So I was surfing through the WoW fan sites and noticed a decent amount of coverage of the revelation that Jennifer Leigh plays WoW, and WoW Insider mentioned that this adds to the many we knew about before, from politicians to athletes. I then thought back, long time ago, to the story about WoW being the new Golf. My mind, while questing my Paladin Telaan to 65(ding!), churned on these two things, and my mind wandered back.
A few years ago I won a contest on the radio when I called in after a Super Bowl and made the comment that I felt that 'I want to thank God' had become a cliche, the expected line to please the religious in the crowd, and felt empty after you heard the 10th person say it that night. So I guess my question, my concern, is what if 'I play WoW' is the new 'I want to thank God'?
No, folks, I am not equating WoW with God, I am simply wondering if the potential for the person to be accepted readily into the community, in this case WoW players, is what is causing all these 'revelations' of WoW playing. Think about it for a second. 10 million people worldwide, 3 or more million in the US. That is a very tempting and potentially profitable base of people whose ears will perk up at the mention of 'their game'.
I have no doubt Curt Schilling plays WoW, hell he is making his own MMO so we know he is a gamer on the couch as well as on the field. But the more I hear about stars looking to brighten their shine a bit, or attract a new kind of audience, they tell people they play WoW, but of course they would rather not say where, because of the stalker aspect. I know it is entirely possible that these people are part of the 10 million world wide, but it just seems coincidental.
What do you think? Do you think William Shatner, Jennifer Leigh, and all these public personalities actually play World of Warcraft? Or are they just hoping on the bandwagon of the runaway hit? Are You a famous person who plays WoW? Let me see it.
A few years ago I won a contest on the radio when I called in after a Super Bowl and made the comment that I felt that 'I want to thank God' had become a cliche, the expected line to please the religious in the crowd, and felt empty after you heard the 10th person say it that night. So I guess my question, my concern, is what if 'I play WoW' is the new 'I want to thank God'?
No, folks, I am not equating WoW with God, I am simply wondering if the potential for the person to be accepted readily into the community, in this case WoW players, is what is causing all these 'revelations' of WoW playing. Think about it for a second. 10 million people worldwide, 3 or more million in the US. That is a very tempting and potentially profitable base of people whose ears will perk up at the mention of 'their game'.
I have no doubt Curt Schilling plays WoW, hell he is making his own MMO so we know he is a gamer on the couch as well as on the field. But the more I hear about stars looking to brighten their shine a bit, or attract a new kind of audience, they tell people they play WoW, but of course they would rather not say where, because of the stalker aspect. I know it is entirely possible that these people are part of the 10 million world wide, but it just seems coincidental.
What do you think? Do you think William Shatner, Jennifer Leigh, and all these public personalities actually play World of Warcraft? Or are they just hoping on the bandwagon of the runaway hit? Are You a famous person who plays WoW? Let me see it.
Reference Links
In my limited experience, things go the opposite way. Once I mention at work that I play WoW, most people give me a funny look, as they try to figure out what "WoW" is. Once in a while, there is someone I work with that also plays, and then we can talk about various aspects of WoW, and get funny looks from people together. Definitely not something that is making me popular.
Now, someday, if the book I'm working on (that has nothing to do with WoW), becomes Oprah's new favorite, or, if one of the podcasts I am involved in becomes big.... then I guess I will see if being "famous" makes a difference. But, for right now, telling people I play WoW just seems to make me a geek. I'm cool with that
Jen