Well, finally. Blizzard has announced the official release date for World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King. They also revealed what will be included in the game's limited Collector's Edition.

Like it or not, gold buying, selling, and powerleveling have become rather lucrative businesses, particularly with the stratospheric rise in popularity of the MMORPG. *cough*WoW*cough*. So what is it? Is it legal? Ethical? Dangerous? Sally forth dear reader, and find out for yourself!

Game Developers Magazine is starting a new trend, and it's to list out the Top 50 videogame developers of the year - just to give back to the groups that made our lives a bit more exciting through their realized (and digitized) works of art. Want to know if your favorite game developer made the list? Hit the full article to find out!

Remember The Burning Crusade's launch? Surprise, that's exactly a year ago. One of the most epic launches in gaming history, World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade is still one of the most epic video game releases in the history of forever. Check out the full article for more TBC reminiscing.

Australia's Auran, developers of the MMORPG Fury, have released the new patch for their fresh title. Get ready for a serious tailspin because the user interface, the item system and abilities have all been revamped. Will this be a good thing or a bad thing? See the detailed version and tell us what you think.

Despite the problems it's having with the latest Trinity patch, MMORPG EVE Online was able to break a new record in terms of the number of simultaneous users in one of CCP Games' servers for the title.

CCP Games wrote, "On 2007.12.09 20:18 Tranquility’s simultaneous user number reached an astonishing 41,690 up from 38,242. This marks yet another proud moment in EVE Online’s history." More details after the jump!

Flying Lab Software has a couple of updates regarding its MMORPG Pirates of the Burning Sea in relation to the Open Beta plan, European and Australian pre-orders, and its non-disclosure agreement (NDA).

For those who want to share their beta experiences with other people, take note that the NDA has finally been lifted. More on this at the "read more" link below.

During the first ever Games Convention Asia Conference (GC Asia Conference) held in Singapore, many countries proved how the industry is also strong in Asia outside Japan. Singapore, known as a big market for MMORPGs, even took a step forward to announce that they're ready to become a games industry center of excellence.

Minister for community development, Vivian Balakrishnan, revealed that around US$ 330 million (SG$ 500 million) of government funds went to research and development in the digital interactive sector.

A student exchange program called "GAMBIT" is also under way for Singapore and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to share their expertise.

Other parts of South East Asia expressed interest in the industry. A memorandum that "signifies the recognition of each other as ideal counterparts for future collaboration and co-operation in this region for the benefit of the games industry" was signed by ten Asian game developers associations from various countries like Japan, Korea, Australia, Thailand and Vietnam.

The Asia-Pacific is expected to contribute 40% of gaming industry's US$ 39.8 billion annual revenue by the end of 2008, and Singapore wants a piece of the cake. "Singapore intends to be part of the action," said Balakrishnan.

Another case of video game addiction hit a 15-year old boy from Perth, Australia. His dad, hiding behind the name Lee, testified to The Sunday Times how his son stopped coming to school because of RuneScape.

According to Lee, the young man went as far as spending 16 hours a day to play. At first, he would try the sneaky way around by pretending to go to school before getting back home after his mom leaves for work. Soon after, he did it blatantly and nothing could stop him.

Lee, who doesn't know how to save his son, said:

He just wouldn't come off it at night. He'd play until two or three o'clock in the morning. The best time for him to play it is after midnight, when all the people from America come on. If his mother tried to shut it off or whatever, he'd become violent.

He displayed the characteristics of a heroin addict. You haven't got someone putting a needle in their arm and having a high, but you've got all the telltale collateral damage of a heroin addict - withdrawal from his family, withdrawal from his friends, lies to cover his addiction. He'll do anything.

Before being indulged in the world of RuneScape, the kid was supposedly a sports junkie. His dad went as far as saying he could play any sport you name. The parents' problem used to be trying to keep him at home, but now it's how to get him out.

This gamer does admit that he is addicted, but claims that the game won't let him get away. Psychologists and counselors are yet to find a way to cure him of this addiction.

If the European game industry thought they were alone in their uphill crusade, they are definitely not alone. Reports are coming in that representatives of the Game Developers' Association of Australia (or the GDAA for short) have demanded that the federal government of Australia bestow the same 40% tax rebate it has granted to the film and special effects industry.

 

The GDAA claims that the local game industry has been actively contributing to the economy of the country, emphasizing AU$ 400 million (US$ 343.37 million) in domestic sales, AU$ 1 billion (US$ 855.99 million) in 2006 Australian video games sales, over AU$ 2 million (US$% 1.72 million) in local expenditure for game purchases, and over AU$ 100 (US$ 85.6) million in export growth, while only having 8,500 Australians employed in the sector's workforce.

The GDAA estimates that if the 40% tax rebate was also awarded to the game industry, the grant would triple their development workforce (2,000 developers to 6,000) in three years, while hitting an approximate of 18,000 by 2010. GDAA president Tom Crago and CEO Greg Bondar said, "The federal government could do much to learn from the Canadian government which has created over 10,000 jobs in video game development over the last four years through the right financial incentives."

In contrast, the Canadian government has been pro-active in the development of the game sector of their local entertainment industry, not only encouraging the opening of jobs in the game development stretch alone but also granting financial support to studios that decide to expand or establish new branches in the country. Morocco is one other country actively pushing forth for a more active local game industry.