Analysis: absence of risk limits parallels with real life

The makers of World of Warcraft, an online game with more than 11 million players, today brought an end to a virtual plague that has infected hundreds of thousands of players, causing uproar among many fans who said it was spoiling the game.

Blizzard, the software company that runs the game, had deliberately introduced the virulent disease into its virtual world last week. The “undead plague” was designed to be highly contagious and, if left untreated, would turn players them into flesh-eating zombies.

It is thought that scientists have been tracking the progress of this week’s disease, believing that the game would provide valuable information for researchers investigating how people would react to the spread of an outbreak in the real world – and how it could be contained.

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The game’s creators faced a torrent of criticism as the disease spread quickly through the game's lands of Azeroth, with some fans arguing that the plague may put off beginners who would not be able to find a cure.

World of Warcraft players usually enjoy a fantasy life of quests, treasure collecting and monster killing. During the plague, players would be infected by contact with a zombie and, unless they could find a cure within minutes, they too would turn into zombies and continue to spread the disease.

Players could avoid joining the legion of the undead by killing and reviving their characters but they could, and often would, become infected again.

Blizzard faced criticism from fans four years ago when a similar disease accidentally spread through the game killing thousands of characters. The millions of players spend about £9 per month in subscriptions, giving Blizzard a keen financial incentive to keep players happy.

The plague was timed to coincide with the release of the latest “expansion” of the game, called Wrath of the Lich King, next month.

Though many fans of the game have applauded Blizzard’s decision, saying it was yet another example of the company’s ability to create interesting ideas to engage players, others have flooded online forums with criticism.

“It’s not a plague/invasion - it’s a game,” wrote one disgruntled fan with the username Mutakmien. “If it’s not fun, then it’s a bad game and this event has turned World of Warcraft into a bad game for many people.”

A Blizzard executive wrote to fans, saying: “While we recognise that the event could prove to be disruptive at times, we hope you made the most out of it while it lasted. Part of playing in a ‘living and breathing world’ means that things are going to change from time to time. We meant no harm but only wanted to create a lasting impression on players.”

In 2004, the “corrupted blood plague” spread infected thousands of players within days. The disease was designed to affect only those who ventured into caves, but some mischievous Warcraft players worked out how to spread the disease and infect others. The game’s programmers were caught by surprise and could not initially stop the epidemic reaching the virtual world’s towns and cities.

The response of many fans was fierce, with some even comparing Blizzard’s response to the crisis with the US Government’s reaction to Hurricane Katrina.

Some scientists said at the time that the responses of people in the game were similar to those seen during real-world epidemics. Some rushed to the centre of the epidemic to help victims, while others rushed out of the major towns and cities to ensure survival.

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