Mr. Sheffield forwarded me a Midway PR email which contains links to some of the most uncomfortable video footage displayed in public in recent years: "Executives and guests from Midway Games Inc. visited the New York Stock Exchange on Tues., April 24 to celebrate the launch of its latest video game, "The Lord of the Rings Online"."

Oh yeah? "To celebrate this special occasion, CEO David Zucker rang The Closing Bell." And here's the video evidence that he did [.ASX link] Unfortunately, there seems to be a tiny little hobbit standing to his left, and then 'Gandalf' just to the side of him. 'Gandalf' is bopping his stick up and down in delight as Zucker alternately rings a bell and slams a mallet into the desk, in a Phoenix Wright courtroom stylee. Guys, this is pretty surreal! [The accompanying image has been blurred to protect the innocent!]

Oh, and over at MMOG Nation, the ever-online Michael Zenke has been talking about Lord Of The Rings Online on its launch day, and he has some neat conclusions: "It may seem to you like I put most of the core of the game under ‘like’, some fluff under ‘love, and some serious problems at the bottom. You’d be right. I didn’t shell out $199 for a lifetime membership because I don’t think I’m ever going to play the game that much. By biting the bullet when I did I can stick to the $9.99 membership and get my jollies at a lower cost."