Gamer Culture, MMORPGs, Virtual Worlds, World of WarCraft
Anthropologist Studies WoW, “Nerd Rage,” and Guild Friendships
Alex Golub has a leg (and probably a whip or two) up on Indiana Jones.
Sure, everybody’s favorite fedora-donning archeologist has bested treacherous locales like the Temple of Doom and retrieved priceless historical artifacts from the clutches of madmen, but he’s only done it four times. (And the world would be a better place without his last excursion.) Golub, on the other hand, tests his mettle against the denizens of the Black Temple and Tempest Keep four times a week, in search of the Orb of the Sin’dorei and other fat loots. Plus, you know… Golub’s a real person.
Playing with Legos is something I’ll always remember. I used to stay up well past my bedtime building elaborate castles and space monorails all over my Smurf-wallpapered bedroom. For hours, I would send the Lego Space Police out to catch the Lego Space Villains and throw them in space jail. Then my sister came in and stepped on them and the whole society crumbled. That was…well, six months ago, and now that I’m older I need more sophisticated ways to pass time. So now I have a Playstation and I do what all mature Playstation owners do: I get all my Legos in video form, and now clean up is a breeze.
After six long weeks, a new gaming juggernaut has knocked GTA IV from its lofty perch at the top of the UK sales charts. What game finally had enough juice to take out the 