The rise of virtual communities and the incredible growth of online gaming has been something of an amazement to me. Humans seem to want to live along together in happy harmony with each other in the real world but it seems to work so much better for so many of us in the virtual world.

I’ll be honest I don’t know anything about World of Warcraft except that it is huge and the fan base of 12 million plus users is dedicated to the worlds most popular massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) to the level of extreme in some cases. When I found that you can sell WoW account for as much as $1,500 for players like the Level 80 Male Tauren Druid I was blown away. I don’t know what it takes to get to that level but it playing this game is half as fun as many of the other online games I have played then it’s got to be worth the cash if you can sell a WoW account for that kind of cash.

Anyone have an idea how long it takes to get to that level? Is it something you can do in 3 months time? That’s an extra $6,000 per year in earngings from your play time. I guess you would need to know the total number of hours it takes to get to that level but the idea it sells is still awesome as I see it. Anyone here ever sell a WoW account?

Discuss this in the Zune Message Boards.

Do you have what it takes to bet on your hand and go all in? Build the best possible five-card hand out of your two cards and five community cards. Play solo or compete with a friend.

Texas hold Em is an official Games for Zune that you can download from Zune.net with the Zune 3.0 software.

The economy looks bad and as many as 2 million Americans will have lost their jobs by years end but things are looking up for at least one young job hunter if he or she has 3 years experience in user interface design with Visual Basic. The right person with those qualifications and others can be working for the Zune team on a number of things including the Zune Device User Interface and Zune Xbox.

So as tough as the economy is Microsoft is still building upon their commitment to Zune with an obvious long term plan on improving Zune Xbox integration.

Job Details – Microsoft Careers

The Zune Design team seeks a visual designer who is passionate about software design, software innovation and consumer entertainment experiences. We are looking for a strong, collaborative designer to work closely with the creative directors to propose innovative designs and content solutions for the Zune Device UI, Zune Xbox and Zune PC Application. You will be part of a small, but experienced, design team working with multiple feature teams to help ship exciting and emotionally engaging products for Zune. Additional responsibilities include creating interaction design solutions and creatively merging the interaction and the visual directions.

Discuss this in the Zune Message Boards.

Did you ever learn to play backgammon? I was never much for board games to be honest and I never did learn how to play backgammon or very many board games besides chess and checkers. Board games are still fun for millions of people in America but not as many people play board games as they do online games.

They don’t make any board games for Zune players as of yet but maybe they will one day. Lucky for me you can learn how to play backgammon online with easy to use instructional websites that teach backgammon strategies to just about anyone with an internet connection.

Playing backgammon online can lead to more adventures with gambling and cash incentives a big part of the online game play market. You can play backgammon online for free and when you feel up to it you can deposit real world money into your account and wager bets on your backgammon play.

That’s probably a bit more backgammon than I’m interested in but then again if I could gamble on Halo 3 I probably would. Maybe I’ll get hooked on backgammon online and make a million bucks in cyber cash. If i do I’ll throw a Craigslist party and blow $50,000.

Discuss this in the Zune Message Boards.

I finally beat Halo  3. I have officially finished the trilogy. I am a Master Chief. It was pretty cool. I was totaly unaware the game was over until I saw the credits role. I finised the game and was left with the idea Master Chief was dead. It was a bit weird as I was even slightly emotional. The music and the game hype makes you fell like you are the Chief and I’ve been playing since the first console came out.

I was kinda jacked up when I saw that Arbiter came out the hero in all of this and Chief gets to relax in space until they find him and Cortana again. I have always felt a bond to the Marine Corps troops and the idea that a former enemy comes out the hero was pretty much crap but whatever. I guess they had to do something unexpected and different. You have to watch the entire ending in order to understand. It helps if you finish in Lengedary mode as if anyone can. I finshed in Normal Mode and then redid the last section in Legendary Mode so i could see the enhanced ending. It’s worth the trip.

Discuss this in the Zune Message Boards.

I’m an original Zune fan. I forgot that MAX turned 2 last week but thats no shock when you realize I rarely know todays date. I purchased my first Zune on the original release date of November 15th 2006 and I signed up for the Zune Pass at the very same time.

In the two years I have had MAX we have been a few places. I don’t have a lot of pics of me and MAX but he’s been right there with me for lots of cool stuff from beaches to mountain peaks and lots inbetween. I’ve read a few stories about broken Zunes and I have also heard all the complaints Zune owners and haters have. I may have a few gripes about Zune but most of my disappointment is with Microsoft and the botched launch of the Zune line that ticks me off the most. I think the stumbles they made in the first year are going to cost them billions to overcome in name alone and the Social has been lonely to say the least. It was stupid to rush to market ill prepared with a crippled device but I like my Zune and it’s been a great player that keeps on improving.

That’s what most cool about my Zune, it keeps getting better and more interesting. My original Zune 30 now comes with some cool wireless multiplayer Games for Zune as well as podcast support, gapless playback, and all the stuff people cried was missing in the first firmware like a clock and wireless sync. How many other portable media players get better with age?

When Microsoft announced a subscription music service to go along with Zune a lot of folks laughed at the idea or thought it was dumb to rent music as some said but for me it was a great way to get new music pushed in my face every time I logged into the Zune MarketPlace and it helped kept me deep into the Zune universe. I have maintained my Zune Pass subscription the entire time an it’s been a good deal for me. I have listened to 100′s of new artists and at least 1000 new songs I may never have heard without my Zune Pass and now it gets even better.

I still pay $15 per month for unlimited Zune downloads but now I get to keep 10 songs each month as part of my permanent collection. How cool is that? When you consider the going rate for 10 songs is $10 its like paying $5 extra for the subscription service. That makes Zune Pass the best deal of all the pay for content models. It’s better than buying a CD each month, its better than buying individual songs from iTunes and its the best subscription service of them all. The only way to get music any cheaper is to steal it!!

Got Zune? Get Zune Pass!!

Gears Of War Zune Contest

Microsoft Xbox is set to unveil some super cool new features and improvements to Xbox Live in what is now being called the Xbox Live Experience. I’m not going to try to break it down for you when this review below has done such a great already.

I will say that when they get to the point they have full integration with Zune users it should be an awesome experience for music fans. There may be some problems with the system but it is the best thing going for an organized music community.

I guess this is what they meant by The Social.

Microsoft unveils new Xbox Live ‘experience’ | Gaming and Culture – CNET News

Dubbed the new “Xbox Live Experience,” this re-launched service–which is rumored to be launching in November, but which Microsoft will only say is due “before Christmas”–really does seem to have something for everyone: an easy-to-use graphical interface complete with deeply customizable avatars that casual players will enjoy, and all kinds of new functionality that will actually reward the dedication of the hard-core Xbox player.

Looks like Microsoft is trying to bring some new exclusive content to the Zune MarketPlace. Seems MS executives have been hitting talent agencies and production companies in search of new video content for Zune.

I hope they score some cool video clips that can be sent from Zune to Zune for a viral marketing thing. Of course it will require a firmware update to share video and unleash the WLAN chip on my 30GB player and all those spaking new Zune 2 and Zune 3 device to be sold.

I hope its not the end of Zune too.

This Is Definitely Not the End of Zune

It appears that Microsoft has been sending executives to talent agencies and production companies in Hollywood over the last few months seeking ideas for video programming for the Zune, its media player. The content may either appear on the Zune platform only, or will move elsewhere with Zune branding.

Richard Winn, director of entertainment development at Zune told Reuters: “What we would be looking to do with any form of original content is the added component that Zune could provide that iTunes or any competing service couldn’t.”