In what has become a pretty common ritual among providers of Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games (MMORPGs), first-day glitches tarnished the roll out of Sony Entertainment Online and LucasArts's new game Star Wars: Galaxies. According to an article on CNet, users waited hours to get signed in the first …

The long-awaited, oft-delayed massively-multiplayer online role playing game, Star Wars:Galaxies is now shipping.

Sony Online Entertainment has announced that EverQuest for the Macintosh is now shipping.

CNet reports that Steve Ballmer commented at a press conference in Japan that the replacement for the Xbox isn't due until 2006. This was a bit of a surprise, since many expected it in 2005.

It's big, but it's finally here. The Neverwinter Nights beta for the Macintosh. Weighing in at 240MB it isn't for the faint of internet connection, but it will provide you access to the training level and the combat feature set. Download it from MagGameFiles.Com

Chalk one up for the game industry (and the future of online game distribution). Yahoo! is reporting (from the Associated Press) that a St. Louis federal court has ruled unconstitutional an ordinance passed by the St. Louis city council.

Thanks to SlashDot for the pointer to this index of papers for the Digital Arts and Culture 2003 conference. The conference is in Australia (so, we're probably not going), but the paper titles are fascinating. Here are some examples: The Sopranos Meets EverQuest: Social Networking in Massively Multiplayer Online Games …

An interesting paper (abstract here) was posted at SSRN (Social Science Research Network) yesterday. The paper is about law and its relationship to virtual worlds.

Here is a more detailed story from Wired about this week's attack on the game Shadowbane. I have first-hand reports (thanks, Tina) that it was indeed the form of chaotic confusion described. People just didn't know why they were suddenly engulfed in flood waters, etc.

In an article from CNET, we see that 3DO, video game publisher has filed for bankruptcy in hopes of finding someone to buy its assets before it completely dissolves.

An article in Nature points out that new research is indicating that playing video games looks to be helpful in training visual skills, especially those required to track a large number of objects and notice changes in complex visual fields. The actual study (available at a link at the bottom …

SlashDot points at a UBS Warburg article (from Reuters) about Sony releasing a new device, the PSX, in Japan. ZDNet Japan has pictures and details (albeit in Japanese) on this page.

CNET reports that the EA is upping the subscription rate of Ultima Online to $13/month from $10/month.

An article from the Adrenaline Vault ponders the effect of gaming in the workplace on productivity and argues that it may help, rather than hurt.

A good article from CNET questions the long-term viability of Nintendo's home console (the Game Cube) in the light of this seasons poor sales showing against relative newcomer X-Box. If the software companies start to pull their support, Nintendo could try to make it on the strength of their …

I didn't see them at E3, but X-tra Fun is advertising a new product that will allow up to eight of Nintendo's GBAs to communicate using Bluetooth. Not only can you play games together, but if you have a Bluetooth internet Access Point (AP), you can play over the …

The final installment of the online game track gave four (pardon me, three) case studies of companies that have brought out games with online components. Represented were FASA Studios for MechAssault, Zipper Interactive for SOCOM: Navy Seals, and Mythic for Dark Ages of Camelot. Rudely not showing up was Digital …

There are at least three different interpretations of the current licensing frenzy among the top titles at E3. I'll discuss each of them a little here. There are three basic attitudes towards licensing in the game market. I characterize them as: the valuable partner scenario, the juggernaut scenario, and the …

A good session with folks from Ubisoft, Insomniac Games, Ion Storm, and Double Fine each giving their input on what makes games successful. Continuing a trend for this show, there was much discussion about whether garage gamers could emerge once again on the scene. The general consensus is "no, but …

Perhaps not the end of E3, but it is the end for me, as I am returning on Friday. The final day involved a few sessions and a very good lunch presentation followed by one more swing through the booths and out. Here are some pictures of my trip as …