Let me introduce you to the guy in this picture, who has become a serious threat to my productivity lately. He is my alter ego, a Mage in World of Warcraft. This is an example of a MMOG, that is a massively multiplayer online game. MMOG's are computer games played by massive (surprise) numbers of players who collaborate in the playing of the game over the net.
Of course, I decide to try WoW for strictly professional reasons. I felt I needed to understand the MMOG phenomenon from the inside, as I think it's an interesting indicator of what people want technology to do. Not, strangely to indulge in aimless geekdom, but to play together.
Anyway, that was the rationale. I have to say World of Warcraft is, so far, massively entertaining. I certainly have an addictive and compulsive personality and I have to admit several very profound posts are not being written here because of an urgent need to perform alchemy, learn about herbalism and slay numerous very colourful monsters.
If you fancy a somewhat more profound insight into the future of the Web, you could listen to this podcast in which Tom Coates narrates this presentation about Web 2.0. Fascinating. And I see Tom fits this stuff in around World of Warcraft too. I see he has two characters there. I'd quite like to run into one of them. Not sure about the Warlock though.
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Comments (6)
I can understand why that chap would andanger your productivity. I de-installed a certain Roman-themed strategy game from my PC about a year ago - and began blogging. For me, it's one or t'other... and I know that if I went in out of professional interest I might not come back out. Frankly, I'm jealous.
February 24, 2006 19:19 Permalink for comment
Johnnie, you're getting more and more interesting!
February 24, 2006 22:48 Permalink for comment
You’re a step ahead of me. I’m finding regular blogging taking me away from work!
February 25, 2006 04:02 Permalink for comment
Oh dear, not another one ;) .
Hari, my significant other, is a fire mage on the Frostwhisper server. She spends a lot of her time playing it. In fact lately she's been over at mine more, because the internet at her house wasn't working very well so she couldn't play WoW.
February 25, 2006 17:56 Permalink for comment
Hostage To Our Brains
What if we are sitting on a chair for nth hours of the day, obsessively and naturally interested in the world of online. We morph into vegetables, the body being neglected but the brain stimulated. The brain takes over and leaves the body behind. It's a worrying development. What we need is a mobile net that can give us the same stimulation while we are in movement otherwise we become sitting waste.
February 25, 2006 23:32 Permalink for comment
Ah Neil, so you may be the first Wow widower I've come across.
Vic, you are so right about the potential pitfalls. In my own case, I expect the inital obsessive enthusiasm will top out to be replace by something a bit more sustainable. With new tools come new challenges in how to use them and not be used by them!
February 26, 2006 18:55 Permalink for comment