Earlier today, the day before the start of BlizzCon 2008, I got a chance to stop by Blizzard's campus in Irvine, California -- to see where the magic happens, so to speak.

The compound is made up of three buildings that house over 1000 people, and it's surrounded by gates with a security station that all visitors must have clearance to get through. My cab driver asked me, "What the hell is this place?" When I said it was a game development studio, he didn't believe me. (He also probably wouldn't have believed the campus had a 24-hour gym, volleyball and basketball courts, a museum room and a big-screen theater.)

Take a look at our photo tour of all that and more, including the floor where 140 people make "World of Warcraft."

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