Today’s issue of the New York Times features a full-length article on World of Warcraft. The paper is on the stands now, but you can also read the article on the New York Times’ website
Since the game?s introduction in November 2004 the company has expanded to more than 1,800 employees from around 400. Almost all of the additions have been customer-service representatives to handle World of Warcraft players, helping them with both technical advice and billing concerns.
?Ultimately, what I?d like is for the user to feel like they are having a very polished entertainment experience,? said Mike Morhaime, 38, Blizzard?s president (and a gamer since he first encountered Pong in 1976). ?We?d like players to associate our name with quality, so if they see a box on the shelf and it says Blizzard Entertainment, they don?t need to know anything more than that.
?I play this game six nights a week from 8 p.m. to midnight,? he said in a telephone interview. ?When I say that to people, sometimes they look at me a little funny. But then I point out that most people watch TV at least that much, and television is a totally mindless experience.
?Instead of watching ?The Lord of the Rings? as a three-hour experience, I am now participating in the epic adventure.??
