There are many ways to know that you've played too many video games in your day. Some reasons are more obvious than others. Ever get that pain in your hands from holding a controller too long? Ever need to get up and go to the bathroom to see if your eyes still work?

Ever refer to yourself in public as the "blue bomber"? The signs are numerous for this phenomena, and in this list we will go through the top ten ways to know that you've played too many video games.

This was a difficult list to make as there were numerous ways of knowing that you were knee deep in the video game world…and never coming back. Are you, like us, one of these people who are never coming back to "reality"?

Here's how you can tell.

Full article : http://old-wizard.com/?p=1179

Age of Conan developer Funcom has said that it plans to merge the game's servers in a bid to create a healthy future for the massively multiplayer online title.

Earlier this month co-founder of Funcom Gaute Godager stepped down from the company after becoming dissatisfied with elements of the game following launch.

"I can today confirm that we are actively working on an approach to merge servers, both in Europe and North America," stated director Craig Morrison in the game's official forums.

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WAAAGH!!!

WAR is out, and everyone's been talking about how fascinating the graphics are. Whether you're exploring the mysterious world of Warhammer or storming the battlefields and celebrating your victory over your foes, capture those amazing moments and send them in to us!

If your screenshots are among the best, voted by MMO Ghetto members, you might just win yourself a FREE Warhammer Online Account Key!

Main Prize x3:
Warhammer EU/US CD Key (Winners Are Entitled to ONE CD Key only for the region of their choice)
Courtesy of www.OffGamers.com

Consolation Prize x10:
US $15.00 worth of Store Credits for www.OffGamers.com

Contest starts on the 25th Sept and will end on 17th Sept 2008, so don't miss it!

For more info and contest rules, kindly go to MMO Ghetto.

Former US Secretary of State and US Representative to the UN under President Clinton, Madeleine K. Albright, will be helping the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas at Austin launch the school's new Master of Global Policy Studies degree with a public discussion on 'the emerging global and transnational challenges of the 21st century and how the next generation of young leaders can contribute to developing innovative strategies to meet these challenges' at 4PM Wednesday, 10 September (US Pacific Time).

Those of you not able to attend the Lyndon B. Johnson Library in Austin, Texas may, however, find it both convenient and particularly appropriate that you can view the event live via the 21st century transnational virtual environment, Second Life by visiting the amphitheatre at GSD&M's Idea City Island. Regardless of your political affiliations, the discussion should prove to be a lively and interesting one.

For those of you left wondering what the difference is between global and transnational, global is that which affects every nation, while transnational is that which affects multiple nations, but is not necessarily global.

Source

TechTree writes: "Whispers on the wind suggest a 2011 release date for the neXt box. Moreover, Intel wants in on the action as well: According to the industry insiders close to the Inquirer, Intel is rumored to be pursuing Microsoft quite aggresively, with the intent of putting its upcoming Larrabee chip inside Microsoft's next XBOX console. Yes, you read it rigt -- Microsoft's next-generation XBOX console -- already.

In a related development, AnandTech predicts that Microsoft is already planning for the next Xbox console -- let's call it the Xbox 720. For a historical perspective on this timeframe, recall a Peter Moore interview -- March 2007, with the Electronics Gaming Monthly magazine. Back then Peter Moore was the head of Interactive Entertainment Business division for Microsoft (he is now gainfully employed by EA), he had indicated that the production team was already working on next-gen Xbox. Fast forward to June 2008 when Robbie Bach, president of the entertainment and devices division at Microsoft also indirectly confirms that people were already working on new technologies."

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Back in 2004, I was attacked by a severe backpain that left me lying on the bed for 2 weeks straight. I couldn't stand up, I have no appetite, and I still need to take care of my daughter. After dowsing lots of painkillers that I got from the hospital back in 2004,.... today I was told that I'm getting the pain back. How am I supposed to get through the pain again...

Two papers presented on August 5, 2008, at the Annual Convention of the American Psychological Association (APA) in Boston, MA (USA), demonstrated that some videogames can help improve the ability to solve problems and dexterity.

In a paper titled Children's Problem Solving During Video Game Play, Fordham University psychologist Fran C. Blumberg, PhD, and Sabrina S. Ismailer, MSED, presented the results of a study that examined the problem-solving skills of grade-school aged children while they played videogames.

The subjects (122 fifth-, sixth- and seventh-graders) were asked to play a video game that they had never seen before. For 20 minutes during the game, the children had to think out loud so the researchers could gauge how they were thinking about and perceiving the situations in the game. It was found that younger children tended to focus better at in-game problems than the older children who played simply for enjoyment. The younger children also seemed more interested in setting short-term goals than the older children.

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By now you may have heard word of the game Space Invaders 9/11 shown at last week's Leipzig Games Conference, or perhaps you read our Destructoid Discusses! on the subject. It's definitely the type of thing that's difficult to ignore, although some gamers likely thought the creator was a dick (or alternately, thought nothing at all) and went on with their lives.

To read more, clicky..

Updated MMO Ghetto with Rising Force Online wallpapers, screenshots, cosplay and fanart. Oh man...I'm sleepy as heck..

I have just updated MMO Ghetto with Perfect World wallpapers, screenshots, rare cosplay, fanart.