The "Guitar Hero" series of games has been an industry phenomenon, getting a huge amount of buzz and a fan following, and succeeding in a business model that has historically failed. That model is, of course, the peripheral one.

When I was a kid, once you bought a game, your transaction with the publisher was pretty much over. No matter how great the game was, once it was over, that was it -- you could play it again, or get a new one. Nowadays, with the advent of widespread broadband-connected consoles in the current generation of video gaming, downloadable content is key. Even if it's a new color scheme for your character or a few new multiplayer maps, a game ain't over till you've spent a some cash on the Xbox Live Marketplace to extend its life a bit.

There is a game set to take the Xbox360 by storm in the next few months called "Mass Effect." The game is developed by BioWare, which also created the "Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic" series. The company's games have generally focused on gameplay with a very complex and detailed "choose your own adventure" type of structure. Players make decisions in forging friendships or rivalries, and these decisions can have a massive effect (hence the name of the new game) on the game world.

Placing ads in games works really well for a narrow set of genres. In racing games, authentic sponsorships on the walls bring a feeling of realism. In certain "realistic" shooters like "Rainbow Six," any ads that might make a location like Vegas seem more authentic will be seen as a positive addition. However, in the broader spectrum of games, realism is something to be avoided.

While I wrote this column, I was watching my "Casablanca" DVD, and took judicious breaks to play "The Ancient Art of War," a strategy game from the dawn of computer gaming. It was a classic sort of evening. Much like the silver screen and the small screen, the computer gaming world has its share of classics. But unlike those counterparts, there's no Criterion Collection, TMC or TV Land, distributors dedicated to keeping the classics alive.

In the popular online game "World of Warcraft," players spend a great deal of time and energy trying to acquire really good gear, called "epics." It's now high time for offline epics.

Only hours after the tragic events on Monday, before the identity of the shooter was even known, video games were being mentioned as the primary influencing factor behind the shootings. From Fox News, to Jack Thompson -- the systematic rabble rouser on the topic -- to Dr. Phil, all levied charges against video games. And I'd be willing to wager that in the near future there will be some government figure pointing a finger and pushing for a bill regulating this "threat."

MSN Messenger, Microsoft's instant messaging app, has always played second fiddle to AOL Instant Messenger. But thanks to Microsoft's presence in the gaming world, this hierarchy might be about to change.

Recently, Comedy Central televised its first episode of "SouthPark" in HD. The catch is that Comedy Central doesn't broadcast in HD. Augmenting its traditional distribution channels of cable and satellite TV operators, Comedy Central partnered with the Xbox360 to deliver the episode, aptly entitled "Good Times With Weapons," in high definition. To the best of my knowledge, this makes "SouthPark" the first network TV show to bypass its traditional distributors to offer a superior product via digital distribution -- in this case, a major video game platform.

Virtual worlds got a lot of love this week, as top execs from media companies like MTV Networks , speaking at the first ever Virtual Worlds conference, lavished praise upon them as a promotional vehicle and a space for brands to shine. Jeffrey Yapp, executive vice president of MTVN, cited Pepsi's virtual sales in Virtual Laguna Beach -- 95% of users ended up buying the products offered.