World of Warcraft as a College Course?

It's not news that many college students have trouble prioritizing their classes over World of Warcraft. But David Friedman, a college professor at Santa Clara University, may solve their dilemma. The economist proposes a course centered on World of Warcraft, which may rouse the attention of those addicted to the MMORG.

Classes focused on popular media aren't such a radical concept anymore. Frostberg State offers a class titled "The Science of Harry Potter," the University of California at Berkeley has "Simpsons and Philosophy" in its course catalog, and Georgetown University's "Philosophy and Star Trek" lets students discuss the venerable sci-fi show.

But why devote an entire course to World of Warcraft?

In his blog, Friedman states that he is a player himself. He sees firsthand the intricate economy within the system, which allows players to buy, sell, and trade items. The game illustrates basic economic principles (supply and demand), as well as more complex issues (cartels and predatory pricing).

Friedman also touts the easiness of tracking how prices change. He writes: "Prices are readily observed-starting prices, buyout prices, relative prices at one time, changes over time." This makes the game ripe for research opportunities and perhaps students would better understand market principles if presented through their favorite game.

Of course, not everyone would be amused with such a proposal. Harold Bloom, a professor at Yale, frequently decries basing college courses on popular culture. If he catches wind of this course, you can be sure he'll write a blistering commentary as he did for Harry Potter. But popular culture surely has a place for study. However, finding the right scholarly side to a work is key.

So is Friedman's idea worthy of collegiate study, or, at the very worst, an advertisement for World of Warcraft?

As shown through his blog post, there can be academic merit to his idea. One university is already studying online video games. Indiana University established The Synthetic Worlds Initiative, which is centered on research related to virtual worlds. So far, researchers have published eight papers on "synthetic worlds." They've found that virtual worlds' economies tend to mimic the real world's, and people's avatars tend to reflect their user's personalities and attitudes. They even study the game developers as "government actors." Friedman's course, if pursued, could produce some fascinating findings of their own.

While it's unclear whether Friedman will formerly propose such a World of Warcraft course (he does offer help to any professors who wish to try), it certainly wouldn't be the oddest class a college has ever offered. "Art of Walking," anyone?

Sources:

Conradt, Stacy. "12 College Classes We Wish Our Schools Had Offered." Mental Floss. http://www.mentalfloss.com/blogs/archives/8466/3/

Friedman, David. "World of Warcraft: A Course Proposal." http://daviddfriedman.blogspot.com/

Peckham, Matt. "Could World of Warcraft be a College Class?" http://www.pcworld.com/article/156981/could_world_of_warcraft_be_a_college_class.html

The Synthetic Worlds Initiative. http://swi.indiana.edu/

"Top 10 Odd College Courses." Kaplan. http://encarta.msn.com/college_article_oddcourses/top_10_odd_college_courses.html