Writer Jim Rossignol recently wondered if the concept of broadcasting game-specific radio programs has a place outside of Japan, where advertorial programs have been broadcast to support the game Lineage II: "Could this concept be extended to Warcraft's millions? Is there a captive audience there just waiting to be tapped into by games companies and related advertisers? Should MMOs come with built-in radio functions? Can a third party pick up this idea and run a gaming-radio application?" Short answer: Yes.

I thought I'd point out to my readers that while there may not be many official radio programs dedicated to specific games, there are a number of unofficial podcasts floating around. I'm partial to the always-entertaining Taverncast for World of Warcraft, 'Star Wars Galaxies' with Yivvits and Mr. Bubble for SWG, and SecondCast for Second Life (technically not a game, but whatever). Is there a captive audience awaiting commercial messaging through these podcasts? Yes, provided the advertisements aren't obnoxious. Should MMOs come with built-in radio functions? Sure, provided such a function makes sense. Any game genre that supports radio-style broadcasts would be suitable. Can a third party pick up this idea and run a gaming-radio application? While players can and do already tune in to fan-created audio streams, I don't doubt an official server-specific radio station would be a welcome addition to games such as comic-book-themed City of Heroes. It's also worth mentioning that a tournaments in a number of first-person shooter games are broadcast with sports-style flavour commentary. It can be gripping stuff if you're into the game.