When I was still young, I was out on a walk with my father in the woods next to my great-aunt's house. The woods were an offshoot of the Devil's Hopyard state park, which meant that they were old and vast. As the family often congregated around the house, there were a number of paths we knew that wove their way through the forest, but I remember where we always stopped, and I remember the day when I asked what was further along.

My dad grinned, and we kept walking. It was about ten minutes from there to a beautiful, moss-covered waterfall that was right on the edge of the state park, with an alcove just large enough that I could squeeze underneath the falls. That sticks with me every time I start up a new game, because that was when I started to really wonder about where paths might lead. Everything leads somewhere. Finding things out is one of the things I love, probably what attracted me to video games in the first place.

The United Kingdom's Department for Transport has launched a free browser MMO, Code of Everand, that teaches traffic safety to children. It does so through a fantasy theme with direct parallels to real world dangers -- streets are Spirit Channels, glowing energy streams populated with many dangerous beasts. The Spirit Channels crisscross the map of Everand and make travel perilous. That's where the players come in as Pathfinders, explorers trained in the techniques that allow for safe passage across the Spirit Channels. Pathfinders learn important safety lessons along the way in their journey to discover the secrets of Everand.

Code of Everand was developed for the UK Department for Transport by NYC-based firm Area/Code over the course of two years, reports Game Set Watch. Area/Code has a long track record of creating cross-media games for advertising and media firms, television networks, and even major consumer brands. According to Area/Code's site, they've taken innovative approaches to games in the past -- "online games that respond to broadcast TV in real time, simulated characters and virtual worlds that occupy real-world geography" and "game events driven by real-world data". Interesting concepts. If you like the idea of games used as an effective educational tool, you can see the animated trailer for Code of Everand after the jump.

How would you like to take a trip into space? No, not the stylized science fiction that Star Trek Online promises, or the fantasy-with-spaceships of Star Wars: the Old Republic. We've heard the announcement about NASA's coming space MMO, Astronaut: Moon, Mars and Beyond, but the game hasn't been making the rounds in the usual gaming circuit. An in-depth article about the game's development and planned release is interesting for any fans of the rigors and challenges of spaceflight, not mention a look at a game that's moving far outside the usual realm of our genre.

Much like America's Army, the goal of the game is to try and give players a taste of what it's like to actually work in the field being simulated. While the game is focusing on creating enjoyable gameplay first, players can expect to see landscapes and tasks grounded in solid scientific principles and based upon actual astronaut missions, complete with the real and tangible challenges of exploring inhospitable worlds. The article also discusses the MoonBase module, which is set to be launched as a free standalone component on Steam in January to serve as both a preview and a testbed for the game. Take a look at the full article for a closer examination of what the game could mean, and what it might be like to play a space game where you were less concerned about arming weapons and more concerned with understanding the world around you.

(Or, if you have to, start imagining an expansion set in the 1980s adding the Soviet space program as a new faction. Which is only slightly less realistic.)

We've all had those days. You're sitting in traffic for hours on your way to work, you have a huge pile of things to do when you get there, you stub your toe and scrape up your arm. Even when you get home, the house is a mess and you're exhausted. Then you log in to your favorite game, and you agree to do something more or less out of a sense of boredom... and lo and behold, everything suddenly goes perfectly for you. Everything you want drops, you enjoy yourself, and you log off with a sense that the day wasn't all that bad after all. Right when you needed a shot of good luck, you get it.

Many of us use MMOs as stress releases, but when has one actually helped turn what was a boring to bad day into a good one? When has playing the game made you feel happy, renewed, and inspired? Was it a series of lucky drops, or finally managing to finish a difficult quest, or even just getting sympathy from your fellow players when everything went wrong? What sticks out in your memory when you think of dark days a game has brightened?

Yes, we had to make that the title. We apologize for the puns, really. (No we don't. Never apologize for bad puns!)

Now, if there's any setting that could be called a unique setting for an MMO, we think this one may just grab it. RAN Online isn't another free-to-play fantasy game. It's not a sci-fi game. It's not superhero, and it's not horror. It's a game about school kids. School kids involved in a bloody school vs. school war that makes gang violence seem simplistic. Think back to the Dreamcast's/PlayStation's Rival Schools, and you'll have an idea as to what RAN Online is all about.

But, the schools are graduating out of closed beta and are setting their sights on open beta. Class will be in session starting September 23rd at 9:00 AM (GMT+9, making that 8 PM ET tomorrow.) This is the global release of RAN Online, so only a select number of countries won't be able to participate.

The other day, we asked our readers whether they take their time leveling or if they make a mad dash to the level cap. We had a variety of responses, with some people fitting into one of the two polar opposites and others placing themselves somewhere in the middle. One reader, Accordance, made a comment that brought up another aspect of the discussion: "I think it would be worthwhile to discuss how we play games as a reflection of how we live our day-to-day lives outside of games."

While it may seem like a no-brainer that the goal-oriented career-focused person in real life would also be tearing through achievements in a game, we have a feeling that this may not always be the case. Perhaps the fast pace of your professional life leads you to want to take things slower and relax when playing an MMO? On the other hand you might have someone with a steady and undemanding job, happy with their station in life, who comes home from work and gets satisfaction from blazing through their MMO goals. So where do you fit? Does your leveling/playstyle in general match your real-life attitude towards goals?

[Thanks, Accordance!]

At Massively we must often report on declining subscription numbers and subsequent layoffs in the MMO industry, just as we do when the games we love are healthy and growing. When you look beyond the numbers though, such industry statistics are ultimately about people whose lives have been negatively impacted. They face uncertainty in their career and likely have tough times ahead.

Case in point: We've written about the Mythic Entertainment layoffs from the view of an outside observer of the MMO industry, but of course there's a side to this that only someone who's worked there can really convey. Some have a story they'd like to tell, like Jeremy Monken, former games reviewer for a D.C. newspaper turned Warhammer Online GM at Mythic Entertainment.

Summer is now in full swing and the lure of the outdoors is strong. School is out, people are going on holiday, to muddy music festivals or just enjoying the fine weather. Suddenly virtual worlds and MMOs are that much quieter as people dip back into real life. Each year, my guild mistress institutes what she calls a 'summer amnesty'. Over the summer things become a little more relaxed, there's no ire if people don't raid as often. Real life takes precedence for once and things just chill out a bit. People come, people go. Even better, rather than monthly farming, we just have to contribute once and it covers the majority of the summer. That gives me the freedom to not feel guilty about lengthy absences so I can sit in my garden and drink cider or go to the pub. It's nice.

So with the heat of summer now upon us, I'm wondering, how does your guild cope with the summer months. Do you have an amnesty? Do you forget about farming and just have fun? Do you just tone raiding time down? What about guild taxes or farming? Do you make an effort to improve guild bonding by maybe even having a real life meet up or BBQ? Do you partake in summer festivals? Tell us in the usual manner.

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?

Irony is a weird thing. Here's an example: since becoming a journalist some four years ago I've had less time to read manga, watch anime and play games (oddly all things I do as part of my job). Here's another one: since joining Massively and WoW.com, my time playing WoW has dropped to just a couple of hours a week. Weird huh? It's something I'm trying to change but enjoying a raid is a bit hard when a voice in my head is whispering about news and European maintenance posts.

So readers, you work, you play, you go to school, you study and you obviously also love MMOs (or you wouldn't be reading this post, right?). How do you balance your real life with your virtual one? Does your MMO of choice have to wait till your chores/homework/research is done? Would you rather get your fix before dinner or are you up at the crack of dawn before work to do those all-important dailies?

Tokyo startup Genkii has released a new text communication app for the iPhone and iPod Touch, called Sparkle IM that allows messaging with Second Life (and opensim style) virtual environments. Essentially the application appears to be a lightweight viewer application not unlike SLeek (currently on hold, development-wise), AjaxLife, and similar, in that it essentially logs your avatar in, and gives you a non-graphical interface to communicate with others.

Genkii are also working on a lightweight graphical 3D environment for the iPhone, also part of the Sparkle umbrella brand, called (rather simply) Sparkle 3D, that may in future be integrated with other virtual environments.

Sparkle IM is priced variously, depending on where you are, but at about 4-5 dollars (for the special, introductory price) might be a little expensive compared to many of your existing apps.

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	Are you a part of the most widely-known collaborative virtual environment or keeping a close eye on it? Massively's Second Life coverage keeps you in the loop.

This weekend, several local friends and I have been hosting a number of our real-life guild-mates. (We locals are all guilded together with the exception of one or two of us who have left that particular MMO and moved on.) Originally, it was just to be one or two people, but grew in size until we were a pretty solid rolling force when we decided to head out and catch Watchmen - first for some, second for others. That said, we've been friends for years, traveling to each other's weddings, parties, and all the rest - but most of us met via MMO. This morning we thought we'd ask you - have you ever traveled just to hang out with your MMO friends in real-life? Do you guys make travel plans to take vacations together (like say, a cruise) like some of our group does? Or is it something you really wouldn't ever do, short of seeing them at a convention or meetup for your favorite game that you might attend?

The online broadcast network VBS is showing a three-part video series on the life and times of (computer) RPG pioneer Richard Garriott. The footage explores his first steps into the world of video game design, explaining how the moniker "Lord British" became synonymous with Garriott.

The videos also give a look into what someone can do once they can afford any toy their heart desires, and chronicles a bit of the latest direction Garriott is taking his life -- into space. The short series is a revealing peek into the life of a significant figure in the games industry. We've got the video embeds for you below the cut, but for more background you might want to check out the accompanying info over at VBS.TV.

Rivers Run Red announced a new extension for their Immersive Workspaces enterprise-class virtual environment collaboration solution. Immersive Planograms is a 2D/3D planning solution giving brands the ability to plan and design effective product displays and store layouts using virtual world technology. With Immersive Planograms, Rivers Run Red presents brands and retailers with a persistent 3D environment they can easily design and manage through a web control system.

Corporate blurb aside, Immersive Planograms is actually a very cool concept that is implemented in a very clever way. Essentially a Web-based schematic can be manipulated to reflect a store layout or a warehouse floor-plan or a variety of other designs, and the manipulations of the 2D schematic are reflected in the virtual environment.

Knowing the Second Life environment as well as we do, we were actually pretty impressed with the simplicity and sheer ease of integration between the Web-control and the virtual environment.

Unlike the April Fool's joke from Blizzard in 2006, this time there really is a World of Warcraft-themed restaurant open for business in Beijing. The venue boasts a Dark Portal entrance, full wall prints of WoW scenes, an enormous screen that shows action from the game, a tree in the center reminiscent of Raynewood Retreat, and what appears to be the ability to log in from your table.

From the sounds of things you may not be able to order Delicious Chocolate Cake (after all, the cake is a lie), but maybe Gadgetzan Gado-gado or Murloc Mince Pie are on the menu. So if you're in the Beijing area and looking for a great place to host your next guild meeting, check it out and let us know how the food is.