Sociologists using Warcraft to predict the future of human civilization; sell books
by Fox Van Allen 
Mar 25th 2010 at 7:00PM
When I was younger, I was in a perpetual war with my parents over video gaming. I suppose I still am in a way -- they still ask me when I'm going to "grow" out of them.
Because of this, I'm always on the lookout for ways to justify spending so much of my free time on my electronic hobby. Back in the days of the Super Nintendo, I insisted that I was building hand-eye coordination. Thankfully, I now have new ammunition: I am a participant in a "virtual prototype of tomorrow, of a real human future in which tribe-like groups will engage in combat over declining natural resources." One that scientists are actively studying and using to learn about our real-world society.
Those are the words of MIT Press, the publisher of a new book by sociologist Williams Sims Bainbridge, The Warcraft Civilization. The book is a product of over 2300 hours worth of game play by the author. New Scientist's Culture Lab has a fascinating interview with Bainbridge, giving insight into Warcraft and religion, Warcraft as the next afterlife, and Warcraft as a predictor of the future of Western civilization.
Because of this, I'm always on the lookout for ways to justify spending so much of my free time on my electronic hobby. Back in the days of the Super Nintendo, I insisted that I was building hand-eye coordination. Thankfully, I now have new ammunition: I am a participant in a "virtual prototype of tomorrow, of a real human future in which tribe-like groups will engage in combat over declining natural resources." One that scientists are actively studying and using to learn about our real-world society.
Those are the words of MIT Press, the publisher of a new book by sociologist Williams Sims Bainbridge, The Warcraft Civilization. The book is a product of over 2300 hours worth of game play by the author. New Scientist's Culture Lab has a fascinating interview with Bainbridge, giving insight into Warcraft and religion, Warcraft as the next afterlife, and Warcraft as a predictor of the future of Western civilization.
Bainbridge poses some pretty interesting questions about society, using the World of Warcraft as a medium to answer them. He notes the role of religion as a part of Warcraft -- players write it off as fantasy, but understand it being necessary to appreciate the game:
The horrendous question that always troubles me is, what if religion is factually false but necessary for human well-being? What does science do then?...Maybe we will move to a time when we no longer make a distinction between belief and the suspension of disbelief. The difference between faith and fantasy might not have been very distinct in ancient times, and it's possible that we will move towards a time when instead of religion, people's hopes can be expressed in something that's acknowledged to be a fantasy but also, on some level, sort of real. WoW might exemplify that kind of post-religious future.
For those of us who invest a little too much time in Warcraft, we can at least take solace in the fact that we're taking part of a culture that is, in its own special way, indistinguishable from the real world. One that needs to be preserved:I feel we need to create some kind of public digital library of the culturally or historically most interesting virtual worlds, many of these game-like, as they go out of business. There are at least three already out of business that need to be preserved, such as The Matrix Online. You can hear an authentic performance of Claudio Monteverdi's L'Orfeo opera from 1607, but you can't go to The Matrix Online. It's gone.
There's plenty more in the article, including a description of the world's first scientific conference where participants drowned and were mauled by hyenas. Or, as I like to call it, the most awesome scientific conference ever.
For those interested, The Warcraft Civilization was released on March 20 in the U.K. and is scheduled for release on March 31 here in the U.S.
For those interested, The Warcraft Civilization was released on March 20 in the U.K. and is scheduled for release on March 31 here in the U.S.
Filed under: News items
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
Matt Mar 25th 2010 7:05PM
I only have one thing to say in response to this article.
Humans tend to believe strange things.
'nuff said.
tonedeff Mar 25th 2010 7:13PM
I have faith that that Prophet Ghostcrawler promised me a pony!
loreaddict Mar 25th 2010 9:13PM
Ia! Ia! Ghostcrawler Fthagn!
devilsei Mar 25th 2010 11:06PM
Yeah... I don't trust WoW for religion... why? Here's a quote from the oft-rumored Azerothian Bible.
"And thus, upon the seventh night, did the mighty Creator weave shadow and leaves, to form the great elves of the night. The day after, having spent much time with the earthen dwarves, did he also craft the elves of the sun. Yet so smashed was he, that only one form was given to male and female, thus the many elven men doth cried for scrunchies and vanity hair care products"
common sense Mar 26th 2010 4:37AM
You mean americans, here in the civilized world we're perfectly fine without religion. Shit, we're even past discussing it and simply think of anyone who believe books to be true, because it just so happen to say so on their covers, as flaming idiots.
Greeni Mar 26th 2010 8:04AM
@ common sense:
so, you believe that the rest of the world is more "advanced" because every1 thinks that they disappear forever when they die? may God have mercy on your soul, sir.
pnm326 Mar 26th 2010 8:53AM
@commensense, how very judgemental(spelling?) of you. I guess I am a flaming idiot, and proud to be labeled as such.
Anathean Mar 26th 2010 11:48AM
Yeah, I'd have to say that the rest of the world, where we do think that we just die, is more civilized. Lower crime rates, happier people, less teen pregnancy, less divorce. Just because you want to believe that there's an invisible sky wizard telling you who to hate doesn't mean that there actually is one, and until it's demonstrated that such a (horrific dictator) being exists, us normal people will continue to live our lives loving and helping each other instead of condemning people that believe in a different kind of pixie to a torture chamber with a broken thermostat.
*deep breath* and that's all for me.
epicboyz Mar 26th 2010 11:56AM
@common Does that include the Catholics of Europ and the Muslims of Africa/Asia? I live in the U.S. and am a proud agnostic. U sir are a troll. Have a nice day.
Hunterlicious Mar 26th 2010 3:31PM
@common sense: "Civilized"??? The same civilized folks who inflicted colonialism, disease, and warfare on other "inferior" peoples? Oh yeah, and brought their *bibles* across the ocean? Do tell what advanced and virtuous civilization you are from, sir, because unless you are from fucking outer space, I am sorry but you are part of this grand mess called humanity.
SamLowry Mar 26th 2010 5:26PM
Uh, Hunter, he's suggesting they actually learned from past mistakes and improved themselves, kinda like how the British decided to outlaw the slave trade in 1807 and then slavery outright in 1839, yet it took us another twenty-two years before we did the same (and they didn't have to fight a war over it, either). Meanwhile, we still have dimwits in this country who believe the earth is only six thousand years old, and cavemen rode dinosaurs (which were finally killed by "The Flood"), because their religion tells them so.
And Texas schoolbooks sure don't help.
Banzai Mar 26th 2010 7:07PM
@ Anathean and Common
There's actually no proof that secular people are in any way more civilized. There's no correlating evidence suggesting that Secularism has anything to do with crime rates, teen pregnancies or even "happy people". These are merely loaded statements to prove to oneself how superior they are to other people.
Also, at present there is no religion of a sky wizard of some sort, and to my knowledge no major religion acknowledges pixies as real creatures.
The fact is, there are a lot of stupid people out there. Some are Christian, some are Muslim, some are Hindus, some are Atheists, just to give a few examples. Stupidity isn't tied into any faith, or lack of thereof. Stupid is, stupid does.
I find it odd, that you "normal people" are so willing to believe people with a different world view are somehow mentally challenged or morally handicapped. This kind of thinking stinks of arrogance, and I can hardly see it producing any good results for anyone.
As for the notion that humanity has grown in some way and learned from past mistakes... I sure hope so, though I think it would be pretty easy to prove other wise. In the mean time though, seems like were making our fair share of bad choices as a collective to give more study material to our kids.
Anathean Mar 26th 2010 8:12PM
@Banzai
Yes, there are many, many studies showing positive correlation between secularism and crime rates/happiness, as well as intelligence.
Here's a few articles/threads on the subject I found with just a simple Google search:
http://www.nairaland.com/nigeria/topic-121066.0.html
http://www.ryananddebi.com/2009/01/06/society-without-god-what-the-least-religious-nations-can-tell-us-about-contentment/
http://moses.creighton.edu/JRS/2005/2005-11.html
Just because you want to think that we're trying to seem high and mighty doesn't mean we are. Look at the facts before you go ahead and lie by accusing us of using loaded statements.
It's pretty comical that you don't realize that most gods are, in fact, sky wizards. They grant wishes and create things with magic. Sounds like a wizard to me.
And yeah, I'd have to say religious people have something "off" in their heads. It's a belief based on absolutely no evidence besides anecdotes and a 2000-year-old book of desert fairy tales (give or take a few hundred years). Of course there could be a god of some kind, but to insist that there is based on NOTHING shows a level of stupidity that is hard to match.
You have an obscenely low chance of winning the lottery, so why would you live your life believing that you'll win in the future? It's the height of idiocy.
Hunterlicious Mar 26th 2010 8:28PM
@SamLowry- How do you get a statement like "Shit, we're even past discussing it and simply think of anyone who believe books to be true, because it just so happen to say so on their covers, as flaming idiots" and get "he's suggesting they actually learned from past mistakes and improved themselves"? I need your epic reading glasses. Regardless, that's not what I take issue with: I didn't like his use of term "civilized" in that context because it was judgemental and arrogant. There are *plenty* of imbeciles everywhere. Ours just happen to get more press and scrutiny.
SamLowry Mar 26th 2010 8:54PM
Hunter, because people who have finally shrugged off the shackles of religion ARE more civilized.
And "Also, at present there is no religion of a sky wizard of some sort"...um, Christianity, anyone?
SamLowry Mar 26th 2010 10:07PM
...and before anyone suggests Soviet Russia was evil despite being "athiestic", why did Stalin enlist the Russian Orthodox Church as an ally to arouse Russian patriotism against Nazi Germany? Maybe because the vast majority of Russians never really bought into athiesm? (Perhaps they learned a lesson the Inquisition never did: Force never leads to an honest conversion.)
common sense Mar 27th 2010 10:20PM
@Hunterlicious
I'm not responsible for what people did 400 years ago. I'm responsible for learning from what they did so I won't repeat their mistakes. Which is exactly what we're doing in the civilized world, unlike you silly mucks who're actually disguising whether to instigate things like creationism on an equal level to biology.
I'm sure it makes you angry but there isn't really anything to talk about. Organized religion is the dumbest thing created by man and you live in the only developed country that lets it affect your political decisions.
I'm sure your ancestors were as dumb as mine, but you havn't learned anything from them.
Kj Mar 25th 2010 7:21PM
*waiting for the second coming of Tseric*
briker Mar 25th 2010 8:32PM
The is no coming back from a Shaman Bus Shock.
Succulent Mar 25th 2010 7:21PM
Nice to see something which isn't saying video games ruin peoples lives at least.
Although Barbie's Horse Adventure does seem pretty life ruining..