It’s probably not news to those who play, but smart folks who are involved in the counter-terrorism industry are looking at how bio-terrorists in the virtual world operate. It seems like you could spend hundreds of thousands of dollars developing your own computer simulation and model, or pay the current subscription rate and get some time in leveling a character while doing your research. There seem to be enough players who have nothing better to do with their time than spread plagues and curses, so there’s no shortage of stuff to look at.

Blizzard isn’t real keen on having the words “terrorist” and “World of Warcraft” in the same sentence, though, and they’re adamant that World of Warcraft is just a game.  This should come as no surprise, seeing as how, well, it is a game. Of course, who decided to put these curses and plagues into the game? Well, Blizzard did. Whether it’s a complement to their franchise to have this kind of attention or not remains to be seen.

However, an annual “World of Warcraft Counter-Terrorism Symposium” is a long way off.  As Stuart Gottlieb points out, “I wouldn’t base a new counterterrorism strategy on the nuances of a videogame.” That’s probably wise. Just like the Martyrdom perk in Call of Duty 4, it’s an interesting game mechanic, but in real life, you can’t wait 10 seconds and respawn. Nor do your victims, for that matter.