[In this in-depth analysis, writer Michael Walbridge discusses how asynchronous multiplayer social games build community, finding commonalities between popular titles like Mafia Wars and Kingdom of Loathing.]

Lately some have been arguing that, as far as games are concerned, content is not always king. In the April 2009 issue of Game Developer magazine, Steve Theodore discussed alternative conceptions of games as art. After noting John Carmack's "We're doing entertainment" quote, Theodore writes: "Honestly, not many games can live up to the Romantic ideal [of art].

Recently, Chris Remo pointed out that many games seem to shoot to become epic, and Leigh Alexander suggested that perhaps it's time we stop looking for a “Citizen Kane”. In short: games are games first and foremost, and anything else is incidental.

There is an area of gamingdom that contests the point of content, at least, (though not necessarily art). I refer not to gaming critics, i.e. the “Brainysphere” (which this column has already covered), but to Massively Single Player Online games. The first place I saw the term printed was in the game ForumWarz, though it is certainly not the first of its kind.

Talking as part of an in-depth new feature on WorldsInMotion.biz sister site Gamasutra, Three Rings CEO Daniel James has revealed specific stats on free-to-play MMO Puzzle Pirates, with a total of $300,000 per month in revenue, largely at $1-$2 per unique user.

The explanation of these key statistics for game developers wanting to get into the self-published online gaming world starts by noting that some developers choose to report their "average revenue per paying user" (ARPPU) which, by definition, is always more impressive than their "average revenue per user" (ARPU).

(Both of these statistics relate to monthly logged-in users, and the amount of monthly logged-in users cited in ARPU is often a fraction of total registered users -- a common metric used in press releases.)

The inability to get at the real "metrics-to-success" can make it extremely difficult for a developer mulling whether or not to enter the free-to-play MMO sector.

According to Daniel James, this "reluctance to clearly report revenues is a deliberate attempt to obfuscate the numbers." James is CEO of San Francisco-based Three Rings Design. "There seems to be a perception," he explains, "that there is a business advantage to not being transparent. But I disagree."

Turbine announced today that it's changing the business model for its Dungeons & Dragons Online PC MMO with a new upgrade, due this summer, that shifts the formerly subscription-based game to primarily free-to-play.

Though DDO has existed on a $14.95 per month subscription model since its 2006 launch, the upgrade, titled Eberron Unlimited -- which is itself free -- migrates the game to a microtransactions-based model, by which users can purchase additional content and items in the new "DDO Store."

Specifically, the store's currency is "Turbine Points," and players can either buy or earn them in-game. The new DDO Unlimited will also offer a "VIP Program" as an alternative, through which players receive some in-game money and access to all classes, races, in-game lands and extended character slots.

Existing subscribers are automatically upgraded to VIP status through the update, and free users can join the program for the same $14.95 monthly fee.

"Historically, players of free online games were forced to sacrifice the quality of their experience," says Turbine president and CEO Jim Crowley. "Those days are over. The new DDO Unlimited is the most innovative, exciting and graphically rich MMO to ever hit the free-to-play market and it changes the very nature of what it means to be free-to-play."

The update also includes several content upgrades, including a higher level cap and additional quests. Gamasutra has contacted Turbine for additional comments on the move and will update with any we receive.

Hilmar Petursson, chief exec at EVE Online developer CCP, will be keynoting the upcoming Game Developers Conference Europe (a sister event to WorldsInMotion.biz) this August in Cologne, Germany, where he'll unveil the studio's next project.

The exec, who has been with Reykjavik, Iceland-based CCP since 2000, will deliver the keynote "CCP: Winning the War," a presentation centered on his company's growth.

The studio began in relative obscurity, but now lays claim to the space-faring MMORPG EVE Online, which surpassed 300,000 subscribers in May.

At GDC Europe, Petursson will exclusively reveal CCP's latest project, currently in pre-production.

"GDC Europe is gearing up to be one of the industry's most essential events. I am honored to have this opportunity to share some of the valuable lessons CCP has learned with such a prestigious audience," Petursson said.

According to the firm, CCP plans on an "extensive global expansion" as online gaming continues to proliferate in the market.

GDC Europe will take place August 17-19 this year in Cologne alongside the inaugural GamesCom trade/consumer game event, and more information is available via the official GDC Europe website.

In this round-up, we highlight some of the notable jobs posted in big sister site Gamasutra's industry-leading game jobs section this week, including positions from Treyarch, SCEA and more.

Each position posted by employers will appear on the main Gamasutra job board, and appear in the site's daily and weekly newsletters, reaching our readers directly.

It will also be cross-posted for free across its network of submarket sites, which includes content sites focused on online worlds, cellphone games, 'serious games', independent games and more.

Some of the notable jobs posted in each market area this week include:

Following its April 28 launch, Sony Online Entertainment's free-to-play casual MMORPG Free Realms has amassed 3 million unique users, SOE announced Friday.

SOE CEO John Smedley said the family-friendly game, which has enjoyed a youth-focused TV campaign, has attracted on average 500,000 new gamers per week. Smedley also said SOE worked on the game for four years prior to release.

The first 3 million registrants will have access to the "3M Pet Party Pack," which contains "virtual goodies" for players' virtual pets.

A rep for SOE told Gamasutra that the 3 million figure is "the number of registered accounts for Free Realms." The game is free to download and play, but has optional microtransaction and subscription elements.

Free Realms also ties into a trading card game playable both with physical cards and inside the game via digital codes.

One month after release, SOE said the game had hit 2 million users.