This Tuesday morning while everyone else was lamenting weekly maintenance, I headed down to the
local NPR studios to sit in a very quiet, empty studio -- and chat about
World of Warcraft with illustrious individuals in distant lands on
WBUR's On Point. I joined
William Sims Bainbridge (author of
The Warcraft Civilization, which is available in stores today) and host Tom Ashbrook for an hour-long discussion on the meaning behind
World of Warcraft.
Can we really use events in
WoW predict the future? Is
WoW the
first real afterlife? Is the game world dangerous and addicting -- or a great place to connect with friends and co-workers?
If you're interested in catching our discussion, it's available for
streaming online or you can download it (as well as past and future editions of On Point) as
a podcast on iTunes.
Tags: bainbridge, elizabeth-harper, facebookfeed, npr, on-point, sociology, The-Warcraft-Civilization, Tom-Ashbrook, wbur, William-Sims-Bainbridge, wow-sociology, wow.com
Filed under: WoW Insider Business
Mar 31st 2010 at 9:00AM 
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
Kanap Mar 31st 2010 9:16AM
I honestly believe that people who become addicted to games or anything just lack self control.
Jiffah Mar 31st 2010 9:39AM
@Kanap
I wouldn't generalize that much...some drugs like Crystal Meth are instantly addictive. Knowing that and still trying it is a huge lapse of judgement, but it doesn't change the fact that once hooked (first time) no amount of self-control alone will get you rid of that addiction. I would take a good look around before implying that all addicts are weak-minded.
Kanap Mar 31st 2010 10:01AM
Well I never meant Drugs just games and other non-destructive activities.
N-train Mar 31st 2010 10:23AM
I don't believe its quite that black and white. When someone is "addicted" to something like a video game (or most drugs) its usually a combination of: a personality OR circumstance that encourages a greater-than-ideal emotional and personal investment in a game with AND the mechanics of the game itself. If WoW was boring and stupid, then it would be a lot harder for people with those personalities or circumstances to justify (to themselves) becoming "addictive-ly" invested in the game.
In the end, we use a video game (or a drug) like wow for a couple different reasons: primarily as just another escape on par with other games and TV, but also for (a fairly unique form of) social interactions and for a sense of accomplishment, and the more and more someone feels they are lacking or enjoy indulging in one of those, then the more invested they could (note "could") become. In the end "self control" may not even be an issue, they just may have picked up the right game at the right time. Jiffah is right when he said that all it often takes is a simple lapse in judgment or a mild, controlled "binge" to drastically increase the emotional and physical investment a person has, making the game more than just "a game" and creating an addiction.
That's just my opinion though, I'm no psych major or anything :-).
hellofireman Mar 31st 2010 9:16AM
Bainbridge, confused sociologist or the next Nostradamus?
Mosi13 Mar 31st 2010 9:22AM
I usually listen to NPR all day at work, and I was pleasantly surprised when this came on.
Tirrimas Mar 31st 2010 9:34AM
You done hit the big time, boyyy.
Krugeroff Mar 31st 2010 9:50AM
WBUR! you are from my home then. and no, I don't say "pahk the cah". but all my aunts and uncles do XD
toast Mar 31st 2010 10:02AM
NPR huh? That's pretty cool. I don't know if they will air it down in ole' Louisiana, but I will definitely check it out on the streaming. Most NPR hosts have a low, soothing voice. Good times.
Obeyfez Mar 31st 2010 12:14PM
Elizabeth fit right in and did great in the discussion. She definitely has a nice "NPR voice".
Marco Polaris Mar 31st 2010 10:05AM
So... WoW is like an afterlife because if you die, they'll make an NPC after you?
That's like saying you can live forever because you can be cloned. Letting me know my characters will live on after I die is a nice tombstone marker, but I'm sure as hell still dead.
donatilh Mar 31st 2010 10:15AM
NPR is a great place for a different take on world news and events and I too was pleasantly surprised to find WoW as a topic.
Elizabeth Harper and the guest sociologist did a really good job of showcasing how "normal" most of us who play and love the game are. Leave it to the callers to provide the "I didn't finish my grad thesis because of WoW" or "my kid won't graduate HS because of WoW" and "I lost my job because of WoW;" awesome job by Elizabeth pointing out how, just like anything else, parents need to monitor and adults need to balance and a WoW society that is a reflection of the bigger whole. Makes me feel good about leaving work early to get to the AH.... :)
Dere Mar 31st 2010 11:34AM
On a side note to the actually question of should a 11 year old play WOW the answer should have been NO. The game is rated T for Teen and is not meant for younger players but your answer was all well and good with parents should exercise good judgment when allowing their child to play. Disneys Toon Town rated E or Wizards 101rated E10+ would be better suited for a 11 year old kid with a safer environment.
Rhabella Mar 31st 2010 10:18AM
Though happy for Elizabeth and her appearence on NPR, I do have to say the piece was an overall disappointment because of that D-Bag sociologist. NPR just took a highly educated idiot and made us all look like South Park hybrid driving san franciscan fart smellers.
I did appreciate Elizabeth's representation, but overall it felt like a complete disaster of an interview to represent the community, and it was all because of the sociologist.
Kunikenwad! Mar 31st 2010 12:58PM
Amen. The sociologist was a tool, but the host didn't help by steering every question away from the rationality of Ms. Harper's replies into nonsensical arguments and sensationalism. Nice job trying to fight through that, Elizabeth. You sounded rather exasperated at times because of the inability of the host to admit that Warcraft is not evil.
Camron Mar 31st 2010 9:36PM
I am a longtime listener to On Point and I was super excited when I saw they did a show on WoW. But like Rhabella, I was disappointed at the show as a whole. One of the things that makes Tom Ashbrook such a great host is that he invests a lot of time in becoming knowledgeable about the show's topic beforehand- often reading the guests' books, etc. I wish he would have played at least a few hours of WoW beforehand so that he would have had at least a basic understanding of what the game was. Also, the main guest (the sociologist, or whatever) seemed really out of touch with the game and its players as a whole. I am so glad you were there, Elizabeth, to inject a little bit of common sense and "real" knowledge into the conversation... I only wish they let you talk a little more! There are so many better "WoW scholars" out there such as Jane McGonigal with much more interesting thoughts on WoW, MMOs, and gaming; it's a shame On Point didn't invite one of them, instead of Bainbridge.
Paciphae Mar 31st 2010 10:25AM
I must admit, my reaction to the "wow is the destruction of teenagers and/or their grades" comments,(in the show), was a defensive one.
While the folks who play and love the game were open to talking about it's more negative points, the few people who spoke against it couldn't seem to say anything else. I'm thinking that's because maybe they've never actually played the game, and aren't really open to doing so. Frankly I wish NPR could have found some one to talk about WoW's downsides without dismissing the game outright before they'd ever even played it.
It reminded me of the way certain people have reacted to other cultural phenomena that they were afraid of. Several rock n' roll bands come to mind, from Alice Cooper to Marilyn Manson. lol
There will always be a contingent of people who fear what they don't understand and instantly label it as 'bad". These folks have no interest in trying to understand what they're condemning across-the-board, and therefore can't see the up-side of it.
Oh well. Rock n' roll isn't going anywhere, and neither is World Of Warcraft. ;) I hope they do another show a few years from now exploring how it's finally gained a measure of acceptance.
Pelen Mar 31st 2010 10:34AM
Uhm. *finds a nickel and asks for change*
Can we use the game to predict the future(?):
The game could show the trends and points of view of the subjects/topics that are in front of us and people's view of how to handle it. It could also show to what degree someone is an @#%^& and what they can do to really nail that to our side if they can get away with it. For example, need / greed, the "zombie" event, ZG's "plague"/beetis and 'gang' mindsets (all near 'griefing'). 'History' can repeat itself and it happening could give us a clue of what may happen, thinking ahead in this case, so we can change direction, get near a healer, get more people or tell the bad wolf "nice doggy" until you can find a branch to "defend" yourself.
Is it a good place to meet up with Co-workers and friends?:
It is an optional place to meet up with co-workers and friends for recreational purposes and side-projects that they may be interested in (As with many and other games and activities as well).
Is it Addicting/Potentially dangerous?:
Yes, because people seek entertainment and pleasure out of what they do. When you gain a level, get a new friend, become part of a group or find something new they may follow it further. When that overcomes what is needed to be done in a daily-lifestyle then it becomes an OBVIOUS problem but signs may have been there earlier.
Over time, people may become 'defensive' about the things they do and pick up social traits that they would find to be an "accepted" thing to do... which could cause a problem with social situations.
Pam Mar 31st 2010 10:40AM
I have always had an addiction, in one way or another.
When I was a kid, it was hot wheels, 4 leaf clovers and Star Wars. (Didn't just own them, was obsessed with owning all of them, finding all of them etc).
When I was a teen, it was boys and alcohol.
When I was a young adult, I had kids, so all of my interests took a back seat.
When I was a bit older, it was alcohol again. This was a 'not so good' time.
As my kids grew up and moved out, I went thru different things. I surfed the Internet to collect pictures of chocolate, candles, buttons. All kinds. I had over 10, 000 different files alone of just chocolate. Yahoo games, Slingo, trolling different political message boards, puzzles, making candles from scratch, collecting smilies....
Then, WoW came into my life.
All this time I had been searching for something to fulfill that 'need' (undefined at this time, still). I was spending time doing time consuming things that were expensive, or inanely goofy, and now I spend $15 a month to just do it all in one place.
People that become addicted to WoW would have been addicted to something else.
Oriflame Apr 8th 2010 11:31PM
This really speaks to me.
I'm not sure if it is always true, but if you have an addictive personality, and need to channel that energy, wow can be a pretty safe and manageable way to do that.