Slashdot directed me to an article over at 1up. It seems that Joi Ito is singing the same song that I have been since my immersion in World of Warcraft.
Joi Itio, “the money-and-idea guy behind internet companies PSINet, Digital Garage, Infoseek Japan, and social software like Moveable Type, Technorati, and Socialtext” is pleasantly addicted to WoW as I am. Here’s an excerpt from the 1up article:
These days Joi enjoys the social aspects of the game. And by “enjoys” I really mean, “is absolutely obsessed by”. “The game really starts at level 60,” he says. Taking care of a guild, administering to members’ needs, looking after newbs and pleasing the veterans is a delicate balancing act that challenges even a guy who is used to being the CEO of fast-growing companies. “Warcraft is like a really, really well-designed UI for real-time, ad-hoc group collaboration and management of tons of people. The tools are really interesting because they apply to stuff that we’ll be using in the real world.” Has he learned new lessons about leadership because of his involvement in WoW? “Definitely,” he says. Eric tells me Joi carries around copies of the game to hand out to people he meets in real life. Joi has become a real Warcraft evangelist.
Pretty nifty. Like it or not, MMORPGs (WoW in particular) are gaining ground in many walks of life. As game membership grows beyond its 5 million subscribers, the probability of getting into a conversation and relating with a fellow technophile (or anyone for that matter) increases. As I have stated in the past: gone is the time I log into IM to chat with friends. I log into WoW and they are there waiting. Over the past year and a half of membership in World of Warcraft community I have had discussions on get-togethers, code, received/given help on work-related topics, all forms of entertainment, web 2.0, blogging, etc. It is becoming a melting pot of information transfer for both professional and non-professional topics!
Is WoW the next Golf – a get-together of friends for the tossing around ideas and banter? Well, thats to be determined. Heh…I can’t turn down a chance for real-life interaction just yet, but meeting in game to talk about out of game stuff is easy and somewhat commonplace for me.
Comments
8 responses to “Shop Talk on World of Warcraft. WoW is the next Golf?”
[…] We see even now that MMORPGs are affecting the economy, laws, and communication. As the games become more social, they are introducing experiences and obstacles to end users where those users may have never had the opportunity to encounter them. And as with many experiences in the real world, those users grow and alter behavior patterns to suit these diverse situations in the virtual world. Wired’s article focuses on MMORPGs grooming managers as a direct correlation to holding the position of Guild Master. They write: [T]he process of becoming an effective World of Warcraft guild master amounts to a total-immersion course in leadership. A guild is a collection of players who come together to share knowledge, resources, and manpower. To run a large one, a guild master must be adept at many skills: attracting, evaluating, and recruiting new members; creating apprenticeship programs; orchestrating group strategy; and adjudicating disputes. Guilds routinely splinter over petty squabbles and other basic failures of management; the master must resolve them without losing valuable members, who can easily quit and join a rival guild. Never mind the virtual surroundings; these conditions provide real-world training a manager can apply directly in the workplace. […]
[…] Then Zach reminded me that I’ve been playing World of Warcraft and DotA for too long. My brain-damaged head decided to convince me that the command for whisper (/w) was the abbreviation for with (w/). […]
[…] Whatever it is, World of Warcraft will be getting this dance with the new Draenei race in beling delivered in the WoW expansion – Burning Crusade. […]
shut it wow is the best game ever ime not allowed to play it coz it influences my behavior hahaha effecting the econamy shut up hahaha if you like wow ya wudent b dissin it idiot wow rules!!!!!
by the way night elf dances r the best ….so i was thinkin to myself is it normal to want i night elf???
World of warcraft is the best game ever and i hate any one who disagrees with me
booya
There is new server for WOW http://royalhall.no-ip.org/ Check it out. Free forever