First came computer games. Then came DSL, and broadband online access, followed very closely by computer games where you can play with other real people sitting in front of other real computers, somewhere else in the real world. This functionality has led to the development of several phenomenally successful “Massively Multiple Online Role Playing Games,” or MMOs as they have come to be known in the industry.
One of the most successful of these games is “World of Warcraft,” or “WoW”, which currently is believed to have about seven million active online players. Like many of its genre, World of Warcraft is built on the classic medieval fantasy model, a combination of Tolkien, Camelot, and a liberal dash of unique original elements mixed into the hoary stand-bys. The world is filled with magic spells, swords and shields, gold pieces and assorted items of value, and skills both worldly and otherworldly that a character can acquire with practice and effort – and hours online.
A player in this game creates an avatar – a fictional character whose role he (or she) assumes in the online world. The game is a never-ending...