I've heard often from people outside of geekdom that when we geeks get together we seem like we're speaking a different language. This is especially true amongst video gamers, because over the years we've found ways to shorten definitions of our games so communication is quick and direct.

It's been over a month since Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen raked in $62 million on its opening day. Michael Bay's second installment to the Transformers series went on to make much more

Voice acting is a much more lucrative business than one might imagine, with the actors in question providing their voice for animated movies, video games, television shows,

Real news from the virtual world: —AT LONG LAST, 'SPORE': When "The Sims" creator Will Wright announced "Spore" back in 2005, every gamer in the world had the same reaction: "I can't wait to get my hands on that."

"A good song is a good song man, simple as that!" That's the mercurial and confident, but oh so endearing songwriter and vocalist Rod Black. Black knows his way around a well-written tune.

Real news from the virtual world: — MAKE IT SO: "Star Trek" fans have been waiting years for an online game that would allow them to roam Federation space from the bridge of their own starship.

News from the virtual world: -GAME LAB: Nintendo's WiiWare service is up and running, finally giving Internet-connected Wii owners the chance to download original games. It's a laboratory of sorts for low-budget games, allowing smaller developers to sell their games while larger publishers can experiment with new ideas.

As a fantasy-loving nerd who came of age in the '80s, I was fascinated by the role-playing game ''Dungeons & Dragons.'' Fortunately, I didn't know anyone else who cared, so I didn't get drawn into the cult. But I've been a sucker ever since for the electronic games that were inspired by it, from 1981's ''Wizardry'' to the ongoing ''Final Fantasy'' series.

Video games are all about action: shooting aliens, slaying dragons, crashing cars. But the industry's focus on high-octane mayhem means a lot of other genres - romance, say, or comedy - are neglected. Imagine that Hollywood released nothing but Michael Bay films and you'll have some idea of the state of video-game storytelling.

News from the virtual world: -A RISKY BET: When Billy Levy and Zack Zeldin were roommates in Miami Beach, they played ''Madden NFL'' for $100 a game. Now the guys are betting that there are plenty of other gamers who like to ''make things interesting,'' and they're about to start a Web site where players can put their money where their joystick thumbs are.