Blizzard, that big tent of computer gaming, was unveiling its latest attempt at gobbling up your remaining time and friends: expansion pack for . I've been to launch parties before, but you'd be hard pressed to find a more diverse group of gamers than you'd find on this night. Lawyers, kids, businessmen, teenagers, and frat brothers alike are all here. World of Warcraft fans are just like you or me, except for the fake plastic elf ears.

Inside the store was the usual collection of booths and tables, from Rockstar drinks to large cardboard cutouts of Mr. Freeze himself, the Lich King. I noticed a stage setup in the back for the later dance competition and I headed to the press corner to score some expensive cheese and crackers. Snow cones and blue cotton candy were also served, which I guess went with the whole "frozen throne" theme. Though now I envision as a wintry paradise full of reindeer and misfit toys.

I headed back outside. The line is already extended around the block, and it resembles a strange circus. There are clowns in Orc masks hired by the PR company to promote the event, makeup artists painting faces into some kind of strange cross between Kiss and Cirque du Soleil, and even more exotic: the occasional female. Yes, it's a pretty male-heavy crowd but that's to be expected from these events.

Equipped with my detached air of superiority and the bitterness that can only come with covering Mac gaming, I entered the fray to interview my fellow MMO fans. The first person to catch my eye was a sultry blond woman dressed in a rather revealing full blood elf priestess costume. It came as no surprise later when I surveyed the crowd about their embarrassing attractions to game characters, the Elven priestess won nearly unanimously.

I talked to a couple of guys in the twenties who explained to me they both had level 70 characters and had been playing the game for several years now. The time spent in game was measured in weeks, not hours for them. That kind of time commitment may turn off some who fear that they'll lose other time spent working or socializing with friends. A girl dressed as a gnome explained to me that she actually made a lot of friendships through the game. You acquire friends and seeing them is as much a part of the game as anything else. Now that there are 25-person raid groups available, it's like being able to invite that many more people to your party without having to clean up afterwards.