Fighting a Virtual Pandemic
Explicit content warning
04/02/20 • 31 min
2 Listeners
In 2005, the multiplayer online game World of Warcraft was taken over by a virus called Corrupted Blood, and the virtual pandemic in this fantasy world played out remarkably like COVID-19. I talk with epidemiologist and gamer Eric Lofgren, NYU game design instructor Alexander King and longtime player Virginia Wilkerson about the parallels between the pandemic in World of Warcraft the one we’re facing in the real world, and what lessons we can learn by studying how players reacted to a virtual virus.
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In 2005, the multiplayer online game World of Warcraft was taken over by a virus called Corrupted Blood, and the virtual pandemic in this fantasy world played out remarkably like COVID-19. I talk with epidemiologist and gamer Eric Lofgren, NYU game design instructor Alexander King and longtime player Virginia Wilkerson about the parallels between the pandemic in World of Warcraft the one we’re facing in the real world, and what lessons we can learn by studying how players reacted to a virtual virus.
Also if you want to submit a story for our upcoming toys episode, email us at [email protected]
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Previous Episode
Retcon-apalooza
We're craving an escape into our favorite fantasy worlds, but fans are complaining that all the "retconning" is ruining their suspension of disbelief. Why is retroactive continuity so controversial? Olivia Dolphin and Hayley Milliman discuss how JK Rowling’s decrees have unraveled The Potterverse. Nick Randall and Mac Rogers grapple with recent revelations in Doctor Who. Laurie Ulster defends Star Trek’s familial reshuffling, I try to make sense of the Star Wars canon, and author Andrew J. Friedenthal explains why rewriting the history of fantasy worlds is similar to revising history in real life.
Here’s a link to Andrew’s book on retconning:
https://www.amazon.com/Retcon-Game-Retroactive-Continuity-Hyperlinking/dp/1496811321
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DreamForge magazine:
https://dreamforge.mywebportal.app/
Glass and Gardens Summers and Winters:
http://www.sarenaulibarri.com/editing.html
Notes Towards a Solarpunk Manifesto:
https://hieroglyph.asu.edu/2014/09/solarpunk-notes-toward-a-manifesto/
Sugar Gamers:
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