That’s what epidemiologists at Tufts University argue, after studying a virtual disease outbreak that the creators of World of Warcraft introduced as an extra challenge to the game—and were shocked by how it raged. A virtual fluke? Maybe. But that plague is helping scientists plan for real life—illuminating the unexpected ways a disease can spread, and how we humans might react. In World of Warcraft, animals played a key role in transmission, while what scientists call the “stupid factor” (people getting up close to look, not thinking it will affect them) was another surprise. Virtual residents reacted in different ways: some selfless, some selfish—some purposely infecting others. Maybe those games aren’t such a waste of time after all.
