming season!

The Guild is the very funny creation of the exceedingly talented Felicia Day - though, honestly, The Guild is pure gold through and through (and that ain't just Warcraft gold, honey). The Guild is all about the adventures (and misadventures) of the people behind the characters in an MMO guild. The Guild is totally supported by donations, so lend your support where you can!

This episode is below the fold, courtesy of YouTube's special twinkly magic.

The guild gathers to duel Bladezz for the guild bank. Bladezz is given the choice: repent or rape, and although no nipples are in evidence, there is leverage. Clara is not, in fact, smuggling hams -- though nobody really believed that she was.

Who does Tink defeat during the battle with Bladezz? What monster boss must the guild face? How did Codex's pap-smear turn out? Just what is Bladezz' dark and sinister secret? Is this the most awesome tea-bagging of all time? All this and more in episode 9!

The Guild is the very funny creation of the exceedingly talented Felicia Day - though, honestly, The Guild is pure gold through and through (and that ain't just Warcraft gold, honey). The Guild is all about the adventures (and misadventures) of the people behind the characters in an MMO guild.

This episode is below the fold, courtesy of YouTube's special twinkly magic. (Felicia? You owe us one for not using a snap from the first few seconds of the video!)

Desperate times and desperate measures. A high place and a loop of Cat-5. More about Zaboo's mother. The threat to the guild bank. The threat of the video. The beginnings of a daring plan, and the beginnings of a daring escape. Can the talented guildies match their skills against real life and Zaboo's mother? (I swear, Zaboo and I seem to share the same mother - it's creepy)

The Guild is the very funny creation of the exceedingly talented Felicia Day - though, honestly, The Guild is pure gold through and through (and that ain't just Warcraft gold, honey). The Guild is all about the adventures (and misadventures) of the people behind the characters in an MMO guild.

The Guild stormed the Best Series award at the YouTube awards! The honors are truly well deserved, and it looks like The Guild will also take the Series category of the Yahoo Video Awards as well!

This episode is below the fold, courtesy of YouTube's special twinkly magic.

Codex is under-siege in her home, much like Gondor under the assault of the Witch King's armies. Zaboo's mother is -- well let's say that it is easier to see why Zaboo is the way he is. Tink sorts out child custody with Vork over Clara's children and turns out to be every bit as good as Clara at mothering them. The naked(ed) horror, fried food and an ending that will leave you hanging.

The Guild is the very funny creation of the exceedingly talented Felicia Day - though, honestly, The Guild is pure gold through and through (and that ain't just Warcraft gold, honey). The Guild is all about the adventures (and misadventures) of the people behind the characters in an MMO guild.

This episode is below the fold, courtesy of YouTube's special twinkly magic.

Back from the real world meetup, Zaboo and Codex get their body language straight, Tink tries to drive Vork into bankruptcy in a feud over Clara's children and a knockout ending! It'll all make sense, trust me.

The Guild is the very funny creation of the exceedingly talented Felicia Day - though, honestly, The Guild is pure gold through and through (and that ain't just Warcraft gold, honey). The Guild is all about the adventures (and misadventures) of the people behind the characters in an MMO guild.

This episode is below the fold, courtesy of YouTube's special twinkly magic.

Felicia Day's The Guild brings us a Christmas treat - a little something for all of you to further brighten your joyous non-denominational festive season. Okay, so it's Christmas-ey - So very much is at this time of year. It's no reason that we can't all team up and raid the big red guy for some epic loot.

Just under two minutes, the Guild Christmas Carol is a montage of classical MMO themes and Christmas songs - all sung no worse than by your own friends, relatives, and teamspeak buddies.

This fun is below the fold, courtesy of YouTube's special twinkly magic.

Still with the real world meetup, awkward conversation, real-world circumstances, cheese gouging, Codex's desperate plea for help with Zabu and more!

The Guild is the very funny creation of the exceedingly talented Felicia Day - though, honestly, The Guild is pure gold through and through (and that ain't just Warcraft gold, honey). The Guild is all about the adventures (and misadventures) of the people behind the characters in a World of Warcraft guild.

This episode is below the fold, courtesy of YouTube's special twinkly magic.

I don't know if it's actually funnier not knowing much of anything about World of Warcraft than it is if you do, but Episode 4 of The Guild is out now. The Guild is a wildly popular and funny (did I mention it was funny?) series about a group of World of Warcraft players in a guild, who - essentially - spend most of their time together, while being physically apart.

Actually, I swear I've worked with this collection of people in an office a few years ago, or a group of people (if such a cohesive term is genuinely applicable) eerily like them. It all seems so very familiar. I guess this is my time to 'look back on this and laugh' as someone promised me was going to happen one day. Thanks to WoW Insider for letting us know that Episode 4 is out. The video is below the fold, courtesy of YouTube's twinkly magic.