World of Warcraft : More than a game?

World of Warcraft currently holds the Guinness World Record as the worlds largest Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game (MMORPG), with approximately 10 million subscribers.
Players range greatly in age, from 10 year olds who play after school until their parents kick them off the computer, to parents with full time jobs, who still somehow manage to find a way to fit gaming into their busy schedule.
Many of these players are considered addicts, either as a passing comment because of how much they play, or as an actually serious illness which requires professional help.
It is easy to become “addicted” to this game because of its wide social network and a surprisingly broad set of in-game goals which are slowly achievable over time.
Calling someone an addict is generally a negative term given to a player based on the frequency they play in comparison to yourself, and it is of no surprise that you fail to take into account what benefits can be gained, such as learning how to interact on a mass scale.

One of the major concerns in relevance with this game is that it “removes people from the outside world”, and therefore we worry about them socially.
What do we define communication as? And since when was it limited to a physical aspect?
Although yes it may be true that with the introduction of electronic games, children find it more fun to sit at home in front of the computer, rather then to go outside and play catch. However, in this case, shouldn’t online gaming be seen as a step up, rather then another target for criticism?
As anti-social as an online gamer might seem, in reality they are interacting with a wider range of people then can be achieved in the physical world at any one time.
So is it fair, or even accurate, to perceive an online gamer as antisocial? No, because you are judging them based upon something you don’t completely understand.

World of Warcraft is practically a reliable interactive model ("Models are simplified versions of very complex processes" - Thinking Through Communication. Fifth Edition. Sarah Trenholm) of the physical world we navigate in on a daily basis, or in simpler terms, a miniature less complex version of the world. It is run by an economic value which we refer to as “Gold” rather then “Dollars” for example. In a comical way, you can look at it as a Finance Management course for kids, in a fun first-hand experience way. We learn that there are many ways to many Gold, such as by our choice in Professions, what we sell in the Auction House (Which include deposits that must be made, and only get returned if the item is sold, as well as Auction House Cuts, which take a percentage of the money made from a sale for each item sold) and how we invest our money.
Children will be learning how to make money, manage their money, and use their skills to their advantage, and all this without even noticing.

As clearly stated, this game is extremely interactive, and a player’s success is dependent on how you communicate with others in the given environment.
No one in the real world wants the company of a mean, annoying, unreliable person whom has nothing of any intellect to share. So why would it be any different in the virtual world?
Children are forced into realizing that being rude wont get you any friends or help in the game, and not being reliable (for example saying you’ll be on every Saturday, but never making an appearance) wont get you invites to groups where attendance and being able to depend on players is important. Such as a school group project, every member is an essential edition to the team, so if one person is always late, or constantly cancels, they’ll soon find themselves without a group and no one willing to assist them.
People in general enjoy having power, but don’t realize the responsibilities that come with it. In WoW, its easy to become a leader, it’s whether you choose to take on the role, or not. Being a Guild Leader, is sort of like being the leader of a community, where all that follow look up to you for guidance, help, and organizational skills. Opening your own guild is as simple as just selecting a name for it, yet so many people choose to follow a leader, rather then become one themselves. When I ask people how come the don’t open a guild themselves, they often reply “I did, but it was so hard to manage, its so much easier being part of one instead, and letting them do the hard work of maintaining it”. Therefore, to an extent they do get to experience first hand the duties and responsibilities of having power, and whether or not they can cope with it.

Over the 2 years I have been playing WoW, I have made a lot of friends, who surprisingly are married with children of their own, or are children who play WoW with their parents and love it.
As much as online games may seem to be ideal for the independent type of player, there are a lot of people who enjoy the game as a means of family entertainment, or even a way of bonding. I have met a married couple who enjoy playing together, where they back each other up, or compliment each others skills by picking characters that work well together (for example a healer –heals- and a tanker –specializes in taking large amounts of damage-). Another girl I’ve met plays with her mum and sister and are very happy doing so. Perhaps it can be a source of comfort to have your family be there for you when you need them emotionally, as well as can be there virtually to back you up when bullies pick on you in-game. I personally find that that would be really awesome!

In conclusion when you are a long term player of World of Warcraft, it does become more then a game, because of the responsibilities, interaction, and real life happiness it can bring to you. Playing the game is like submitting yourself to becoming part of a whole new version of the fast pace world we already live in. To me, that deserves a lot more credit then it’s being given, and a lot less outsider criticism then it already has to deal with.