Sociologists invade World of Warcraft, see humanity’s future

The paper By Nate Anderson found that many real-world patterns of intimacy formation are recreated on the virtual stage. One interviewee recounted, “I and a guy I liked spent a lot of time flirting in game. One evening we discovered an abandoned hut near Ironforge [a major city in WoW] and spent the whole evening with our avatars cuddling on the bed just touching. I really felt close to him and didn’t notice time passing.” Read more…