GeekSugar

Forget Online Dating, Try Online Gaming Instead

Kristy Korcz — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 11:13:44 PDT

If the promise of more sex more often doesn't get you into online games, maybe this will: gaming could be a great way to meet guys. According to a new study by Online University, the odds of you scoring a date with someone who is committed and honest are higher if you're playing World of Warcraft than if you're trolling through hundreds of "matches" on dating sites. The study shows that online gamers spend more time on gaming sites than online daters spend on sites like Match.com and eHarmony (which means you have better odds of meeting more people more often), and WoW players are more likely to share personal information and feelings about themselves with fellow gamers than their "real-life" friends.

The cold, hard fact is there are 12 million people playing World of Warcraft online vs. dating sites, which boast just one million members. That translates to about three percent of the United States population playing online games. A bigger sea means more fish to catch with your button-mashing prowess. Game on!

Wrapping Paper For a Truly Geeky Holiday

Kelly Schwarze — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 06:30:36 PST

You've almost got all the gifts in order, but how will you keep them a surprise until the big gift exchange? Keep nosy recipients guessing with presents in geeky disguises. Try traditional wrapping paper adorned with robots or vintage music sheets for an outside that's as beautiful as the inside. Even if you don't have time to buy these sheets, they could serve as awesome inspiration to create your own!

How Many Copies of World of Warcraft: Cataclysm Were Sold in 24 Hours?

Kristy Korcz — Mon, 13 Dec 2010 12:00:23 PST

We already know that World of Warcraft is, like, the most popular PC game ever, but the latest edition, World of Warcraft: Cataclysm, shattered sales records on Dec. 7 when it was released to the masses. Can you guess how many copies were sold in the first 24 hours?

Take the Quiz

WoW Cataclysm Trailer Out - Relationship Fallout Still Unseen

Michele Foley — Wed, 20 Oct 2010 09:30:02 PDT

Remember when I told you that 12 million people play World of Warcraft? That number is about to change real quick. The official trailer for Cataclysm came out this week, and it looks frakkin' awesome. Some of the most exciting features of the new expansion are the addition of two new races and new quests.

Forget the 12 million players, I want stats on how many WoW widows and widowers there will be once Cataclysm hits shelves on Dec. 7.

How Many People Currently Play World of Warcraft?

Michele Foley — Fri, 08 Oct 2010 03:47:36 PDT

This week, Blizzard Entertainment hit a subscriber milestone with its award-winning MMORPG, World of Warcraft. The insanely addictive game had its debut in 2004 - I was actually one of the first players! But, sadly, my friends had to stage an intervention. The game is available in eight languages, and no doubt, users across the world are waiting with baited breath for the release of Cataclysm, the game's third expansion.

Think you know how many people currently lead double lives as an orc, troll, or dwarf?

Take the Quiz

Indiana Professor Grades in Gamer Rewards

GeekSugar — Sat, 20 Mar 2010 14:00:36 PDT

A professor at Indiana University has introduced a new grading system to a class called Game Politics. Lee Sheldon, an assistant professor in the telecommunications department, has replaced the traditional letter grading system in his class to a system based on experience points like the ones used to track progress in role-playing games like World of Warcraft. According to Sheldon, who is also a game designer,

"As the gamer generation moves into the mainstream workforce, they are willing and eager to apply the culture and learning-techniques they bring with them from games."

Students start with a Level 1 avatar, which corresponds to a letter grade of "F." Through challenges and quests (a.k.a. assignments), they gain points, advancing to higher levels. And, similar to World of Warcraft, students are grouped into "guilds" and must complete both solo tasks and group assignments.

Source: Flickr User autographedcat

Geeks We Love: Felicia Day of The Guild

GeekSugar — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 09:30:57 PST

We've loved Felicia Day even before she made us LOL during her first The Guild music video last year. Not to mention the fact that Felicia has starred and guest-starred in several geek-worshipped shows like Dr. Horrible's Sing Along Blog, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and of course the online sensation The Guild (Season Three is available for download on iTunes now, and DVD on Feb. 15 for those of you who want to relive the magic), which makes her one of the more recognizable figures in geek culture today.

Felicia is not only a fabulous actress, but she's also an inspiration for geek girls everywhere - talented, beautiful, and knows her way around an MMO. Truth be told, we've got a bit of a girl crush.

Why do you think online gaming (and World of Warcraft in particular) is so close to people’s hearts and so widely accepted among such a variety of people?
It's hard to create a community in real life now, most of us don't even know our neighbors, our lives are so spread out between home and friends and work. Online gaming allows you to create a home and community of sorts, as well as provides engaging entertainment. I personally would rather be solving puzzles and finishing quests than passively absorbing a TV show or movie.

Do you think gaming and technology brings people closer together, or creates more of a distraction in relationships?
It depends on the person and how you use it. I certainly have been annoyed by people fiddling with their phones while I'm physically sitting across from them, but at the same time I keep in touch with my brother much better over the Internet than when we ever lived in the same city. I think the thing to be careful of is that technology or gaming doesn't become exclusionary to the people physically in your life.

Find out what Felicia thinks about geeky pick-up lines, her favorite trends, and why she won't be eating any prix fixe dinners with her boyfriend this Valentine's Day when you

What are some of your favorite/least favorite tech and/or gaming trends?
I'm very excited about 3-D entering into gaming. And technology like NATAL, where you're wholly and "physically" present in a virtual world, is so exciting, I can't wait to see what people develop for it. I also like the fact that casual gaming is experiencing a resurgence, I think that it will get a lot more people playing. I'm not crazy about the whole "watch this cut scene of stiff puppets with bad acting," but I think that is indicative of a larger trend that will be melding games and movies more and more. For that I'm excited.

Have you ever been served a geeky pick-up line? What are some of your favorites?
I don't remember a lot of pick up lines, I do get a lot of references to my hair and skin color, and someone offered to be my "WOW husband" over Twitter the other day. I guess for in-game only? Yeah, that was odd.

Are there any gadgets that you just can’t live without?
I love my Kindle. I'm a book lover and I didn't think I'd love it, but I eat up books on the thing. The convenience of ordering a book and have it downloaded instantly is fantastic. I really like the little chatpad I have for my Xbox controller because I can't type on it otherwise, and I love my DS for plane trips. Oh, and my iPhone for the Yelp App, so I never lack for a good cup of coffee in a strange city.

Do you ever Google yourself to keep up on what fans are saying?
I don't think there's a way for me to not hear what fans are saying, between Twitter and Facebook and Google Alerts etc; etc; It definitely keeps you humble, but it also keeps me going because I hear first-hand that people enjoy what I do. Or not. That's the great thing about the Internet, everyone has an opinion and a venue to express it.

What will you be doing this Valentine’s Day?
I will be doing a fan convention in Maryland. My boyfriend and I actually don't celebrate it, it's kind of a manufactured holiday to sell greeting cards and bad chocolates, right? And I think holiday prix fixe menus are a scam. As you can see I'm a romantic, haha.

Don't miss a thing - check out the rest of our Geeks We Love coverage all week!

Source: The Bui Brothers

What Is the Best Video Game of the Decade?

GeekSugar — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 17:30:51 PST

It was pretty hard to narrow down the top games of the year, so imagine how painful it was to pick just a choice few games of the decade! It's almost impossible to cast one game aside for another, but ruthless decisions must be made. So out of these fine titles here, tell me what is the best video game of the decade?

And don't stop here - check the rest of my Best of 2009 polls, too!

The Sims (2000)

24%(108)

Halo (2001)

9%(40)

Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (2004)

5%(24)

World of Warcraft (2004)

19%(84)

Resident Evil 4 (2005)

2%(10)

Wii Sports (2006)

8%(38)

Rock Band (2007)

10%(46)

Super Mario Galaxy (2007)

7%(30)

BioShock (2008)

4%(17)

Mass Effect (2008)

4%(18)

Metal Gear Solid 4: Rise of the Patriots (2008)

4%(17)

Uncharted 2: Among Thives

5%(22)

Total votes: 454

Tech Cinema! 4 Geeky Movies to Look Forward To

GeekSugar — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 03:50:55 PDT

The Summer blockbusters are blowin' up the big screen, but I'm turning my focus toward the future, and the slew of geeky movies that are in the works. Indeed, as many movies as there are that turn into video games, there are tons that are going the other way. Check out some rad upcoming movies, adapted from video games and other geeky fodder.

Coming Soon: The World of Warcraft Movie

GeekSugar — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 09:05:22 PDT

Just yesterday I was asking you what movies you'd want to see as video games, and now comes news of an epic video game turning into a movie: World of Warcraft!

The movie will be directed by Sam Raimi, who's got plenty of geek movie cred (he did the Spider-Man movies as well as the Evil Dead series).

No news yet on who will star or when the movie will come out, but I hope that Raimi will do WoW fans justice. What are your hopes for the movie?