Azeroth's Demise: Unveiling the Tragic Fall of Civilizations in Warcraft
Introduction:
World of Warcraft (WoW), a massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG), and the Universe 25 experiment, a controversial behavioral study on rodents, seem unrelated at first glance but offer thought-provoking insights into the dynamics and potential collapse of societies. This 'articley thing' explores how WoW's virtual realm reflects real-world societal aspects and draws parallels to the unsettling findings of the Universe 25 experiment. By examining these phenomena, we can gain a deeper understanding of the factors that contribute to the incoming and inevitable collapse of societies.
World of Warcraft: A Mirror of Society:
World of Warcraft is a virtual world that presents a microcosm of societal constructs and human behavior. Within the game, players form alliances, create economies, establish hierarchies (Guild), and engage in conflicts (PvP-Who does more LOD). WoW showcases various social, economic, and political systems, from the camaraderie of guilds to the ruthless competition for resources. Players' choices and actions mirror those made in the real world, making WoW an intriguing reflection of societal dynamics.
Societal Factors in World of Warcraft:
a. Power Dynamics: WoW demonstrates the allure and pitfalls of power. Players seek positions of influence within guilds, factions, or communities, often leading to struggles for dominance and the marginalization of weaker groups. This mirrors power dynamics in real-life societies, where the pursuit of power can create disparities and social inequalities (How PUG drains people). When you enter a PvP guild, you will face a hierarchy of GM-Officers-Long Members. If you manage to befriend one of them, you will rank up and become a notable member regardless of your play and shrewdness. This is straight-up corruption. After that, you can play the game of thrones like co-gms do. People dominate the gold-earning ways to gain reputation, population, and power. They do MBOXes to gain power in the Realm (Guild). Sometimes empires fall, which is then followed by a State of Interregnum of generals like a death Dictator (Check African Dictatorships). We are in constant war, famine, death, and plague. But there are some people out there playing with their little friend groups. They are happy and enjoy playing this game. They are never angry or sad because their item is ninjaed/they did in PvP, and I invite you to be one of those people.
b. Economic Systems: WoW simulates complex economic systems, with players engaging in trade, crafting, and resource management. The virtual economy mirrors real-world capitalism, with its own supply and demand cycles, wealth disparities, and market manipulation. WoW's economy exemplifies how societies can be driven by wealth accumulation and the exploitation of resources. WoW, Eve online is one of the best mirrors we can look to see our real-life economy. There are landlords (Guild Leaders, Pug Leaders) who drain you. They steal your resources by their 'excellent leading.' There were guilds where all boes/primos are rolled, but they fell to Universe 25 Phenomenon. There are Merchants (Farmers, Professioners, Auctioneers). I myself am an auctioneer and flip items in the auction house. I make tens of thousands of gold in one bid/buyout. My friends and I create a fake inflation on specific items to create a fake increase in prices to profit for money. I am also unfortunately part of this ill system a few days a month (when I need gold), a system that's held only by a few pillars. The economy of Warmane is a little better thanks to Gold being halved every year. But the rich just buy choppers and sell them, and only the rich get richer.
https://i.imgur.com/iE7wF3T.png]
At up you see a guild bank of a guy who sells 14LODs/20~ RS25/Multiple TOGC per week.
c. Social Cohesion and Cooperation: While WoW can exhibit instances of rivalry and conflict, it also showcases the power of social cohesion and cooperation. Players form bonds, support each other in everything you can think of, and create communities that foster a sense of belonging. These social aspects parallel the importance of trust and collaboration in maintaining stable societies. But the hunger for power, gold, coins is a cancer in those. But these aren't the worst. People who can't do anything in real life play this game for hours. They become officers/leaders and become cruel tyrannical dictators who will drain you like an always thirsty vampire. You can sense these people; their common traits are: Helpful at the start, Too Proud, Uses "Me" Language, Constant lying, Prevarication. If they help you, they will want a return in something. This return is not always from you but from the people near you. They will look like a hero, savior. They want attention and more pawns to their in-game empire collection. If you don't want to read a few books to understand sociopathic behaviors, you can watch "Black Mirror" USS Callister (2017).
Some people will reverse-drain those guys. They will meet others and feed them to those failed sociopaths. They will gain resources, reputation in return from those people.
These people will always exist in games, but don't be sad because it's a fokin game, and these people suck at every way in real life, and you are better than them.
The Universe 25 Experiment:
The Universe 25 experiment, conducted in the 1960s by behavioral scientist John B. Calhoun, sought to study the effects of overpopulation on social behavior. In a controlled environment, rats were provided with an abundance of resources but limited space. Over time, the rodent population experienced a sharp decline, accompanied by deviant behaviors, social withdrawal, and eventual extinction.
Parallels to Societal Collapse:
Resource Scarcity:
Both the WoW universe and the Universe 25 experiment highlight the consequences of resource scarcity. In WoW, limited resources drive competition and conflicts, while in the Universe 25 experiment, the lack of space and overcrowding led to societal breakdown. Resource scarcity is a fundamental issue that can precipitate the collapse of societies. In WoW, players form alliances to gain access to scarce resources, and these alliances are often maintained through power dynamics and economic systems. Similarly, in the Universe 25 experiment, the rats were provided with an abundance of resources at first, but overpopulation led to resource depletion and scarcity, which ultimately contributed to their extinction.
Social Disintegration:
In both scenarios, social disintegration occurs when societal structures become strained. WoW illustrates the consequences of factionalism and internal strife, leading to the fragmentation of communities like in the Mad Max. Similarly, the Universe 25 experiment saw social bonds deteriorate as overpopulation in a utopia increased, resulting in the breakdown of social norms, normality, sanity which led to Extinction of Universe 25 and other similir expirements.
Loss of Purpose:
When societies face challenges and lack a unifying purpose, collapse becomes more likely. In WoW, when players lose sight of their goals or face existential crises, the game's allure diminishes. Similarly, in the Universe 25 experiment, the rats' loss of purpose and their inability to find meaning in their confined environment contributed to their eventual demise. A lack of purpose can lead to apathy, disengagement, and ultimately, societal collapse.
The Enjoyers:
World of Warcraft is held together by friend groups of 2-8. They are more in numbers but don't control the wealth. By staying in the center, they are balancing the game's economy/society. You don't realize, but you are also maybe of this group. In your guild, there may be 4-5 people you play more with, speak more with, do everything more with! And you are holding this society. You are both demanding and giving equally. You turn the other cheek when something happens because you won't get hurt or lose anything. You won't get hurt until your friend group disbands, which is unlikely if you know 1-2 people in real life. You are farming, merchanting, helping your friends by creating raids just for them. You do a little bit of everything. You are doing this because you enjoy it, not for power, gold, fame (people who want fame in games are noobs in real life). You, my friend, beat the World of Warcraft.
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But you said Societies Collapse is inevitable? I lied my friend when me, you, friends are alive we will live!
People who read this far, thank you for spending your time. Not enjoying the game for 1-2 hours because of leveling/farm doesn't mean you are not enjoying, by the way. You are just working like a normal human in real life, spending a few hours on their in-game job. Also, stay away from the "sinners of the game" who seek power, fame, and fortune at the expense of others. They may exist in games, but they are not the majority, and they are not representative of the game's values.
(Also i %99.99 assure you AI didn't help me in any way writing this.)
