The most common negative stereotype surrounding the computer gamer is a lonely, heavy, acne-ridden boy who needs to use the internet to find friends. While 99% of internet connected people do not fall into this category, there are people who find companionship online. One of the most tightly knit and frighteningly complex online communities belongs to the World of Warcraft.
Friends that play together stay together.
WoW has almost 12 million monthly subscribers, and claims the vast majority of massive multiplayer online role-playing games. Most of these players belong to dedicated guilds that play simultaneously in order to achieve mutual goals and ensure security through numbers.
If the above description sounded familiar, it it likely because the same description could be applied to families in the real world.
Business and communications researcher Anil Ananthaswamy says that these online communities are more than simple escapism, they are a mutually constructed reality which can be more liberating and satisfying than the real thing.
