The in-game items for Fan Faire have been announced!  We are pleased to report that this year all registrants will receive the items, whether you pre-register or do walk-in.  You don't even have to attend, just register!

Even better, registrants no longer have to choose one game for their goodie.  Registrants will receive the in-game items in all participating games for which they have an account at the time of registration.

Games with in-game Fan Faire items include EverQuest, EverQuest II, Star Wars Galaxies, The Matrix Online, Vanguard, Legends of Norrath, PoxNora, and the SWG and Free Realms TCG's.

For details, read more at EQII Players!

The staff over at Beckett Massive Online Gamer has released its list of the top 20 most influential people in MMOs in 2008, and Rob Pardo, the executive vice president of Blizzard, nabbed the top spot. EVE Online's Hilmar Petursson, Sony Online Entertainment's John Smedley and Cryptic's Jack Emmert earned the second, third and fourth spots, respectively.

According to Doug Kale, the magazine's editorial director, 10 of the 20 influential people are new to the annual list. "The newest star is Todd Coleman of KingsIsle Entertainment. Todd helped launch one of the hottest new MMOs in 2008, Wizard101, which now has over 2 million registered users," Kale said.

You can read the announcement, as well as the full list of influential people, after the jump.

Official SOE Podcast #63 is now available!  Highlights include an interview with Alan "Brenlo" Crosby the new Producer for EverQuest II, the introduction to the summer Podramedy, the Grumpy old gamer talks about his upcoming trip to Fan Faire, and we have the top 10 games you won't see at E3 this year.

So tune in!  You can get the Podcast two different ways:  head over to the Podcast’s official site and click on your preferred bandwidth or if you have iTunes installed select iTunes store, type SOE into the search box and click Subscribe!  Send in your feedback either on the Station forums or via email.

As I post this the SOE Fan Faire is a mere 40 days away.  This will be my third Fan Faire, and this time I'm gonna be busier than a one-winged bixie in a jumjum field with both EverQuest II and Free Realms to cover for ZAM.  It's a great time, if you can make it you surely should.

Here's some things I've learned the last two Fan Faires which you might find interesting, informative, or at least amusing.  All this may mean nothing if you're the type who can toss a change of underthings in a bag and be good for a week, but me, I need to plan a bit.

Getting There:  If you're flying be sure to check with your airline and airport's websites for current FAA regulations and how far ahead you need to be at the airport.  Also note that many airlines charge you to check more than one bag.  If you're driving, watch your budget by using a site like GasBuddy to find cheaper gas. Once you're in Vegas, grab a shuttle to the hotel.  They're all about the same, and you can buy a round-trip shuttle ticket for under $15.  Cheaper than a cab!  You don't really need a car in Vegas, especially if you're staying near the monorail (Bally's also offers free shuttles to its sister hotels).  

A Tweet by Ashlanne sent us to the Station Community Forums, where we found this notice:

From 9:00 PM PDT until 11:00 PM PDT on Thursday, April 30, 2009, SOE Account and Commerce flow, Station Store and the Station Marketplace will be unavailable due to maintenance. We expect this maintenance to take approximately 2 hours.

This might also cause some forum accounts to temporarily lose permissions, due to the inability to verify account status while the maintenance is taking place. This is only temporary and normal permissions will return automatically once the maintenance is complete.

We apologize for this interruption and will resume all affected services as soon as the maintenance is completed.

If you need to do anything to your account, plan around the maintenance!

Sunday Naylie posted on most SOE forums warning of extensive downtime on Monday the 27th:

From 9:00 AM PDT until 1:00 PM PDT on Monday, April 27, 2009, all of the SOE services and games will be undergoing maintenance and will be unavailable.

This might also cause some forum accounts to temporarily lose permissions, due to the inability to verify account status while the maintenance is taking place. This is only temporary and normal permissions will return automatically once the maintenance is complete.

Four hours!  Sounds like a great time to contribute to our Wikibase.

UPDATE!  A note on Twitter at 10:04am PDT by @Naylie has extended the downtime to 2pm PDT.

Amnerys has posted that there will be maintenance at SOE in about an hour:

From 9:00 PM PDT until 11:00 PM PDT on Thursday, April 23, 2009, SOE Account and Commerce flow, Station Store and the Station Marketplace will be unavailable due to maintenance. We expect this maintenance to take approximately 2 hours.

This might also cause some forum accounts to temporarily lose permissions, due to the inability to verify account status while the maintenance is taking place. This is only temporary and normal permissions will return automatically once the maintenance is complete.

Hope it doesn't catch anyone unaware!

Sony Online Entertainment has released a brochure entitled "Let the Kids Game " that attempts to demonstrate to parents that video games, such as the family friendly Free Realms, can be beneficial for children. The booklet uses third-party research, surveys and expert testimony to show games can actually be used a social tool and have the capability to bring families closer together.

According to the brochure, video games are related to improvements in vision, social interaction and visuospatial cognition; playing games together can forge stronger family ties between parent and child, and between siblings; and people who play online games often emerge as leaders.

You can download the booklet from the SOE Web site or What They Play, a site that acts a family guide to video games. While downloading the brochure, you can also enter a giveaway at What They Play to win an Alienware notebook and a one-year membership to Free Realms. The giveaway ends May 15.

Do you know someone who you think deserves to be called the SOE Player of the Year? Do you think you fit that title? If so, you can nominate another player or yourself in the Player of the Year 2009 Contest for the chance to win a trip to Fan Faire 2009, which is being held at Bally's Las Vegas from June 25-28.

To enter, all you need to do is submit a letter or role-playing story up to 300 words explaining why you or another player should be considered for the honor. If you'd like, you can even send a screenshot or video to accompany the submission. You have until May 10 to complete your entry and send it in.

Up to two grand prize winners will get a round-trip plane ticket to Las Vegas, standard hotel room accomodations, transport to and from the airport and an All-Access pass to Fan Faire. The approximate retail value is $690. The nominee must be at least 21 years old and a U.S. resident. The official rules can be found here. More information can be found after the jump.

Registration is now open for SOE Fan Faire 2009, which will be held at Bally's Las Vegas from June 25-28. An All-Access pass for the entire weekend costs $89, or day passes are available for $39 each. There will be all sorts of events taking place, including tournaments, demos, parties, panels and an address by SOE President John Smedley. You can even buy a copy of "EverQuest: The 10th Anniversary Collector's Edition" and have it signed by artist Donato Giancola.

Those who pre-register 10 or more guild mates online will receive 50% off an All-Access pass, so talk to your friends ahead of time and plan accordingly. To register, visit the official Fan Faire Web site. For more information, you can always check our very own Fan Faire wiki page. The full announcement can be found after the jump.