One of the worst things a blogger can do is not show up.

For the last two days, I haven't posted anything here. I apologize. I did file a few pieces from MTV but just ran out of time to promote them here. I'm rectifying it now and assure you all that what's been keeping me busy are interviews and reporting about a number of really interesting people and presentations at Game Developers Conference. I'll be filing most of the best stuff next week: everything from "Zelda" maker Eiji Aonuma's thoughts on block puzzles and starting a player out without a bow and arrow every time to a SUNY professor with a wild idea about how to use games to teach Chinese kids English. Plus Peter Molyneux on his failures, some revelations about the writing of "Gears of War" and lots more. Even some video, though nothing that will spark an international crisis, like that last one.

On Wednesday I filed filed a story for MTVNews.com about news everyone has heard about by now, PlayStation Home. What may still be new to you are some questions I've got about the service. From my article...

While makers of "Second Life" go to great lengths to explain their service as something other than a game it is unclear how much of game PlayStation Home is. In games, players get new content — cars, weapons, superpowers, access to later game levels — by playing. They face challenges. They get rewards. In "Second Life" users get new content by obtaining it for free or by purchasing it from other users. There’s no goal-oriented play there, no game. Phil Harrison demonstrated a wealth of obtainable content — including a much more advanced two-story personal apartment that contained its own pool table — but how much of that can be gotten via play (as opposed to purchase) remains to be revealed.

Since I wrote that I've been able to ask Harrison about that and several other things regarding Home. I'll provide his answers very early next week.