ICM - Leeds Design Agency

Wednesday, August 22nd 2007

stepford lives

The Lancet, respected medical journal, this week announced that it is using an online fantasy game “World of Warcraft” and a ‘virus’ that has swept its virtual world as a template for studying real world pandemics.

Of course, there is one glaring error. However many million characters on ‘Warcraft’ are actually going out and doing something (you know, some shopping, killing a dragon, stare at a maiden, that kind of thing). Not one of the characters is sitting in its hut, drinking diet coke and living off marlboro lights while glued to a virtual world in which they go to work, get stuck in traffic or have a late bill to pay.

This isn’t an attack on online gaming, after all, it’s just another form of entertainment. It’s no better or worse than telly, radio, music or reading, and i’m not a snob or antigeek.

In fact, i can probably understand the ‘Warcraft’ enticement more than some of the other ways we are retreating into our homes. Look at the improbably named Wii. You can go ten pin bowling, play tennis, baseball or even football. Never mind these are things you can easily do in the ‘real world’. i was amazed to hear grown adults with large disposable incomes bragging about going bowling online with their family and friends, missing the irony that they could actually just go and do it… you know, for real.

At least the Warcraft users are escaping into a non real experience… i mean you probably wouldn’t get away with walking down the high street smiting wrong doers. Not with a sword and wearing a loincloth anyway.

Maybe it’s because you can blame a wonky controller for not being brilliant at your chosen sport, maybe it’s because you don’t actually have to master a skill to get good at it. maybe it’s because we’re waiting for the latest film to download, or for itunes to arrange our music for us…

I use all of these, i’m as much of a geek as the next man (so long as the next man isn’t Andy ;)), but i really can’t see the point with slowly replacing real world experiences we can all do with simulations.