We've seen so many machinima that we've come to expect them to be funny or parodying other games. The Strange Company has made a machinima from the World of Warcraft that just oozes social consciousness.

Well, it was intended to be that way. The Strange Company is part of a project called Fair Game, which features machinima ads from popular games for Fair Trade products. What's it about? In the video, we see a farmer who sells Runecloths for a measly price. The orcs in suits horde the Runecloths and well, get rich with by selling it at steeper prices. It's the same thing with Third World coffee and cocoa farmers and the big corporations.

With this machinima, let's hope that Fair Trade gets more support. Which reminds me of WoW economy as well, is there still hording at the AH?

Since the new year is here (or has come and gone for you), it's time to have a bit of fun. Instead of talking about Saddam Hussein's hanging or the impending zombie apocalypse, I've decided to come up with a short list of my favorite game-related vids.

I've always had a penchant for picking up videos. For the most part, I find videos of games here and there, and sometimes, some of those videos just stick in your head long after you've seen them.

Here are my top five game-related bits of weirdness, which anyone with a degree in googling can hunt down and download for themselves. In no particular order...

Street Fighter Salsa

I do some ballroom dancing myself, so this was funny to watch. As you can see, this is a Korean salsa competition where the contestants are playing Ryu and Chun Li. Definitely weird, but you can see some of the obvious Street Fighter references in their routine, giving this a definite spot in my top 5.

Less ballroom, more weirdness if you click on "Full Article".

As a frustrated Hollywood filmmaker wannabe, I find "machinema" films just about the most exciting new development in recent years. A great "democratizer," low-cost, high-powered PCs and cutting edge game animation now allow nearly anyone willing to learn a few "modding" tricks to realize that Hollywood dream.

And there's great stuff out there, too - you've seen a lot of it right here at QJ. Most of the promotional gaming videos we bring you are wonderful examples of machinema art. This particular one is a mock news story about one of the features of World of Warcraft - The Burning Crusade. The subject is a hard-drinking, overgrown Dwarven warrior with a bad Scottish accent and a bad hairstyle as he takes his dragon out for a spin.

It's good to know that WoW fans don't take themselves or their game too seriously. In any event, whether or not you're a hard-core WoW gamer or not, check out the video and enjoy a funny - and very well done - example of machinema art.


Download: [WoW Flying Mount]