Warhammerexecutive producer Jeff Hickman said the goal is to "keep the momentum going''
DateTime:7/8/2009 5:21:12 PM

Especially with the busy holiday season and a much-anticipated "WoW'' expansion coming up. "We stay on top of what's going on, and we're going to keep expanding,'' Hickman said. "We care about what the players are saying. Our first two patches were about making players happy -- within reason.''

Creative director Paul Barnett said Warhammer is more than a computer game, it's a hobby. "And at 50 cents a day,'' he added, "it's the most cost-effective hobby in the digital age.''

Virtual Obama: Most of us have got used to ads in video games, particularly in sports games, where they provide a dose of realism. It makes sense that you'd see a Ford billboard inNeed for Speed,or a Puma poster in NBA Live.But wait: What's Barack Obama doing in Burnout Paradise?

If your Xbox 360 is connected to the Internet, you may see ads for Obama in some 18 games, including Madden NFL 09.The Obama campaign is targeting gamers in 10 states that allow early voting; the ads promote a website, Votefor-Change.com,that explains the process.

"It reaches an audience that is typically hard to reach -- young males, roughly 18 to 34,'' said Holly Rockwood, a spokeswoman for Electronic Arts, publisher of all the above. "That's very appealing to our advertisers.'' There's no indication that Republican John McCain's campaign will mount a similar strategy.