WIRED’s 2006 Rave Award went to World of Warcraft. The award was presented at the ceremony by Joi Ito, who has written an essay for WIRED about this most popular MMORPG (massively multi-player online role-playing game) ever. The role-playing mob for this game is now over 6 million people. Ito’s insights include:
The quality and the popularity of World of Warcraft has propelled MMORPGs from a subculture into the mainstream; some call it the new golf. But it’s more than that: World of Warcraft is millions of people with diverse backgrounds collaborating, socializing, and learning while having fun. What we’re experiencing with this game is similar to the ‘adhocracy’ of many successful open source software projects. It represents the future of real-time collaborative teams and leadership in an always-on, diversity-intensive, real-time environment. World of Warcraft is a glimpse into our future.
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@ 23:59
There is one of the most hotly-contested debates going on right now at eqplayers.com. The title is “Is this a sick joke, or not?” and everyone, from those who love EverQuest to those who hate it, have posted. I would like to invite you to check it out, and, perhaps, to post it on your site or blog. It’s bitter, angry, friendly, frighteningly honest, and hilariously insane.
Check it out.
Z.