One of the toughest issues that game developers have to treat when it comes to kid-friendly MMOs is chat. I touched on this in a past column, but it's worth further discussion. If you're making a game where lots of players are interacting and doing stuff together, you need to allow them to communicate, otherwise you're pretty much making a single-player game with the other players as background scenery.

On the other hand, when it comes to kids MMOs, having open communication means other players can use it to harass each other. Worse is the scenario of the deranged adult abusing it to exploit young people. As a result, virtually every kid-friendly MMO has some sort of filter in place that restricts what players can say to each other. But are these chat filters really that effective? Are kids better off without them? Let's take a look in today's MMO Family.

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In the happy, carebear world of Warhammer Online, we've reached the time of year when the clouds break to let in a ray of sunshine that warms the souls of all it touches and sprinkles hearts with... oh, forget it. It's Murder-o-Rama, aka the Night of Murder.

Mythic's annual WAR bloodfest centers around players attempting to appease a gruesome Elf god by taking out contracts on each other's lives. From February 9th through the 22nd, players will try to complete Tome of Knowledge tasks by completing "Marked for Death" quests and killing those with a dripping red skull-and-crossbones over their heads.

The rewards are worth the effort, though, with items like Lobbin' Noggins, Khaine's Caress, and a fun pike sporting your opponent's head that you can slam down next to a defeated foe. It's the yearly holiday your mother always warned you about, but you never listened then and you're probably not going to start now.

I thought it might be a cool idea to do a comparison of free-to-play models for my next few articles. As free-to-play has become more and more popular, cash shops and tiers of service have become much more important to how a player might enjoy or interact with a game. While the standard free-to-play model, the most popular one by far, is one that allows players to download a free client, has no subscription at all, and tacks on a cash-shop, the freemium variant is quickly becoming widespread. Freemium seems to be the model of choice for many Western games that were previously subscription-only.

The problem is that I do not really like the freemium model. I'm old-school, I guess. I enjoy the model that was imported to the States maybe eight years ago. A free client with a cash shop on top is all I need to steer my fun by. I'd rather skip any sort of tiered service as well.

There are exceptions to the rule, of course.

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Seven Souls Online is a new fantasy MMO from NEOWIZ that focuses on the concept of controlling the seven most destructive and powerful forces of humankind. These seven souls have essentially leaked out, and it's up to you to seal them back up. Sound like a fun Friday night? Good, because the devs want you to help test it out!

The beta will begin on February 15th (so it won't be available until then!), but we have some keys to get you ready for the event. Simply head on over to our giveaway page, click "Claim Your Key" at the bottom, and go to this link to redeem your code. You'll need to register for an account on their site and click on "Apply for Beta" to complete the process, but after that, you'll be all set for the February 15th beta.

If you've ever wanted to wield a pink assault rifle, APB Reloaded is the game for you (also, seek professional help). It's only for a limited time, though, and the shenanigans are a part of GamersFirst's Valentine's Day massacre event.

All you have to do is log in, as G1 is sending everyone a couple of V-Day-themed weapons. Furthermore, each gun "contains an exciting new modification," according to a post on APB's official boards. Killing foes with the special weapons will advance two new roles and lead to Valentine prizes like new theme music, symbol art, and heart-shaped sunglasses.

The shindig kicks off today and runs through February 20th, so be sure and get started on your role advancement ASAP.

The Secret World launch is fast approaching (though it may not be exactly when we some are reporting), and plenty of things of things about the game remain, well, secret.

GamesRadar recently cornered lead designer Martin Bruusgaard and sussed out a few details regarding the game's skill deck mechanics. Bruusgaard says the system was designed to offer players a way to get their heads around the game's 500-plus abilities. While there are some recommended decks and combos for newer players, Bruusgaard says the intent behind the The Secret World's classless progression system lies is adaptability and plenty of customization options.

"Some of the beauty of the system is allowing the players to come up with cool stuff themselves. We want to reward the players who dive into this and take their time to tinker with this, and there are lots of cool combinations we will save for these players," he explains.

The latest Vindictus Europe video has a scary new boss monster on display. Nexon is introducing Thor (no, not that Thor), a giant crocodile-like creature with three mouths and a nasty disposition.

Nexon describes Thor as an "outlaw of the dark and damp underworld," and the trailer shows a cross-section of Vindictus heroes slicing and dicing the new monster using the title's unique action combat mechanics.

While we're on the subject of heroes, the video also teases the latest Vindictus Europe playable character, a giant brawler named Karok. Check out all the gory details after the cut.

[Source: Nexon Europe press release]

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A couple of weeks ago Trion announced its plan to get RIFT in the Guinness Book of World Records for hosting the most virtual marriages in a 24-hour period. Today the company has released a new video designed to show off the matrimony mechanics and give fans a sneak peek of what's in store for the Valentine's Day record attempt.

The festivities begin at 12:00 p.m. EST on February 14th, and Trion says that "any two RIFT players who get hitched in-game will be counted in the Guinness World Records title attempt and will receive 'The Avowed' in-game title." Don't forget to check out the video after the break.

[Source: Trion press release]

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TERA's European client will undergo another round of testing today at 2:00 p.m. Central Europe time. According to a post on the official boards, this is another "special functional test of [TERA's] systems," much like the one that went awry over the weekend.

The testing period will run for approximately four hours, and it is open to everyone who has redeemed a sneak peek or pre-order key for the European client. TERA EU community manager Raven says that this test is actually a test, unlike the marketing beta events we've grown accustomed to in recent years. "Remember this is not a test to enjoy the game, but rather to test our server infrastructure," she writes.

Sometimes, a well-planned weekend turns into a complete mess. Case in point: This past weekend, which I fully meant to use to get more of a footing in Ryzom, wound up being almost entirely dominated by a mixture of other responsibilities and necessities. As a result, I didn't get nearly as much time playing the game as I would have liked. The plan is to spend more time crafting away over the course of the week, but this article needs to be written up earlier than that.

As you can imagine, this results in a little bit of a hole in the narrative. Fortunately, crafting is pretty deep as a system but fairly thin in terms of a core narrative, unless you find "and then I made another set of light sleeves" to be engrossing. So while I didn't get several hours of story, if you're not familiar with what the system offers, there's still plenty of ground to cover.

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Could we finally have a specific launch date for The Secret World? Yes, but more accurately, no.

While hopeful fans clung to possible news that Funcom had confirmed an April 24th launch date, the studio has issued a statement saying that this was "an internal production date" that was mentioned at a recent press event, and doesn't necessarily reflect the actual release date for the title:

Funcom has become aware of postings in various media stating that commercial launch of the online game The Secret World has been set to 24 April 2012. This date was communicated at a press event in the Funcom offices in Oslo today -- as an internal production date.

Funcom has previously announced the launch month for the game to be April 2012 and wants to stress that there is currently no change or update on the expected time for commercial launch of The Secret World. The company will announce the release date at a later stage through a stock notice and a formal press release when the date has been set.

The studio recently wrapped up a week dedicated to the Illuminati faction and revealed one of the game's spooky settings, Blue Mountain.

Today's discussion topic needs a smidge of clarification. I'm not asking you whether or not real-life kids should be playing MMOs, as plenty already do and it's great to be raising a future crop of gold farmers and extreme fashion designers.

What I am asking is whether child NPCs have a place in MMOs. When you think about it, most of our virtual worlds are nearly devoid of anyone under the age of 18 (except if you're in certain Asian titles where it seems like nobody, including yourself, has hit puberty yet). Whole cities are bustling with merchants and kings, yet not a single child is to be seen. If there are kids, they tend to be in place for a one-time unique quest or a special event, such as World of Warcraft's Children's Week.

But with all of the war, slaughter, and volatile situations, is it a good thing that someone has whisked these kids off to safety? Would MMOs be more questionable with their content if a kid was to come stumbling along while you were skinning a boar or decapitating an Orc leader? Or would these worlds be more believable and immersive if the whole range of ages was represented?

Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!

When you have an MMORPG that's well into its second decade, there's got to be a strong temptation to simply keep the servers on and let it ride. The community is probably pretty hardcore -- and they're certainly faithful -- and throwing a bunch of changes at them could be a dicey proposition.

Turbine is taking that gamble with its venerable Asheron's Call sandbox, though, as the title's February update is bringing sweeping changes to the world of Auberean. New skills and new systems are the order of the day, and whether you're talking about the removal of racial skills or the ability to have six additional specialization skills, there's probably going to be an adjustment period after the patch. Head to official AC boards for all the details.

[Thanks to Rehlik for the tip!]

After last week's foray into the colorful world of Phantasy Star Online, I knew I had to step it up for a great follow-through. That's why I got in touch with three excellent MMO bloggers who have long histories with PSO and were more than eager to share their perspective on this unique game world!

The Game Archaeologist: Who the heck are you and how did you first get into Phantasy Star Online? What class and race did you play?

David: I'm David Lambert, but many people know me better as Branick, host and producer of the LOTRO Academy podcast. I first got into Phantasy Star Online with the original Dreamcast release, which I picked up only about two weeks after it came out. I actually had eight different characters (I bought six VMUs in addition to the two I already had specifically for this purpose), but I definitely favored the HUcast. I wasn't big on using techniques, and the HUcast had the highest attack power in the game.

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Apparently a brand-spanking-new website wasn't enough for CCP and its EVE Online property, so the company has released a nifty new trailer to go along with the cyberspace re-branding. The clip is two-and-a-half minutes of spaceship porn underscored with the usual fembot voiceover.

The video is clearly aimed at EVE newbs, so there's not a lot to get excited about if you're a veteran capsuleer. Just the same, it's an eye-opening glance at the game's first-class visuals and hard sci-fi art direction. Give it a look after the cut.

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Bill Roper's been flying under the radar since leaving Cryptic Studios in 2010. He briefly surfaced as VP of the Marvel Franchise division of Disney Interactive Media Group last summer, and he's now stepping into the role of head of game development.

Roper replaces Alex Seropian, who helped found Bungie in the 1990s before joining Disney when it acquired his Wideload Games studio in 2009.

Roper is a former Blizzard vice president and founder of Flagship Studios, which was mostly known for developing the original incarnation of Hellgate: London.

A world as beautiful as the one ArenaNet is making with Guild Wars 2 just begs to be explored. Since fans can't quite do that yet, they're doing the next best thing and making trailers to show the world how ready they are to hop back into the world of Tyria.

The first has been around for a few months but deserves some real love. It was put together by Albert, an administrator at the Spanish fan site Guild Wars 2 Online, using official Guild Wars 2 footage and sound clips from ArenaNet's blog posts on writing and voicing the races of Guild Wars 2.

The second fan trailer from wetwillyhip has been floating about for a couple of days and does a fantastic job of splicing together in-game footage and ArenaNet's more stylized cinematics.
Jump past the cut to check out these fan-made videos!

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