World of Warcraft and Philosophy now on sale
by Michael Sacco 
Nov 3rd 2009 at 9:00AM
Good questions! And now we can find out. Following in the footsteps of books dealing with philosophies in other popular game titles like Legend of Zelda, Luke Cuddy and John Nordlinger recently released World of Warcraft and Philosophy. The book deals with topics like ethics, economics, gender identity, metaphysics, and more, written by philosophers and gamers alike from around the globe. Heck, even role-playing and cybering are the subject of discussion, along with the Infected Blood plague and lots of other well-known WoW topics.
The reviews seem to indicate that the book's a brisk, fun read, but who knows what the game's twelve-million-strong audience will actually like or appreciate. After all, to paraphrase Yeats, Azerothians are babes in philosophy and so prefer faction-fighting to the labor of its unfamiliar thought.
Those who do want to stack their Int, though, can pick up the book at Amazon or other bookstores now.
Filed under: Fan stuff, Virtual selves, News items
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Hal Nov 3rd 2009 9:08AM
And to think they say the only thing you can do with a philosophy degree is think deep thoughts about not having a job.
Bubsa Nov 3rd 2009 11:32AM
Now you can read something while sitting AFK playing Warcraft, without a job.
LeggMyMuoio Nov 3rd 2009 9:12AM
If it's an easy read, that actually sounds kind of interesting.
Smileypants Nov 3rd 2009 9:21AM
I was just in Barnes and Noble yesterday and saw a bunch of these "... and Philosophy" books. I was saying to my girlfriend, "God I freaking hate these books. They try to analyze these pop culture fads too closely and find inklings of certain philosophical theories that hardly pertain to the fads at all. In turn all they are doing is butchering the hell out of the theories and extracting certain certain thoughts and theories that hardly are apparent in the fads at all." Not only did I see one book dedicated to my favorite band: radiohead... now WoW has one.... nice.
So let me guess, the Horde represent Nietzschean "Will to Power" and somewhere in there I am sure will be a nod to Sartre (whom I abhor) that along with the Nietzschean analysis also misses the point.
And as someone with two philosophy degrees: B.A. and M.A. it is true: they only serve to make light dinner conversation and pick up chicks that have a thing for "nerdy guys".
Gamer am I Nov 3rd 2009 9:31AM
Actually, the book only discusses the Will to Power in relation to the player, not to the horde, specifically the player playing Warcarft II Also, Sarte is mentioned only once, and he is only mentioned as someone who defined and popularized existentialism; none of his works or theories are actually mentioned.
Hal Nov 3rd 2009 9:40AM
Eh. I minored in philosophy, and I've only met two kinds of girls: Those who don't like philosophers because they "think/talk too much," and those who think your thoughts on such matters are too simplistic or pedantic.
That's the problem with smart women . . . you're never smart enough for them.
(Don't take the above too seriously. It's supposed to be a joke.)
(Mostly.)
ICantBelieveICaredEnoughToPost Nov 3rd 2009 10:25AM
I'm sorry you have such a poor opinion about the usefulness of you philosophy degrees. I have a BA in Philosophy/Ehtics. Sure, I'm not a philosopher by trade. I ended up as a consultant and entrepreneur. And I am using all of the core skills I learned while studying philosophy; logic in programming, the Socratic method in breaking down the resistance barriers of clients, and business ethics with employees... And those are just a few. The power of a philosophy degree is that it is a very logic focused degree, akin to a CSc degree, with a heavy dose of liberal study.
Alchemistmerlin Nov 3rd 2009 11:40AM
"And as someone with two philosophy degrees: B.A. and M.A..."
...I am very hungry, does anyone have any change?
OldPossum Nov 3rd 2009 12:36PM
But if Nietzsche's right, I'll have to sit through the Ice Capades again. And again.
Nadi Nov 3rd 2009 2:42PM
@Smiley
In all honesty, I agree, this books of this series strike me as unlikely to present a reasonably nuanced picture of the philosophies presented. That said, if they get people interested in philosophy: awesome.
No one comes to a new field of study with a thorough understanding of it - usually just a growing interest. So, if the ideas presented in the book are a bit simplistic for a Big Grownup Philosopher, that's okay. We're not the intended audience. If some high school kid picks the book up at a Borders and becomes interested in platonic forms, Hobbsian ethics, or symbolic logic, and wants to know more, that's great. He just might end up with a philosophy degree some day.
@Hal
Aw, c'mon now, don't be so harsh. As a lady with a philosophy B.A., I can tell you there are plenty of girls who like philosophers - we just picked the good ones and married them already. ;3
...and finally,
@ICANT
Aye, philosophy has much wider uses than determining the exact color to paint the walls of your cardboard box home... :)
As a historical note, before the advent of computer science programs, IBMs recruiting efforts most often picked up students from the philosophy programs of the colleges they worked with. It's easy to see why - computers are nothing more than massive logic processing machines (Boolean Operations and Turing Machines being huge topics in philosophy yet today). So, yes, there's a lot room for the skills learned in philosophy outside of brooding in coffee shops.
Nadi Nov 3rd 2009 2:45PM
"this books of this" = the books of this
proofreading is a skill they teach in English classes, not Philosophy classes /cough
Gamer am I Nov 3rd 2009 9:23AM
I am currently in the middle of reading this book, and it is a fantastic read. In addition to the topics mentioned, there's also a chapter about the Winterspring funeral massacre, as well as one that talks about WoW as a response to nihilism and the meaninglessness of life. If you are into philosophy, then without a doubt pick up this book
By the way, this book has actually been out for a decent amount of time. I found out about it when I googled WoW and philosophy before starting my blog about the very same subject (http://wowphilosophized.blogspot.com, if you wish to know), and my first post was in the middle of July this year, so its been out for at least three and a half months.
Bimmicus Nov 3rd 2009 9:52AM
Normally I'd dismiss something like this as a cheesy cash-grab, but given the huge impact of WoW (and the deeply weird 2-1/2 years I've spent among its denizens) I'd actually like to see what this book is all about.
Sky Nov 3rd 2009 9:52AM
anyone know a website that reviewed this book? Just want to know if its good or bad before I buy it.
Smileypants Nov 3rd 2009 9:57AM
To Hal:
LMFAO dude you are entirely correct on the women issue.
Magic Nov 3rd 2009 10:37AM
I've actually read The Simpsons and Philosophy and the introduction makes an important distinction - the essays in the book are linking philosophy to the Simpsons, NOT the other way around. It's a big difference as I sincerely doubt any of it was intended by Groening and all in the production of the TV series. Some of the book involves the question of whether Homer displays Aristotlean virtues, whether Bart and Nietschze's beliefs are similar, Ned Flander's religious nature, greed and Mr Burns and Lisa as the unpopular intellect.
If this WOW book is truly linking the two together, and not taking itself *too* seriously, then I think that's a good thing, absolutely everyone should read up on philosophy.
Betrys Nov 3rd 2009 11:57AM
I've read, and own, other books of this series: Monty Python, Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Star Wars, Serenity (Firefly), The Matrix, and maybe one or two others. Most of the essays are interesting and a fun read, if you know somewhat about philosophy. My husband (who has a minor is philosophy) loves them. The essays really are about taking philosophical ideas and applying them to situations in the various settings, to both discover why we like the settings and their themes, and to postulate what various philosophers' interpretations of the settings/stories might be, if the philosophers were alive today.
Smileypants Nov 3rd 2009 10:40AM
To ICAN'TBELIEVE:
My comment was actually meant as a sarcastic joke. Of course I think my degreees were worth it or else I wouldn't have spent six years and much tuition to get them all. But one thing is true: in today's economy the reality is that philosophy degrees are not quite as marketable as CS, Engineering, Business, etc.
Sure I think my critical thinking, analytical skills, and the general appreciation of life that I gained from philosophy are great things and I wouldn't trade them for the world; the sad reality is that it is REALLY hard to land a good high paying job with my degrees. I would never SERIOUSLY say that any degree is completely useless; but the sad reality is that some are much more marketable than others.
Smileypants Nov 3rd 2009 10:51AM
To: ICAN'TBELIEVE
I meant my comment as a sarcastic joke. I would never have spent six years and much tuition obtaining my degrees if I really felt they would be useless. I would never trade my the knowledge I gained as a philosophy student for anything.
While the critical thinking skills, analytical skills, writing skills, and general appreciation for life that my philosophy degrees gave me are very important to me; the sad reality is that in today's economy it is true that philosophy degrees are not quite as marketable as Engineering, CS, Business, or even hard science degrees. In fact, that is the problem that many liberal arts students are facing nowadays: if you do not hold a Ph.D and do NOT plan to teach then you will be facing fierce competition finding good paying jobs in the corporate world. I am not saying that they are useless degrees; they just don't open as many doors as easily as other degrees do -- and that is the point of my joke. Oh and not to mention the fact that 9/10 times when people find out you have a philosophy degree they say, "Oh.... and what are you going to do with that..." with disapointing yet smug looks on their faces.
ICantBelieveICaredEnoughToPost Nov 3rd 2009 11:44AM
I hear ya Smiley. (last comment on phil... dont want to hijack discussion) I think the challenge is hiring managers and employers in general. Unless the job requires very specific technical know how, like heavy math, engineering background, I would rather hire a well rounded person as opposed to an individual with a narrower education. I want thinkers that can be creative and can act. I don't want robots.