We're into the dog days of summer -- the slowest time of the year for gaming news. But that didn't stop our diligent Bitmob community writers from coming up with great story ideas, astute commentary, and even works of art. Oh, and one writer on this month's Big 10 even took the time to explain Bitmob's role in his success as a professional freelancer. We're not the type to toot our own horn, but...well, beep beep.

Here are the most-read community stories from July 2011:

10. Realism in shooters and the fact that there isn't any by Jason Lomberg

9. A game should start with the game by Matt Polen

8. The value of Bitmob by Dennis Scimeca

7. Portal 2 crossovers: Wheatley terrorizes your favorite game characters by Jan Neves

6. I'm a 27-year-old Pokémon master...and proud of it by Joe Walker

Hit the jump for the rest of July's list.

5. Shut up and take my money, Capcom by Marcel Hoang

4. 5 original titles to look forward to later this year by Mark T. Whitney

3. Nintendo's glacial eStore and Virtual Console release schedule encourages piracy by Matt Polen

2. Specialized Licenses now available for idiots on Xbox Live by Daniel Castro

1. Mass Effect's FemShep shouldn't need our approval by Niall Slater

Do you want to be on next month's list? Here are some tips:

Catchy headlines: A great one goes a long way -- you'd be amazed at how much this matters. If it doesn't draw people's attention, it doesn't matter how good your article is. You can easily double or triple your hits with a catchy and interesting headline.

Format your articles: Short, concise paragraphs and pictures go a long way. Check out our writing tips column, too.

Encourage comments: Ask your readers to share their opinions.

Promote your work: Share your links via Twitter, Facebook, message boards, N4G, Reddit, Raptr, and StumbleUpon.