World of Warcraft and philosophy - Luke Cuddy

Recognized by theGuinness Book of World Recordsas the most popular MMORPG (massively multiplayer online role-playing game) in videogame history,World of Warcraftis everywhere ? from episodes ofSouth ParkandThe Simpsons,to online series likeWatch the Guild,accolades and awards from game critics, and prime-time commercials with Mr. T. Inevitably, such a cultural phenomenon triggers deeper questions. When does an assumed identity become real? Does the Corrupted Blood epidemic warn us of future public health catastrophes? What are the dangers when real life is invaded by events in the game? What can our own world learn from Azeroth’s blend of primitivism and high-tech? In these lively essays, a specially commissioned guild of philosophers, including Yara Mitsuishi, Monica Evans, Tim Christopher, and Anna Janssen, tackles these and other complex questions arising fromWoW.