Technology
World of Warcraft turns 20 years old
Blizzard Entertainment first released World of Warcraft in November 2004, so The New York Times celebrated an anniversary describing how 20 years later we will still see the influence of online multiplayer role-playing games.
First, while multiplayer games and early social networks like MySpace already existed, WoW provided an actual preview of a future where anyone could connect with friends and strangers on the (*20*). Second, the sport made billions of dollars on a business model that combined monthly subscriptions with in-game purchases (including pets and animals that players could ride), becoming a large money cow for Blizzard and paving the way in which for future online business models.
The game also appeared immortal memesattracted celebrity fans and suggested epidemiologists argue that an incident involving the uncontrolled spread of a fantasy disease could possibly be investigated to realize insight into real-world epidemics.
Other than that, I didn’t think the movie was that bad.