The Mage’s Court: How WOW fares in today’s legal system

It used to be that the legal system didn’t have much respect for the gaming industry. Case in point: the court proceedings involving Sega CD’s Night Trap, in which the game producers weren’t even allowed to speak on behalf of their game, after it received only 14 seconds of viewing time at the hearing. That trial lead us towards the ESRB game rating system. If only they had had Chancellor William B. Chandler III on their side. Just before the Activision-Vivendi merger, the Wayne County Employee Retirement System stepped in for the block. Luckily, Chandler III was there. He’s the kind of judge you would want to come down to the basement and have a beer with you.

This month, the two companies were due to merge into a new company called Activision Blizzard. Wayne county stepped in because of the shareholders. The speculation was that this deal would significantly reduce the price of stock in Activision. They made the move to get an injunction to stop this move before it started.
Chandler has a history of taking a slightly more popular approach to the bench. In a trial involving after-market modification of motor vehicles (ride pimping) the judge stated “The world of whips is a small one in which reputation matters greatly”. “Whip,” meaning “car,” as made popular by rapper 50 Cent. Apparently, he really gets into researching his cases.

World of Warcraft, produced by Blizzard games, factored greatly into the judge’s statements in this case. He actually likened the case to the game, frequently referring to the case as a “quest.” His overall view of the legal world and how it relates to games is this: “In some ways, perhaps, the world of Mergers and Acquisitions is a massively multiplayer role playing game as well. Like in World of Warcraft and other games, the participants in the M&A field take on certain roles, interact in their own community, hone specialized skills, and even develop a unique, somewhat curious vernacular. One particular quest in the world of M&A is disclosure litigation. In the instance of disclosure litigation presently pending before this Court, the world of M&A meets the World of Warcraft.” The judge found in favor of the game companies and stopped the injunction, allowing Activision Blizzard to emerge.

Gamers may find it comforting to know that there are people in positions such as this that are able to see the world from different perspectives. I know I do.