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Monday, January 5th, 2009
| Time |
Event |
| 10:06a |
Football jock may want World of Warcraft name change Football is not really known for having colorful characters. It has a few scary ones with prison records, and a few unfaithful ones with relationship issues that makes the press, but so far nothing that can be called amusingly colorful. It’s definitely gotten a reputation as a thug sport, so a little playfulness certainly wouldn’t hurt. One football punter may change all that if his recent interview can be believed. It seems that punter for the American Football Conference team the Minnesota Vikings, Chris Kluwe, declared in a recent print interview that he loves World of Warcraft （Buy wow gold ）so much he might change his name to reflect it. It turns out it wasn’t totally his idea. Apparently his team mates know of his addiction to World of Warcraft (often playing as much as 6 hours a day) and have given him a World of Warcraft nick name as a joke, and he is just considering rolling with it, whether seriously or in jest no one knows. Kluwe points out that other players have changed their names as well, including Chad “Ocho Cinco” Johnson, who took the nick name “Ocho Cinco” as his new name, but to take on the name of a video game would certainly make a splash. If he goes through with the hairbrained idea he would become Chris Warcraft, instead of Chris “Warcraft” Kluwe. He’d certainly make some endorsement money with a name like that! He has been a lifelong gamer, riding a controller since the early age of 4. In World of Warcraft his character is a troll rogue, more specifically, a troll rogue on the Kil’jaeden server, if you want to keep an eye out for him and combine two of your favorite things, sports and gaming. The interview where he talked about his love of games was originally in the Star Tribune. | | 10:08a |
Runner-Up: Blizzard’s Morhaime A few years ago, Blizzard Entertainment Inc. Chief Executive Michael Morhaime said he had one of those moments that told him “World of Warcraft” was going to be the world’s most popular online video game.
Some 5,000 fans showed up at a midnight launch at Fry’s Electronics store in Fountain Valley to be the first to buy the game, which now is played by some 12 million people around the world.
“At that early point, we didn’t even know if people knew about it,” Morhaime said.
When Morhaime and a few other Blizzard workers exited the freeway, “There was a ton of traffic and all of the parking lots nearby were full,” he said.
“There were waves of people walking toward Fry’s and we were wondering if something else was going on that night nearby,” Morhaime said.
Thousands of fans waited in a line that wrapped around Fry’s twice, around the perimeter of the parking lot and down the street, Morhaime said.
Not surprisingly, Fry’s ran out of games to sell.
“We had to go back to the office and sell the employees’ boxes of games,” he said. “We didn’t have any idea just how popular it would be.”
The rest, they say, is history.
The Business Journal picked Morhaime as our runner-up for businessperson of the year because Irvine-based Blizzard is one of the few local companies that can say it had a banner year.
Big 2008
The company is growing at a rapid clip, hiring locally and abroad, and it added more than 1 million subscribers to its ranks of “Warcraft” players during 2008.
2008 was “a pretty amazing year for Blizzard,” Morhaime said.
For 2007, Morhaime also earned the runner-up nod for our businessperson of the year by building Blizzard into a superstar company that allowed its French parent, Vivendi SA, to go after Santa Monica’s Activision Inc.
The combined company, dubbed Activision Blizzard Inc., was formed in a complex deal by Vivendi and valued at about $19 billion.
The deal was first announced in late 2007 and was cleared by the European Commission after regulatory hurdles in April.
A final vote by shareholders happened last summer.
Vivendi ended up with a 68% stake in Activision Blizzard.
The move made Activision Blizzard the biggest video game developer with yearly sales of $4 billion.
The Business Journal estimates that Blizzard saw 2008 sales of $1 billion to $1.5 billion. Earlier this year it nudged out Irvine business software maker Sage Software Inc. for the title of Orange County’s biggest software company in terms of sales.
In 2008 Blizzard was a key growth driver for the combined Activision Blizzard.
This is partly because Vivendi and Santa Monica-based Activision have given Blizzard a lot of autonomy.
“We’ve been doing our best to make sure that things really don’t change here,” Morhaime said. “We want to stay focused on making high-quality games.”
The combined company does share some resources, including administrative functions and reporting.
“They are very hands-off with what we do day to day, but they are, of course, very interested in what our plans for the future are,” Morhaime said.
Blizzard is used to being part of a bigger company.
It was bought by New Jersey’s Cendant Corp. in 1996.
In 1998, Cendant sold its games business to Havas SA, which at one point was France’s largest game maker. Vivendi bought Havas later that year.
“We’ve had a lot of experience running Blizzard as a division of a public company,” Morhaime said. “The big difference here is we are one step closer to the public markets. It requires that we spend more time than we used to in educating analysts and investors about Blizzard, where we used to be able to not deal with that side of the business.”
Understandably, the higher-ups at Activision are likely reluctant to mess with the special sauce that makes Blizzard a blockbuster game developer and marketer.
“We’ve gotten a lot of support from Activision and there is a lot of excitement,” he said.
Biggest Games
Blizzard and Activision can claim two of the biggest video games out there this year.
Activision’s “Guitar Hero World Tour” sold roughly 500,000 copies since its release in late October, a figure that doesn’t include holiday tallies.
“Guitar Hero III,” released in fall 2007, sold more than 9 million copies in the U.S., according to market tracker NPD Group Inc.
Blizzard’s latest installment, “World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King,” claimed a slew of video game sales records.
Within a day of its release in November, “Wrath of the Lich King” sold nearly 3 million copies, making it the fastest-selling PC game of all time.
It went on to sell more than 4 million copies in its first month, setting a new record for monthly PC game sales. Both sales records were previously held by another Blizzard hit, “World of Warcraft: the Burning Crusade.”
The “World of Warcraft （ Buy wow gold ）” franchise is a cash cow for Vivendi and gives Blizzard some sway in the media company.
“We are not a tiny division of the company anymore,” Morhaime said. “We are now a very meaningful part of it.”
Other Developments
Blizzard had some other milestones this year.
In June, it released “Diablo III,” the newest entry in the “Diablo” role-playing game series.
The company held a worldwide invitational in Paris, where game enthusiasts from all over the world came to play Blizzard’s games.
In October, it hosted more than 15,000 people at the convention center in Anaheim for its annual fan gathering dubbed BlizzCon.
“It’s sort of a thank you to our players,” Morhaime said. “We throw a party and let them hear from developers about our philosophies on game development and design.”
Blizzard’s market seems to show no signs of suffering under the recession.
“We have the advantage of having a subscription-based business and generating lots of recurring revenue,” he said.
Each of the 12 million players of “World of Warcraft” pays $15 a month to play with thousands of others over the Internet.
“A big factor we have going for us is the value of entertainment for the dollar,” Morhaime said.
“World of Warcraft” plays to a rather captive audience.
“It’s a very social game,” he said. “It’s not a solitary experience unless you want it to be. Players are interactive with other real individuals and form real friendships. They come home from work and log in—it’s almost like going to a local pub where everyone knows you.”
Morhaime, 41, grew up in the San Fernando Valley. He has a degree in electrical engineering from University of California, Los Angeles.
In 1990, he moved to OC and landed his first job out of college—writing test software for Lake Forest disk drive maker Western Digital Corp., which then had its headquarters in Irvine.
Morhaime helped start Blizzard in 1991 along with college buddies and fellow developers Allen Adham and Frank Pearce. | | 10:08a |
Second thoughts Favre's fans aren't inside locker room How much damage did Brett Favre do to his reputation by coming out of retirement to quarterback the New York Jets for the 2008 season? Listen to Jets running back Thomas Jones during an interview with New York radio station WQHT-FM. "We're a team and we win together ... but at the same time you can't turn the ball over and expect to win," Jones said. "The other day [in a season-ending loss to Miami], the three interceptions really hurt us. I mean, that's just reality. If I were to sit here and say, 'Oh, man, it's OK,' that's not reality. "The reality is, you throw interceptions, I'm [ticked] off, I don't like it. You know what I'm saying? I don't like it. I know everybody else on the team doesn't like it." Meanwhile, an anonymous Jets player told Newsday: "There was a lot of resentment in the room about him. He never socialized with us, never went to dinner with anyone." Child's play Texas Tech Coach Pat Knight grew tired of watching his basketball team miss shots that even a child could make. So he found one to illustrate his frustration. While the Red Raiders were busy botching about 15 layups in a game last week, Knight scoured the stands and invited a youngster to join the team huddle. Knight asked the boy whether he could make layups. The boy said he could. "I was just tired of having 18- or 21-year-olds miss layups that a 12- -old could hit, so I brought a 12-year-old in to let them know that he could hit layups," Knight said. "He's 12 and he can hit layups, so why can't you when you're 18 to 21?" Admiration NFL players make headlines for cursing a coach. Criticizing a coach. Demanding that a coach be fired. Here's a new one. "We love Coach LeBeau," Pro Bowl safety Troy Polamalu said about Pittsburgh Steelers defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau. "I don't think there's anything we wouldn't do for him." His players purchased $300 throwback LeBeau jerseys to wear to the Pro Football Hall of Fame game in Canton, Ohio, last year to lobby voters for his enshrinement. "I just have a lot of respect for the man," defensive end Aaron Smith said. "What he's done as a player and what he's done as a coach speaks volumes for him, the way he conducts himself and carries himself and treats people." LeBeau, 71, is in his 50th NFL season - 14 as a standout defensive back and 36 as a coach. Timing pattern Kevin McHale. who was reassigned from vice president of basketball operations to coach when the Minnesota Timberwolves fired Randy Wittman on Dec. 8, didn't care for the timing. "Anytime in the middle of the season, it's very difficult because practice time is limited and then I think half the time you confuse the kids more than help them adding stuff," McHale said of a coaching change. "And they're like shaking their heads and you're like, 'Oh boy.' "Nothing's worse than a confused player. It's a game of reaction. You've got to do all your thinking in practice so when you play it's just a game of reaction. If you're thinking out there, you're very slow, and the guys that play the best don't think, they just react." Video name Minnesota Vikings punter Chris Kluwe's favorite video game is "World of Warcraft." Kluwe, who hosts a talk show on Minneapolis radio station 93X, told the Minneapolis Star-Tribune: "Back when Chad Johnson changed his name to Ocho Cinco, I told the guys at 93X that I was going to change my name to Chris 'World of Warcraft'. They said that's too long. So they started calling me Chris 'Warcraft.' I could make a lot of money if I changed my name to that." Quote of the day There's one thing this team has over the team I coached last year: I think this team is tougher. | | 10:10a |
How to choose a good wow power leveling guide Hey,guys,nice to see you again at the beginning of the new year. Today I want to share a cool guide with you about how to choose a good wow power leveling guide. If you are interested in it,please have a view on it below now. When it comes to World of Warcraft power leveling guides, some out rank others with no problem. Yet, people continue to buy them all, which just leads to many disappointed players who have spent their hard earned money on a World of Warcraft power leveling guides that they can not use. The reason that people continue to purchase these world of warcraft power leveling guides is that they do not know what it is they are looking for in a World of Warcraft power leveling guide while they are searching them out online. So, here are four things that make up a good WOW Power leveling guide that every player should know: 1. Information - This is a given, but a good leveling guide should not only provide a list of quests to do step-by-step, but it should also provide helpful information along the way about quests, making gold, and more. This information should be actually helpful and not just common knowledge or a rewrite of what is in the World of Warcraft handbook that everyone gets when they purchase the game. 2. Quest List - A good wow power leveling guide will give you a specific questing path that will help you get to level 70 in no time. These quest lists should include the starting areas for each different race, not just one, and they should not be one class specific, you should be able to play any class you choose. If you come across a power leveling guide that does not have a quest wow powerleveling path, then it is not a good WOW power leveling guide. 3. Easy To Use - A good warcraft power leveling guide should be easy to read and easy to use. Any player should be able to open the guide on their gaming rig and print it out for easy access without having to change any settings on their computer or make any special adjustments. The world of warcraft power leveling guide should also be easy to read, so that anyone can understand and follow the leveling path without any trouble. 4. Secrets and Tips - A good guide will also give you some secret tips and special information that not many players know. These WOW Power Leveling tips and secrets should be ones that either help you level even faster or help you find great ways to make money while you are wow power leveling. These tips and secrets should be some of the same ones that the foreign power levelers use and do not share with the outside world. | | 10:11a |
How to choose a good wow power leveling guide Hey,guys,nice to see you again at the beginning of the new year. Today I want to share a cool guide with you about how to choose a good wow power leveling guide. If you are interested in it,please have a view on it below now. When it comes to World of Warcraft power leveling guides, some out rank others with no problem. Yet, people continue to buy them all, which just leads to many disappointed players who have spent their hard earned money on a World of Warcraft power leveling guides that they can not use. The reason that people continue to purchase these world of warcraft power leveling guides is that they do not know what it is they are looking for in a World of Warcraft power leveling guide while they are searching them out online. So, here are four things that make up a good WOW Power leveling guide that every player should know: 1. Information - This is a given, but a good leveling guide should not only provide a list of quests to do step-by-step, but it should also provide helpful information along the way about quests, making gold, and more. This information should be actually helpful and not just common knowledge or a rewrite of what is in the World of Warcraft handbook that everyone gets when they purchase the game. 2. Quest List - A good wow power leveling guide will give you a specific questing path that will help you get to level 70 in no time. These quest lists should include the starting areas for each different race, not just one, and they should not be one class specific, you should be able to play any class you choose. If you come across a power leveling guide that does not have a quest wow powerleveling path, then it is not a good WOW power leveling guide. 3. Easy To Use - A good warcraft power leveling guide should be easy to read and easy to use. Any player should be able to open the guide on their gaming rig and print it out for easy access without having to change any settings on their computer or make any special adjustments. The world of warcraft power leveling guide should also be easy to read, so that anyone can understand and follow the leveling path without any trouble. 4. Secrets and Tips - A good guide will also give you some secret tips and special information that not many players know. These WOW Power Leveling tips and secrets should be ones that either help you level even faster or help you find great ways to make money while you are wow power leveling. These tips and secrets should be some of the same ones that the foreign power levelers use and do not share with the outside world. | | 10:13a |
5 Fantastic World of Warcraft Gold Farming Spots Yestoday,I offered you guys 3 wow gold farming spots,is it effective? Now today I will continue to provide you 5 gold farming spots in World of Warcraft,happy? I can swear it can match what we talked about yestoday. Don't beat about the bush,start here! It is known that the World of Warcraft is populated by many WOW gold farming spots where players can spend some time to earn some cash they can use for the many things that the game requires. Some of these spots can be found in the old world of Azeroth, but most of the more "profitable" destinations can be found in the Outlands. Here are 5 such spots, gathered straight from the pages of the bestselling world of warcraft gold farming guides today. 1. Void creatures in Nagrand. There is a place in Nagrand called the Spirit Fields, which is a big land mass surrounding a gigantic crystal planted in the ground. This area is populated by a lot of void creatures that drop motes of shadow. 10 motes of shadow will form a primal shadow, which is easily worth 23g in many servers. Because of the sheer number of void creatures in the Spirit Fields, this area ranks highly in any list of WOW gold farming spots enumerated by the popular gold farming guides today. 2. Air elementals at Shadowmoon Valley. This is, by far, my most favorite place amongst the wow gold farming spots we will be discussing. There is a circular area between the Sanctum of the Stars, Dragonmaw Fortress and the Ruins of Karabor called the Netherwing Fields. This area is known for fast-spawning air elementals. Just trek this area and you can kill around 10 air elementals in one lap. By the time you're ready for your second lap, the air elementals would've respawned already. Gather as much motes of air you can loot. You can probably collect 30 in an hour, which is equivalent to 3 primal airs, or about 90g once sold at the AH! This area in Shadowmoon Valley is quoted many times in many of the bestselling WOW Gold farming guides out in the market. 3. Mana Wraiths in Netherstorm. Again, one of the most popular gold farming spots mentioned by world of warcraft gold farming guides is Netherstorm, particularly the area around Area 51 where many mana wraiths reside. Mana wraiths drop motes of mana, 10 of which can be converted to primal mana and can be sold for as much as 25g. 4. Skin some cobra scales. Cobra scales can only be skinned from cobras that spawn in one area - Coilskar Point in Shadowmoon Valley. There are 4 cobras outside the cave, and around 8 inside the cave. A piece of cobra scale can be sold for as much as 50 World of Warcraft gold in some servers, though the average seemsto be pegged at 32g. Nevertheless, this would be easy money for anyone who is a level 375 skinner and has the patience to wait for respawns. 5. Elemental Plateau. Now what level 70 player doesn't know about the Elemental Plateau at the edge of Nagrand, just above the Throne of the Element? This small, compact area is famous for two things: first as home to the four different types of elementals dropping four different types of motes with the exception of shadow and mana; and second as a favorite wow gold farming spot for gankers, kill stealers, and verbal fights, what with the perennial race to tag a respawning elemental. Of all the WOW gold farming spots in the World of Warcraft, the Elemental Plateau is by far the richest, albeit, consistently crowded by level 70 characters - even at 3 in the morning! Indeed, gold farming guides won't be complete without mentioning the popular gold farming spots we have enumerated above. Experiencing financial difficulties in this MMORPG? Simply visit any of the world of warcraft gold farming spots above and you're sure to solve your financial woes after an hour or two of grinding and diligent looting! |
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