This read examines World of Warcraft as both cultural phenomenon and game, featuring contributions by writers and researchers who have immersed themselves in the WoW gameworld. “World of Warcraft is the world’s most popular massively multiplayer online game (MMOG), with (as of March 2007) more than eight million active subscribers across Europe, North America, Asia, and Australia, who play the game an astonishing average of twenty hours a week. This book examines the complexity of World of Warcraft from a variety of perspectives, exploring the cultural and social implications of the proliferation of ever more complex digital gameworlds. The contributors have immersed themselves in the World of Warcraft universe, spending hundreds of hours as players (leading guilds and raids, exploring moneymaking possibilities in the in-game auction house, playing different factions, races, and classes), conducting interviews, and studying the game design―as created by Blizzard Entertainment, the game’s developer, and as modified by player-created user interfaces,” states the description. Are you a fan of the game? This is a must-read for you!