The speaker discusses the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the gaming industry, highlighting how video games have become a source of entertainment and social connection during lockdowns. They mention how companies like Ubisoft are offering free games as a form of consolation. The speaker also mentions the difficulty of making content during the pandemic due to plummeting ad rates.
The speaker then delves into the history of a "corrupted blood" event in the game World of Warcraft (WoW), which was a real pandemic in the game world that mirrored the situation of the COVID-19 pandemic. The event was caused by a debuff in a raid that was intended to only exist within the confines of the raid. However, due to an oversight by the development team, the debuff was also infecting animals, which then spread the virus to other players.
The speaker also discusses the aftermath of the event in the real world, where the incident attracted the attention of real-world researchers who saw similarities between the game outbreak and real-world pandemics. The speaker mentions how the behavior of players during the "corrupted blood" plague was not necessarily rational, with some players trying to help, others flocking to see the event for themselves, and some intentionally spreading the plague.
The speaker concludes by emphasizing the importance of understanding people's behaviors during public health emergencies and how those reactions shape the course of events. They also suggest that games like WoW could be valuable research tools for understanding and preventing future global health disasters.
1. Video games have been stepping up as alternatives to outdoor activities during the pandemic.
2. Companies like Ubisoft are providing free games as a consolation for those unable to see friends in person.
3. The pandemic has led to job losses and plummeting ad rates for content creators, including YouTubers.
4. The World of Warcraft game had a real pandemic in 2005, which was scarily similar to the current situation.
5. The World of Warcraft game had a "corrupted blood plague" in 2005, which was a debuff that could inflict damage to players.
6. The debuff was contagious and could be transmitted to animals, which could then infect other players.
7. The corrupted blood effect didn't impact all players equally; it was more severe for high-level players.
8. The corrupted blood effect spread quickly, causing major disruption to gameplay and leading to player deaths.
9. The game's developer, Blizzard, eventually stepped in to fix the game and prevent the corrupted blood debuff from spreading outside the raid area.
10. The World of Warcraft incident attracted attention from real-world researchers, who suggested that video games could serve as an advanced platform for modeling the dissemination of infectious diseases.
11. The World of Warcraft incident was compared to a drug trial with mice, with some researchers suggesting that video game behavior in a virtual environment could mirror real-world behavior.
12. The World of Warcraft incident was also suggested as a valuable research tool for understanding and preventing global health disasters.