World of World of Warcraft: the future of gaming

The Onion nails the future of videogaming in this clip on World of World of Warcraft, a new videogame that allows you to play at being someone playing World of Warcraft. Link (via Wonderland)

I write books. My latest is a YA science fiction novel called Homeland (it's the sequel to Little Brother). More books: Rapture of the Nerds (a novel, with Charlie Stross); With a Little Help (short stories); and The Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow (novella and nonfic). I speak all over the place and I tweet and tumble, too.

MORE: Funny • Games

More at Boing Boing

Ants and Stars: Bruce Sterling and Jasmina Tesanovic visit the Sardinia Radio Telescope in Italy

The Snowden Principle

tallulahcrackersJ

cheers to the Onion! we’re all avatars in the Mega Game. are you ready to wake up and play? EMAG OF EFIL
Jaan

They already did this joke on Mad About You, when Paul was hired to make a documentary called The Making of The Making of Titanic.
Glark

Awesome! Not not snazzy video but we did a similar thing here.
Aneurysm

Though the Onion writers may have though this concept to be a joke of their own creation, there is a bit of reality in it.

I met a guy at PAX 2005 with a Warcraft PnP sourcebook who said that he met with friends in WoW to play the PnP Warcraft game. And yes, he was serious.

I find this fractal geekdom disturbing.
Bonegnawer

oh god, it’s like Second Life @.@
OriGuy

Bill Moyer’s Journal on PBS reports that the NSA is monitoring Second Life and World of Warcraft, looking for “terrorist activity”. It’s discussed at Balloon Juice. Note that the video is from Hulu, which doesn’t stream outside the USA.
desp

This immediately reminded me of the following Penny Arcade strip:
http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2004/09/27/
frankstendal

Also done in an Escape Pod story: http://escapepod.org/2007/09/20/ep124-save-me-plz/
igpajo

I once imagined a paper and die role playing game called “Life” where you’d role play as a character living a normal life. It’d be almost real time. You’d have to roll every time you crossed the street, stuff like that. But the rule book would be HUGE!!
japroach

IGPAJO:
Somewhat recent example, which I thought was good: http://simulatedcomicproduct.com/comics/2008-03-13-DexterityRoll.jpg
Antiglobalism

Vd gms r fr lsrs wh r t frd t prtcpt wth rlty.
- Antinous
  
  Video games are for losers who are too afraid to participate with reality.
  
  You mean like posting in comment threads?
Piet Stoaling

Oh, my goodness. How is it possible to get so excited that a keystroke sounds like….. wait for it…. a KEYSTROKE!!!??? This is pointless! Why play a charecter playing a game? Surley it takes awa a level of realism by adding another interface between you and the actual game!. I think it is a silly, money making scheme, and those who get suckered in by it are just gullible!
Jack

Surprised nobody mentioned The Sims as a reference point.
eustace

Oh come on! This echoes my favorite XKCD!
http://xkcd.com/244/
Kieran O’Neill

#8: To quote the venerable Takuan, “For some, irony involves a board.”

“many of whom say they spend hundreds of hours playing the game every week…”
ROFL!
Paul

@PIET STOALING

I really hope you are being ironic
strider_mt2k

Ahhh, I love some absurdity in the morning.

Makes me want to talk to someone about watching them watch someone make some coffee.
ltoop

I find it really amusing, since I registered WorldOfWorldOfWarcraft.com to make a little flash game about a year and a half ago. Never actually found the time to do it, though :(

Anyone who wants the domain to do something with it, contact me … I’ll give it away to a good owner!
Jaxx

This makes me think of a video series that’s being made over at mydamnchannel. Shrinky linkie (warning: language)
http://tinyurl.com/3mhdcd
snackcake

Didn’t Dwight Shrute already do this on The Office?
Munkcy

Reminds me of a scene from Futurama. I believe it’s from the second episode, the one where they make the delivery to the Moon, and you see Bender playing “Virtual Skeeball” and then the video pans to the right and you see Amy playing “Virtual Virtual Skeeball.”
Torley

+1 for Second Life

I thought this Onion clip was brilliantly done and delicious in its recursiveness. Now I’d like to see one, taken to extremes, with Zlad-like video feedback effects.

I always thought it’s cute when the members of your would-be simulacrum had their own little games to play with, whether it’s Barbie with a Game Boy or another game-within-a-game diversion.

Related clip some of you may be interested in, LucasFilm’s Habitat:

Â» http://youtube.com/watch?v=VVpulhO3jyc
Mantari

#11: I caught that, too, and was going to comment on it here. I confess to multiplying 24*7, just to make sure, before I posted.