Virus vs. Computer Virushttp://curiosity.discovery.com/question/world-warcraft-advance-virus-research

How did "World of Warcraft" help advance virus research?

In 2005, "World of Warcraft" developers released a virtual virus into the game called "corrupted blood" [source: Wired]. The virtual virus was intended to test the best players of the game, but it succeeded so well that it became an infectious disease that killed off many weaker characters in the virtual world of the game. Some of the players avoided the infected areas, as they were warned to do by the game's developers. However, other players were too curious to stay away. These players intentionally risked their characters' own "health" to investigate the infected areas. Most disturbingly, some infected characters went out of their way to infect other players, although other players with the cure went into infected areas to heal those infected.

How did "World of Warcraft" help advance virus research? – Con’t

The reaction of the players to the "2005 plague" was of great interest to epidemiologists, scientists who study the spread of infectious diseases. Epidemiologists use computer models to predict how an infection might spread throughout a population. One of the weaknesses of their models has always been that they can only be created using data from past outbreaks, making them backward-looking: They can be used only to guess how people will behave in a future epidemic. (This makes sense because, clearly, they can't release a virus into the world just to see what would happen in real time.)

How did "World of Warcraft" help advance virus research? – Con’t

When news of the "World of Warcraft" plague reached epidemiologists, the scientists realized they finally had a safe incubator within which to study and track how humans react to infections. They could study how the characters in the game, guided by real people, reacted to a virus. The tool of virtual epidemiology was born. Now, the game's developers may put more viruses into their virtual community to help researchers study epidemics.

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