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When Does An Online World Become a Virtual Nation?
There always seems to be some sort of brouhaha happening in the World of Warcraft, but rather than your standard topics of server lag and endless queues (both of which are still major issues) the latest controversy deals with some very interesting “real world” issues. Over the past two weeks a series of events occurred that centered around a woman who was trying to recruit for her GLBT-friendly (Gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered) guild. A Blizzard GM saw this recruitment and cited her for "Harassment - Sexual Orientation", stating that her speech violated WoW’s policies. Very shortly after this occurred a large number of events took place, including a much closer examination of WoW's in-game policies and the involvement of the nation's oldest and largest legal group dedicated to the protection of gay and lesbian civil rights, Lambda Legal.
The good news is that it appears that potentially ugly incident has been rectified for the time being, with Blizzard reviewing their policies and apologizing for the event. Although this incident is quite interesting in its own right it is not what caught my attention.
You see something is happening in WoW that I have been patiently waiting for ever since I first read Neal Stephenson's Snow Crash. That one day a new nation would appear on the planet Earth, only that this nation would be totally virtual ... and I believe that that day has come. The issue outlined above would have never become such a lightening bolt of controversy and activity if WoW was “just another game”. This issue became a nationwide story because WoW has become a virtual nation of millions and as a virtual nation it is starting to have to deal with larger issues that come with becoming a world power.
So how did this happen and what does it mean? And makes WoW unique and become one of the world's first virtual nations? Much like Isaac Asimov's "Three Laws of Robotics" I too have put together a list of rules which a virtual world must pass in order to become officially recognized as virtual nation.
My first requirement is that a virtual nation must have a visual representation which allows for their inhabitants to express themselves in a social, cultural, and emotional manner easily recognizable by understandable by other inhabitants. WoW easily passes these tests as their 3D avatar system allows you express yourself in WoW. Socially you can talk with others, make both "real life" as well as NPC friends (and enemies), join guilds, go on socially bonding activities such as guild raids and party quests, write letters to one another, sit down to eat and drink with one another and so much more. Nearly all social activities which are available to you in the terrestrial world are available to you in WoW.
This leads to the next requirement, culture, where WoW also passes the test. In fact, WoW might pass this test too well as between all the of holidays in WoW, the extensive world history, WoW-slang, and the thousands of unique animals, plants, food, drink, monsters, regions, languages, races, classes, and so on that I almost need a comprehensive guide to understand it all.
Which then leads us to last requirement of this first rule, the ability to express yourself emotionally quickly and easily. Once again WoW easily passes this test. Between the avatar system which allows for a myriad of animated emotes and expressions to the world itself which allows people to send each other wrapped gifts, dress in a wide range of clothing options and styles, or even the ability to get married in a church, WoW easily passes this test. And with that, WoW passes the first of my rules.
My second test is that a virtual nation must have an economy strong enough to compete and be recognized by the world economy. Once again, WoW passes this test. Not only does WoW have a thriving economy within WoW itself with its worldwide system of auction houses, but WoW Gold has a very real value in the economy of the world. Want to convert your US Dollars, Euros, British Pounds, Japanese Yen, South-Korean Won, Taiwan Dollar, Hong Kong Dollar, or Chinese Yuan into WoW Gold? No problem, there are dozens of web sites which will convert your hard currency into WoW Gold (and back) if you wish. In fact, the WoW economy is so strong that WoW Gold holds its own against these world currencies, so much so that trading in WoW Gold has become a multi-million dollar worldwide business. So WoW passes my second test, it has a strong, far-reaching economy.
Finally my last law, that a virtual nation must have a population large enough and diverse enough to allow for the first two rules to continue to grow and evolve through the actions of the inhabitants of the virtual nation. Sure there are dozens of other MMORPGs that come and gone over the years that might also pass this rule, but none of them have approached the size, scope, and reach of WoW. Currently WoW has a world population of 5.5 million "subscribers" which ranks WoW as the 112th largest nation on Earth, currently between Nicaragua and Denmark in terms of population. Plus, unlike most world nations, WoW has very lax emigration policies, all you need is access to WoW via computer and the ability to pay the fee and you too can join the nation of WoW. This policy has allowed WoW to growth at a breakneck pace of 300,000 - 400,000 new citizens a month. In addition, WoW is not a local phenomenon centered on a single terrestrial nation. WoW reaches some of the largest countries on earth including North America, Europe, China, South Korea, Oceania, as well as many others. In short order there won't be a place on the planet that won't have access to the land of Azeroth. In my book that marks WoW as one of the very few virtual worlds which not only meets but very nearly surpasses this rule.
So what does this all mean? What's the big deal if WoW is a virtual nation? Who cares if a GM in WoW is limiting the actions of a single individual? Very simply put, WoW is becoming something much more than "just a game". It is becoming a land where people can share their thoughts ideas, where they can exchange their cultural beliefs as well as create new ones, where fortunes can be made, both real and virtual, where people can make new friends, meet old friends, fight, and fall in love, where they can express their emotions and explore feelings not normally allowed to them in their terrestrial existence ... in essence, WoW is becoming a land very real and very important to millions of people. WoW is becoming a virtual nation.
What is truly interesting is that WoW is becoming something much bigger than even Blizzard might realize. They might have created the structure and environment in which WoW inhabits, but it is its citizens which are giving WoW life and allowing it to grow and evolve. So when something as seemingly innocent as a GM preventing someone from recruiting for a GLBT-friendly guild this is no longer a simple action of a GM affecting a life of a single user. This is a far-reaching issue which affects the lives of the millions of inhabitants in the nation of Azeroth. If WoW was simply “just a game” this incident would have gone unnoticed and would have affected only a small handful of people. But as virtual nation with millions of citizens this small incident very quickly became a fireball of controversy with very far reaching and real consequences.
WoW might simply still be "a game" in the eyes of Blizzard, something they created to make money and to entertain people throughout the world. But Blizzard might have done too good of a job when they created WoW. They created a land which much more than simply going on quests and maxing out your character's levels. They have created a land which has its own culture, a land where people feel truly connected and part of world, a land where people spend a significant amount of their time not only to occasionally visit but to live major portions of their lives. WoW has become a virtual nation and as the “owners” of WoW Blizzard has the responsibility to run this nation in a fair and sound manner. Blizzard must understand and realize that WoW is no longer “just a game” and that even the smallest actions can have very real and very significant consequences in the daily lives of millions of people. That to WoW is something much more than sum of its parts.
Blizzard might have set out just to create a game, but they have in fact given birth to virtual nation. And what that means and how that will affect the terrestrial world we are only first starting to discover.
Oy Vay! The last thing ANYONE needs is there to be a WoW rep on the general assembly!
Posted by OmniOck at February 10, 2006 03:34 PMThe fact that WoW is segregated into multiple realms somewhat negates the second and third laws proposed.
For example, in the "real world", I can withdraw money from my bank account, hop on a plane, travel to Madagascar, and establish an island-wide wildlife refuge. At this point, I become a significant cultural, economic and political factor in the world. Because everything is connected in Snow Crash, I can have a similar impact; as Hiro Protagonist notes, everyone knows Da5id and his club.
I can similarly take my gold pieces, go to Winterspring and bribe people not to hunt there, in essence creating an in-game wilderness preserve. However, my actions are limited to the tens of thousands of players who play on my server. The guy on the next server over has absolutely no clue who I am. Err... the guys on the next 99 servers have absolutely no clue who I am, all 4 million 500 thousand plus of them.
As further proof, while the GBLT has received some press, I have yet to see any discussion of, or recruiting for the GBLT on my server. Maybe people will be homophobic. Maybe they're more tolerant than any of us would expect. The point being, WoW still has "isolated" events that do not necessary impact every citizen, unlike say... the Muhammed cartoons in our reality.
The three laws proposed work well if you're testing to see if WoW qualifies as a multiverse - one with multiple parallel realities.
Posted by David at February 10, 2006 04:26 PMGreat write-up, Steve. I suppose I never gave much thought to the who GLBT issue, as Blizzard was just "playing it safe." But you raise quite a few valid points through your tests, and I've got to say I see the world of World of Warcraft in a new light.
10/10 :-)
Posted by Jomdom at February 10, 2006 04:26 PM"[...] who GLBT issue [...]" should read "[...] whole GLBT issue [...]"
I've got to start proof reading better :-)
Posted by Jomdom at February 10, 2006 04:28 PMTwo thoughts:
1. The old saying that you could destroy a nation at the push of a button is now becoming real. We, the players, are now the ghosts in the machine. So, should all of WoWdom be destroyed in the virtual world, would it still be a nation with refugees seeking new homes?
2. I think the UN needs to investigate some suspisous smelting of heavy ores in the Goblin Cities. I feel that Jack Thompson needs to lead a group from the International Atomic Energy Agency to look in to the activities and strange tents located in a secret valley near Gadgetzan :)
-Lego
Posted by legodragonxp at February 10, 2006 05:55 PMSounds just like the matrix...sorta.
Posted by SumGI at February 10, 2006 06:05 PMThat is very interesting but I don't buy it.
Posted by PatMan33 at February 10, 2006 07:39 PMSteve, you presented a very dedicated observation. I however would not agree with you as far as I perceive your seriousness go into it- about WoW becoming a valid nation in its virtual world, to be as or equal to any nation in our physical reality. Virtual could never supersede physical representation, as the former is fantasy and the later is the foundation for the former's metaphysics and ontological existance. In other words, virtual is virtual as long as there is physical presence to cast it as a shadow. Anything in it that represents interaction with physical events and facts is at most dependant first to Real Life.
For instance, in terms of economics, it is merely exploitation. Another example is that GLBT guild, they only understand themselves, in terms of their sexuality and ethics, as they have learned in the real world, and the way WoW's GM deal with them is contingent to Real Life laws.
In fact, this would be the ultimate test to pass. When virtual world laws and government are autonomous to any nation in the physical world. For this to happen, the virtual world would first need allies in the physical world to protect their servers and maintain their existence. The only plausible way for this is when A.I. can lead on this path of becoming a nation, for all players belong to their states.
Posted by Auz at February 10, 2006 07:44 PMI'm not so sure about this "virtual nation" stuff. In my mind for a nation to be a nation it needs some kind of governance, one that has actual power over the area/people claimed to be a nation (however it is achieved) and is made up of citizens of that world/nation, that can make a formal and representative statement on that nation's existence, possibly even through a written constitution or somesuch. WoW gives players no such ability - it is entirely dependent and controlled by an organization (Blizzard) that exists outside of it's world. It's more like a depedentent territory or a vassal state than a nation.
Posted by Krsont at February 10, 2006 09:42 PMWhile the GLBT incident is an interesting example of the overlap and interactions of various human activities and values, this has virtually nothing to do with the formation of a nation (cultural identity) or a nation-state (a state providing territory for a particular nation).
The rules you present seem rather arbitrary and have little to do with traditional theories of nation formation and/or nationalism. I agree that "there's interesting stuff going on", but beyond that, the article is just nonsense.
Posted by Ekul at February 11, 2006 05:36 AMSorry Steve. As much as you'd like this to be true, it's just not going to happen with WoW...
A whole lot more needs to be done before the Matrix can be a (virtual)reality.
Posted by P4p3Rc1iP at February 11, 2006 06:01 AMGreat article Steve, but like others, I remain to be convinced.
As advanced and complex as WoW appears to us at present, I still think that when a genuine virtual nation arrives, it will make the present day WoW seem like Pong compared to Half Life 2.
I just don't think technology has advanced enough to make what I consider to be a tangible alternative world experience.
Of course it is undeniable that Blizzard seem to be the ones most likely of carving out the first virtual nation,and WoW could very well evolve into that, but I still think it has a ways to go.
Posted by Cruithne at February 12, 2006 08:19 AMSorry Steve, but I disagree. It may not be "just a game" but it's definately "just an MMO". The things you describe can be found in every successful MMO ever made, granted on a smaller scale. Just because there are more people involved (and thus any news from the game having a broader audience) doesn't make it any different than EverQuest was, or any of it's "competition" currently is for that matter.
Posted by Adam at February 12, 2006 05:40 PMI see where you're coming from, Steve. If people become so engrossed with WoW, to the point where they're nearly living in the game, is it not like another world? And since Blizzard controls the things that can occur within WoW, to the point of affecting people, are they not like a government? A society plus a government yields a country. Heck, even 'taxes' are collected!
I think the main distinction between WoW and any other country is the 'physical' disconnect. Sure, WoW might affect world economies, but it required the players to work a 'real' job & buy things at 'real' places. Blizzard can't just go and nuke Canada or suspend relations with Cuba, they can only affect their own little world. I think, in order for 'virtual countries' to exist in the way you describe, there needs to be a 'virtual world' with other 'virtual nations', like the Matrix.
As for a virtual nation affecting a physical nation, I don't think its possible under today's circumstances. However, that does not mean it's impossibilty. Sci-Fi, the great "what if...", IS tomorrow's reality. Just imagine...
Posted by Flayum at February 13, 2006 12:43 AMGive me a break. Someone's in love with WoW.
We are still far, FAR from establishing a virtual nation. Nation of WoW fanbois, maybe.
Posted by John at February 13, 2006 12:28 PMThe key to criticizing this notion of a virtual nation, as Steve purputs it,
"list of rules which a virtual world must pass in order to become officially recognized as virtual nation"
ought not to be simply opposed with a statement of disagreement and/or claiming it as implausible. Prove your disagreement with an argument. I for example argued that having LAWS that were autonomous from Real Life laws in our own nations, would be an inticator of a true virtual nation. Someone else could have synthesized my single rule with Steve's 3 rules for a more holistic approach of what makes a virtual nation.
Shallow opinions indicates a want of attention over a want to contribute. The former 'want' never offers nor demonstrates why oppose a notion. The later 'want' opposes with reasoning that benefits a notion's lacking, by patching or completing how a theory needs to present itself to produce the knowledge that makes us understand it.
Even if Steve's theory for a vitual nation cannot be actualized, it may still be possible to observe it as an abstract of what a physical nation is like in Real Life. Moreover, vitual nation may not be independant of Real Life dictatorship and superiority over it, but Real Life understanding of what a nation is and how it grows many be hunted more effectively with the kinds of behavior found in a virtual nation. So, virtual nation in the sense of what Steve thinks may be coming out short or too indented on something that is too involved for us to go along with, while we have our Real Life at hand to deal with. However, if we add what a nation is in our physical existance with how it forms in the virtual world, expand and concise what Steve has explained- we may eventually end up having a better model for understanding the dynamics of a nation, for scientific purposes, instead of lab mice experiments explaining our human behaviors.
Posted by Auz at February 13, 2006 07:22 PMI think for culture I would take argument as do a lot of role players... even so I think you forgot to mention the most obvious piece of information... social stratification. Otherwise known as a class system, literally in wows case, not just by class but by level.
Posted by happydan20 at February 13, 2006 08:13 PMSteve, I think your right. WoW is turning into a nation. Everytime I log on, the queues are becoming larger and larger, meaning more people are joining. Guilds are reflecting "cliques," and you see more often now that people travel, level, and quest in groups. The economy thrives through the buying, selling, and trading of items. Luckily I don't think it will be affected by inflation, for money seems to just appear rather than have to have a support like US dollars need gold. As I do feel that other MMO's have accomplished some of these things as well, it is not nearly in the scale of becoming a nation. WoW is so massive and keeps growing, with the release of new patches, and the upcoming expansion, not to mention the addition of thousands of new players each month, and it will continue to grow at this rate for who knows how long.
Posted by Ryan at February 14, 2006 09:21 AMSteve, you're a man with the far reaching insight of Jules Vern. This is exactly what's happening! Why would someone disagree? Ren Faire's are 'virtual worlds' of a sort, in that it is a role play, but the economy wouldn't be disputed. Dress up is fun for all ages! Virtual qualifies as 'real' as much as Pretend qualifies as real, yet everyone would agree that a stolen 'saber' from a Ren Faire player is a real theft. Yes, it's one step removed, but nonetheless valid.
Just like the old commercials for an online bookstore about finding a warehouse big enough to hold all the books it has for sale. There is no warehouse, but the books are real. There is no WOW gold, but it cash flows!
Posted by Laura at February 14, 2006 12:20 PMYou want to play second life
http://secondlife.com/
Woo Hoo! I just got hired at Blizz!
Posted by BlizzNub at February 14, 2006 06:35 PMWoot n' Woot Woot! Me, too!
Posted by Blizzhiree at February 15, 2006 08:52 AMWhat department?
Posted by blizznub at February 15, 2006 05:11 PMI think it's just as important to determine how a virtual nation is relevant as it is to determine how one is created. It is an interesting idea but as long as a person is part of a larger nation (IE an actual nation) it is just a sub-section of a larger culture. Not that I don't appreciate protecting the human rights of expression and speech that the protestors were concerned about, but I don't believe a protest in what is a privately owned internet/gaming medium should be sparking the issue of "virtual nations." It's just too much of a stretch.
Posted by neo_aa at February 17, 2006 03:11 PMFar as Wow becoming an actual virtual nation is inconsequential to me, however what surprises me still is the sheer popularity and devotion players have to Wow. I swore I would never buy a computer for a gaming console because of the quick out-of-date rate of PC's, however I had a buddy of mine build me a computer mainly to play Wow. Then I swore I would never buy gold, however like with the computer, that mentality quickly wore off with the desire to advance my toon for Battlegrounds. Wow gets in your head, no joke.
Posted by Staveacre at February 27, 2006 10:04 AMI want to make money
I understand your point Steve and I can agree to a degree. MMORPG such as WoW and Second Life have become, for some, a major part of their lives. When I first bought and played WoW, it “consumed my soul”, as I told people. Waking up to play the game and playing until 5 AM to get a few hours of sleep and repeat. I had to stop because it was starting to affect my real life.
From my experience, the MMO games have the ability to affect real life as you described as well. Now I've never been the type of person to say that something can NEVER happen because we used to think the world was flat, everything revolved around us, and we'd never go to the moon. Every time someone says we can't, we do.
To say that a virtual world can never compare to a physical world is a bit narrow sighted, in my opinion. Aren't we all the sum of our experiences? Our memories, thoughts, feelings are all really only neurological and electrical stimuli within our brains. Anyone familiar with the Matrix and Ghost in the Shell can understand this as well.
People might one day uploading their brains to live in a world without the need for a body. The brain doesn’t need the body to dream does it?
Also, with science increasing, a virtual world we play in may, one day, become a virtual world to live in. If scientists can teach a rat brain grown in a petri dish to fly a fighter plane http://www.theregister.com/2004/12/07/rat_brain_flies_jet/ , then I'm sure that one day, our brains will directly connect to the net and that would allow us to experience virtual worlds as real worlds.
Now if Blizzard could implement "Second Life" aspects to WoW... oh the possibilities.
while you have some really interesting points, and I can agree that WoW and real life somehow have blended together, I don't think it's quite to that extent. I think that it's hard for WoW to effect the world on such a large scale mainly because WoW is played in so many different parts of the world.
you don't always follow the laws created in the user agreement of WoW. you still live in the real world and abide by the laws of where ever it is that you live. in fact, the rules in WoW are based on a blend of what is generally considered acceptable by the world today, not a separate set of laws created by a persons own ideals like are formed when a new nation is formed. if WoW were really to be considered its own nation it would need a separate set of laws from the other nations.
also, the fact that it has serves separates its economy. you can't really trade with, speak to, or interact with, 5.5 million people, only the several hundred thousand that may be on your server. you have to count this in. if WoW were to be compared to anything in the world, it would be a large continent made of many different nations (the servers being the nations). each nation has it's own economy. for instance, you may buy something in America and then convert that same amount of American dollars to pounds and go to England, buy that same product in England, but the pounds you got from converting your money may not be anough. it is the same in WoW. in one server, things on the Auction House may be more or less expensive than the same things are on the AH in another server. (also, yes, I realize that America and England are not on the same continent, even though that was what I originally compared it to.)
thus, WoW is merely an escape from the real world, not an extension of it. while WoW and real life may cross paths sometimes, and while many people choose to live a large portion of their lives on WoW, WoW will never be able to match up as any sort of power that effects the real world with every decision made in it.
Posted by Joe at October 14, 2006 11:59 PM