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New sci-fi novel features gold farmer protagonists
Ever wanted to read about the exploits of young gold farmers toiling away in Asian sweat shops and ruining/enabling your MMORPG experience? Science fiction author and Boing Boing founder Cory Doctorow thinks you might, and has devoted his newest novel to fleshing out the torrid existence of a group of young grinders who decide to organize. When we say organize, we don't mean making lists or using spreadsheets to farm at the optimum rate, but rather, organizing as in worker's unions. Doctorow has made an audio excerpt of the novel, titled For the Win, available on his web site. He calls the book a spiritual successor to his Anda's Game short story, and has targeted it specifically to a young adult audience. For the Win debuts on May 11 and will be freely available online under the Creative Commons license.
The Daily Grind: Have MMOs prompted you to read books?
There's no denying the fact that MMORPGs come with a lot of reading built-in (Exhibit A: the quest text box). But for some folks, they can't get enough of their favorite MMO and look to read about the world elsewhere. Perhaps it's the desire to stay connected with the online world even when you can't be near a computer, or perhaps you want to learn more about the lore and backstory of the places and people you encounter in your daily gaming sessions. Whatever reason it might be, have MMOs prompted you to pick up and read a book based on the same world? Has an MMO gotten you excited enough about an IP that you've gone back and read novels that the game is based on, such as The Lord of the Rings or Conan the Barbarian? Or did you dive into paperbacks derived from the MMO, like the Warcraft series or the new Star Trek Online novel, The Needs of the Many? Or are you eagerly snatching up books based on upcoming MMOs to tide you over, such as Guild Wars 2's Ghosts of Ascalon and The Old Republic's Fatal Alliance?
100 Classic Books on DS this June
Why did it take Nintendo a year and a half to localize a bunch of books that were already in English? No idea, but at least we'll finally be able to buy the 100 Classic Book Collection in North America this year. It's out as 100 Classic Books on June 14, at a cost of $19.99. Nintendo has yet to release a list of the included novels in this version, but we expect it to be identical to the European release. In other words, the greatest hits of the public domain.
Finally, Harlequin romance novels on DS
DS games are great, and those 100 Classic Books are pretty classic and all, but they lack heaving bosoms. Nintendo of Japan and developer Genius Sonority are stepping in, shirts open and hair flowing gently in the wind, to come to the rescue of romance-starved DS owners with Love Stories for Adults: DS Harlequin Selection, a cartridge of Harlequin romance novels, out in Japan on February 25. The cart contains 33 romance novels, five of which (gasp) are new to Japan. It also features summaries of previously read segments, a glossary, music and text size options, and even charts of characters' relations to each other. Sure, romance novels may not be what we're all into, and e-books may not necessarily need to be collected on cartridges like this, but we are fully in support of the use of the DS for the delivery of books -- and we like the ideas behind all the enhanced content. [Via Andriasang]
WoW.com's gift guide for 2009
It's that time of year again -- if you (like me) haven't gotten gifts for everyone on your list, it's time to start scrambling to find something nice to get under the tree this year. Fortunately, you don't have to worry about finding something good for the World of Warcraft fan in your life: we've got you covered there. In the gallery below, we've got a nice bunch of gift ideas for everything Warcraft, from the cheap to the expensive, from the silly to the practical, from in-game presents you can wrap with shiny paper, to out-of-game classics that you can... also wrap with shiny paper. If you need to give a gift to a WoW player this year, you'll find it below for sure. And if you happen to be a Warcraft player, faced with the annual awkward question of "What do you want me to give you this year?", just feel free to drop this link surreptitiously as a reply, maybe even with a hint or two towards a specific item. We've included links to everything and kept it easy to understand even for someone who hasn't visited Azeroth before. That's our gift to you. Happy holidays, and good gift hunting! %Gallery-79856%
[1.Local]: In which He-Man and Eddie get pwned
Reader comments -- ahh, yes, the juicy goodness following a meaty post. [1.Local] ducks past the swinging doors to see what readers have been chatting about in the back room over the past week.Sometimes it's the smallest details that people grow attached to. Take, for instance, this note that came in on the news tip line from a dejected reader named Brian. Brian and his compatriots are lamenting a dearly departed Battlemaster - one who seemed strangely reminiscent of a certain Eternian prince.Subject: Adam Eternum is MISSINGSome time around patch 3.2, all the Battlemasters in Shattrath were changed. Gone is Adam Eternum, with his smashing magical loincloth and Gnome sidekick.Instead we have, as a royally ticked-off guildie puts it (after having downed several stiff drinks in despair), "Shome Draenei hussy ... hic!" My guild here on Ysera, at least, has gone into mourning.Oh where, oh where has Prince Adam has gone? Find out what else readers have been mourning or celebrating this week - plus peek at an internal WoW.com team e-mail in which Hunter columnist Eddie Carrington gets soundly pwned - after the break.
WoW Rookie: Reading about Warcraft
New around here? WoW Rookie points WoW's newest players to the basics of a good start in the World of Warcraft. Send us a note to suggest a WoW Rookie topic, and be sure to visit the WoW.com WoW Rookie Guide for links to all our tips, tricks and how-to's. Even if you're not a roleplayer, it's almost impossible not to find yourself swept up by some aspect of the hundreds of compelling stories tucked into the World of Warcraft. The question is, how can you dig deeper? Where do you find more? The answer: Books ... Manga ... Comics ... RPGs .... Page after page after page of glorious lore. Blizzard approves the storylines and lore included in the Warcraft and World of Warcraft line of novels, although you won't find a straight and clear progression across the whole line. Not every story and character crosses over from books to game (and vice versa). Besides the Warcraft novels, WoW-starved readers can chew through enough manga, roleplaying game books and gaming guides to sate any lore feeding frenzy. The best part? You enjoy +Lore bonuses to your online play experience. Even the RPG books add color to the overall picture. Follow us beyond the break for a basic reading outline to escort you down Warcraft's path of lore.
EVE Online novel The Burning Life to focus on pirate factions
For many players, EVE Online is a game where the developers provide the galactic setting of New Eden but it's them, the playerbase, who makes their own stories. They join together or band against their rivals in alliance warfare, drug cartels, pirate organizations, and industrial powerhouses. The complex interplay of involvements that allow the game's players to establish and destroy invariably triggers cascades of drama. This is the point of the sandbox design of the game, what you do in New Eden affects other players on some level. For some players, EVE is just about their interactions with one another and the fiction underpinning of the game is of marginal concern. While not all players choose to immerse themselves in the game's backstory, the setting is actually quite rich -- built on roughly six years' worth of lore fleshed out in the Chronicles, short stories that provide snapshots of the various levels of activity in New Eden.
Video of Christie Golden's Long Island reading
I wasn't anywhere near Huntington, NY on Saturday, but our friend Medievaldragon from BlizzPlanet was, and he did stop by the Christie Golden reading at the Book Revue bookstore. He even brought videos back with him, and so if you're a Golden fan (she is a New York Times-bestselling author, after all) and want to see her reading from Arthas, there you go.Apparently the reading was a pretty full house, too, and you can see from the video that there were all kinds of people there. Golden also says early in the video that Arthas is Blizzard's first big bestseller, and she repeats what we've heard before: that Blizzard loves having her write for them and she loves coming up with stories from their settings. The only big bit of news for fans from the reading is that while Blizzard is producing three different Warcraft books (of which Arthas is the first), they won't be a trilogy at all, just stand-alone stories. Big thanks to Medievaldragon once again for stopping by the event and grabbing video for those of us who couldn't go.
New EVE Online novel "The Burning Life" is on the way
There may be big things on the horizon for the lore of EVE Online with the forthcoming release of a second novel for the game, "The Burning Life". The sci-fi novel is written by Hjalti Daníelsson (aka CCP Abraxas) who has written many of the EVE Chronicles -- short, gritty tales that show readers the various facets of life in New Eden. The Chronicles have been a way of driving the game's lore forward for years, so we're wondering what to expect from The Burning Life. Could it possibly be tied in with the new directions that CCP Games wants to take with EVE's lore? At this point we don't know have much information about the novel, or whether it will be tied in with an upcoming expansion as the Empyrean Age novel by Tony Gonzales was in 2008. There are paperback release dates listed for 2009 in North America (Tor) and 2010 in Europe (Gollancz).[Via Ga'len]
The Daily Grind: An MMO of Ice and Fire
Many in the gaming world who are also avid fantasy readers are abuzz over the discussion that A Song of Ice and Fire has been optioned for a video game. Cyanide studio announced their acquisition of the title and the questions began - how will they tell it? Console RPG, or MMO? As we know the book is in development at HBO as a series, so it's likely that Cyanide plans to cash in on that interest as well. We were wondering if you also were interested in a Song of Ice and Fire MMO, or do you think the genre is in fantasy-overload, regardless of how awesome the IP is? Would you play it? Or would it have to be something stunning before you'd go near it?
Walter and Louise Simonson interviewed at NYCC
Blizzplanet has a video they've been saving from the New York Comic Con a little while back. This time, they chat with Walter and Louise Simonson, part of the team behind the World of Warcraft comic, which at the time, had just re-introduced Garona Halforcen, the half-orc assassin who is likely about to make a long-awaited appearance in the MMO world of Azeroth. The couple say that while they can't tell us much, Garona fans have some cool stuff to look forward to, as we're going to learn more about both her "past" and "future." There are some other little lore tidbits in the interview as well, including what's up with Varian Wrynn and his counterpart, Lo'gosh. And there's good news for fans of the Horde -- while the comic book has so far had an Alliance lead character, Blizzard is setting up new things for the Horde as well.Clearly here are two people really ensconced in the World of Warcraft -- they both seem to have a really great and passionate grasp on the story behind WoW, and a real care for how the future of the story unfolds. We can't wait to see it.
Greg Keyes to pen official Elder Scrolls novels
The Elder Scrolls series is known for its large amount of in-game reading material. Oblivion and Morrowind both had dozens of books to read through when you weren't busy playing the games, a lot of which were based on the rich history and mythology of the Elder Scrolls universe. Bethesda has just announced that, starting this fall, you'll be able to find books based on the Elder Scrolls games in the real world, too.These books are to be written by New York Times bestselling author Greg Keyes, who authored the Age of Unreason Tetrology and three Star Wars books in the New Jedi Order series. The first of the two Elder Scrolls book, The Infernal City, takes place after the events of Oblivion, during a time when a mysterious floating city is causing Tamriel's residents to rise again as undead. You know, that old chestnut.
The Queue: Rested
Welcome back to The Queue, WoW Insider's daily Q&A column where the WoW Insider team answers your questions about the World of Warcraft. Alex Ziebart will be your host today.Good afternoon, folks. I want to take a second to apologize for The Queue's absence the last couple of days. Patch days pretty much murder Adam and I, so we set this thing aside for a couple of days. We're much less busy now though, so it should be back on schedule!thatoneguy asked... "So is the Argent Tournament a one time thing or is it going to keep coming back? I'm kinda worried i'll miss it if I reroll with a friend."
Red Eagle Games to develop The Wheel of Time MMO
Red Eagle Games is a relative newcomer to video game publishing, but their first MMO will be based off of a well-established IP -- Robert Jordan's "The Wheel of Time" series of novels, which are a blend of fantasy and eastern mysticism. Although Jordan passed away in 2007, he left behind 11 novels and a deep imaginative legacy that could prove to be a popular setting in the MMO world. Rick Selvage and Larry Mondragon from Red Eagle Entertainment, which has spun off Red Eagle Games, recently spoke with VentureBeat's Dean Takahashi about their plans to bring The Wheel of Time into the realms of film and games. Film tie-ins with The Wheel of Time IP have already been funded, they're still in the process of raising funds for Red Eagle Games, according to Selvage. "That could prove to be difficult, but he said he has already received an enthusiastic reaction, largely because the rights to the series are considered so valuable," Takahashi writes. Funding issues aside, whether or not Red Eagle Games can break free of the stigma connected with games released in tandem with films isn't clear yet. "Selvage said he is aware of the risks and he believes that most games based on movies fail because they are made in too short a time and there isn't enough cooperation with the movie studio," Takahashi adds. Are you familiar with The Wheel of Time series of novels, and do you think the setting and lore would lend itself well to a massively multiplayer online title?
Nov. 15 is 'National Gaming Day' at your library
The American Library Association, in a rather surprising diversion from its usual finger-on-lip hushing, has excitedly dubbed this Saturday, November 15th, as "National Gaming Day." At your library. Participating book bastions will open their doors to gamers of all types, promoting and celebrating "the educational and social value of video and board games." None of which are likely to contain poor approximations of Gandalf, Uhura and C-3PO, we're sorry to say.And hey, while you're there, you might just pick up a perfectly entertaining book (hint: be sure to pick one with a good cover). For more information, check out the official ALA site. Just make sure none of your macho friends see you typing in that particular URL.
Christie Golden talks about Arthas, Rise of the Lich King
Our friend Medievaldragon (of Blizzplanet, who's now posting occasionally over on World of War) got a chance to talk to author Christie Golden at BlizzCon last weekend. She's working on a book about Arthas (which has a title now: "Rise of the Lich King"), and she chatted with MD about what kind of lore fun is going to be in those pages.The book starts with Arthas as a ten-year-old prince, and then obviously follows his path through what we saw in Warcraft III, including all of that bad business at Quel'Thalas, and Arthas' past with Jaina and Kael'thas (you don't think Blizzard would bring KT back again in WotLK, do you?). Golden promises some good looks as the High Elves, too -- "two very pivotal characters are elven," she says. Including Sylvanas? We can only hope.The book's due out in April, sounds like it'll be a good read, for Arthas fans especially.
Dalaran's coins reveal the wishes of Azerothians
BlizzPlanet has already found a fun little set of Easter Eggs hidden in the fountains around the new city hub of Dalaran -- apparently with a little Fishing skill, you can bring up the wishing coins of some of Azeroth's famous inhabitants. Some of the coins are spoilers (so be careful clicking through if you want to avoid that kind of thing), but others are just in there for fun -- Arugal has apparently wished for his own estate (with some doggies to keep him company), and Attumen would like a much more comfortable saddle.There are some good references to the extended universe in there as well, as apparently a few characters from the Warcraft novels have made appearances and throw wishing coins in Dalaran. It's this kind of stuff that is going to make exploring Northrend so much fun -- while Outland was relatively unexplored territory, Dalaran and the rest of Northrend are already well-traveled in the Warcraft universe. It'll be a really good time retracing the footsteps of all the characters we already know.Thanks, Gurluas!
Comic Watch: Chocolate Shoes laments 'the real'
Christopher Stuck mocks his own entertainment choices in his comic Chocolate Shoes. An updated take on an old classic concept, it questions where the real value in life lies.Giggles aside, this argument rings more false than ever these days. Videogames are still new enough, anthropologically, to be considered a flash in the pan, and subject to the same skepticism and outright hostility from non-players that rock 'n' roll and the novel were exposed to when they were new. Simply put, value is where you find it, and no one else. It'll be nice when this generation, having grown up with games, comes into its own -- maybe we'll finally stop seeing articles demonizing our entertainment of choice, and move on to the true threat to society: reality tv shows.
Night of the Dragon - Richard Knaak interview
Our friends at Blizzplanet have a video interview up with Richard Knaak, author of the Warcraft novels Day of the Dragon, the War of Ancients trilogy and the upcoming Night of the Dragon, as well as the Sunwell Trilogy and upcoming Burning Crusade manga. For those of us who can't watch video due to work or other issues, they've even thoughtfully presented a transcript of the interview here. What I found especially interesting are the little hints Knaak dropped in the interview about Malygos, Rhonin and his role with the Kirin Tor, what effects the characters of the upcoming Burning Crusade manga have on Wrath of the Lich King, and the sputtering response to the Diablo 3 question. Is there something fishy going on there? (Probably not.)Additional tidbits of note: we will probably see Vereesa again, and no, she's not big on the Blood Elves (may we dream of a sisters Windrunner family reuinion?), Knaak would like to use a Draenei in the upcoming book, no word yet on if Hakkar the Houndmaster was an eredar or what relation he has to Hakkar the Soulflayer (perhaps identical cousins?) and finally, Knaak's contracts with Blizzard keep him from saying too much, which for a lore junkie like myself is very maddening.Savor the interview and let the rampant speculation commence.
