The Onion
Blizzard expands its multi-million-user franchise by turning mundane PC gaming into recursive play, requiring users to navigate keyboard macros, legal disclaimers, and virtual internet outages.
AI-assisted summary of Newsroom : Warcraft Sequel Lets You Play A Character Playing Warcraft — original source. Check the original for full context.
Source published:
Key ideas
- Blizzard Entertainment released "World of World of Warcraft," a sequel allowing players to control an avatar who is sitting at a computer playing World of Warcraft. (0:05)
- The release achieved immediate commercial success, selling over 100,000 copies on its first day. (0:05)
- Gameplay features hyper-realistic gaming conditions, including macro commands to scroll through End User License Agreements and atmospheric basement sound design. (1:19)
- Blizzard is already developing a further meta-sequel, "World of World of World of Warcraft: The World of Warcraft Realm," scheduled for fall 2009. (1:19)
Detailed notes
## Background Published on YouTube by The Onion on June 10, 2008, this satirical news broadcast reports on the fictional release of Blizzard Entertainment's *World of World of Warcraft*. According to the video description, the sequel's astonishing level of detail makes players feel as though they are genuinely sitting in a cramped, dark apartment playing *World of Warcraft*.
## TL;DR The Onion News Network covers Blizzard Entertainment's launch of *World of World of Warcraft*, a sequel where players role-play as a gamer sitting at a desk playing the original MMO. Blizzard staff demonstrate recursive mechanics such as pressing arrow keys to make an in-game character press keys to move a gnome rogue, as well as complex macros for scrolling through End User License Agreements. Enthusiasts celebrate the authentic simulation of dim basements, tactile keyboard sounds, and real-world perils like having their avatar call an internet service provider when their connection drops. Following immediate commercial success, Blizzard announces active development on a third nested iteration, *World of World of World of Warcraft: The World of Warcraft Realm*.
## Atmosphere & style Delivered with the crisp, deadpan seriousness of an evening cable news broadcast, the segment plays the absurdly recursive premise with complete journalistic gravity. Fictional developers and gamers speak with earnest pride, creating a hilarious contrast between cutting-edge technological achievement and the depressing, sedentary reality of simulated isolation. It feels like an authentic broadcast from an alternate reality, balancing slick graphics and straight-faced corporate hype with razor-sharp satire of modern gaming addiction.
## Bulletin - [00:05](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rw8gE3lnpLQ&t=5s) Blizzard Entertainment released "World of World of Warcraft," a sequel allowing players to control an avatar who is sitting at a computer playing World of Warcraft. - [00:05](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rw8gE3lnpLQ&t=5s) The release achieved immediate commercial success, selling over 100,000 copies on its first day. - [01:19](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rw8gE3lnpLQ&t=79s) Gameplay features hyper-realistic gaming conditions, including macro commands to scroll through End User License Agreements and atmospheric basement sound design. - [01:19](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rw8gE3lnpLQ&t=79s) Blizzard is already developing a further meta-sequel, "World of World of World of Warcraft: The World of Warcraft Realm," scheduled for fall 2009.
## Key takeaways - [00:05](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rw8gE3lnpLQ&t=5s) Blizzard Entertainment launched the sequel World of World of Warcraft to let dedicated fans role-play someone playing World of Warcraft. - [00:05](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rw8gE3lnpLQ&t=5s) The original World of Warcraft player base stood at 9 million users, with many logging hundreds of hours each week. - [00:05](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rw8gE3lnpLQ&t=5s) First-day sales for World of World of Warcraft exceeded 100,000 copies. - [00:05](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rw8gE3lnpLQ&t=5s) Controls utilize nested input recursion, where real-world keystrokes force the in-game avatar to press keys on their virtual keyboard to move an in-game character. - [00:05](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rw8gE3lnpLQ&t=5s) Blizzard programmer Chris Bugman demonstrated controlling an avatar named Greg who plays a level-three gnome rogue. - [01:19](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rw8gE3lnpLQ&t=79s) The game incorporates mundane PC gaming realities, such as using Alt+Shift+7 to make the avatar scroll through Terms of Use and EULA documents. - [01:19](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rw8gE3lnpLQ&t=79s) Immersion is reinforced through environment design that recreates sitting in a dark, cramped apartment or basement alongside realistic keyboard click audio. - [01:19](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rw8gE3lnpLQ&t=79s) Blizzard announced a third-tier sequel in development, World of World of World of Warcraft: The World of Warcraft Realm, slated for release in fall 2009. - [01:19](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rw8gE3lnpLQ&t=79s) Players can customize avatars with specific real-world backgrounds, such as being a twenty-something working at a video game company. - [01:19](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rw8gE3lnpLQ&t=79s) In-game hazards include simulated internet disconnects, forcing the player to make their avatar call an internet service provider.
## Detailed walkthrough ### [00:05](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rw8gE3lnpLQ&t=5s) Blizzard Launches "World of World of Warcraft"
Video game enthusiasts celebrated across the globe as Blizzard Entertainment released its highly anticipated sequel and expansion pack, titled *World of World of Warcraft*. With the original *World of Warcraft* already boasting 9 million players worldwide—many of whom report logging hundreds of hours each week—creators at the Blizzard offices expressed enormous excitement over the debut. Jonathan Parish, Vice President of Blizzard Entertainment, explained the core premise behind the game: “World of World of Warcraft allows Warcraft gamers to do what they like to do more than anything else in life, which is play World of Warcraft.”
```mermaid flowchart LR accTitle: Gameplay Input Recursion accDescr: Diagram illustrating the nested layers of user control in World of World of Warcraft. subgraph Reality ["Real World"] P["Player at Keyboard"] end subgraph WoW1 ["World of World of Warcraft"] G["In-game Character 'Greg'"] end subgraph WoW2 ["World of Warcraft"] N["Level 3 Gnome Rogue"] end P -->|"Hits Up Arrow"| G G -->|"Hits Up Arrow"| N N -->|"Moves Forward"| N ```
Blizzard programmer Chris Bugman demonstrated the mechanics firsthand, showing how the game introduces an entirely new meta-layer to role-playing. Controlling an on-screen character named Greg, Bugman showed how his own keyboard commands trigger Greg to manipulate his computer in turn: pressing his up arrow key forces Greg to press his up arrow key, which then directs Greg's level-three gnome rogue to walk forward across the virtual screen. As the report highlights, the design puts the user squarely into the shoes of someone imagining they are an elf, dwarf, mage, or troll. The concept proved to be an instant commercial hit, selling upwards of 100,000 copies on its very first day of release, prompting one proud gamer to boast: “My avatar is the biggest World of Warcraft fan in the whole World of World of Warcraft world.”
- **Active Player Base:** *World of Warcraft* counted 9 million players worldwide logging hundreds of hours per week. - **First-Day Sales:** *World of World of Warcraft* sold over 100,000 copies on launch day. - **Key Personnel:** Jonathan Parish (Vice President, Blizzard Entertainment) and Chris Bugman (Blizzard Programmer).
---
[01:19](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rw8gE3lnpLQ&t=79s) Hyper-Realistic Gameplay and the Next Meta-Sequel
Beyond basic movement, the game touts unprecedented levels of graphical fidelity and mundane realism designed to simulate the authentic PC gaming environment. Bugman demonstrated complex keyboard macros, such as hitting Alt+Shift+7 to force his avatar to painstakingly scroll through legal disclaimers: “Here I'm going to press Alt+Shift+7 and that's going to make my character start scrolling through the Terms of Use agreement and the End User License Agreement and it's fun to just play a character who's getting lost in this whole other sort of fantasy world.” Players praised the immersion, noting that staring into the monitor truly convinces you that you are sitting in a dimly lit basement, with keyboard sound design that perfectly replicates the tactile experience of hitting actual keys.
Riding this wave of success, Blizzard announced it is already planning its next iteration for release in the fall of 2009. Jonathan Parish explained that fans will inevitably want their avatars' avatars to partake in the experience as well, leading the studio to begin active development on *World of World of World of Warcraft: The World of Warcraft Realm*. Wrapping up the segment for the Onion News Network, anchor Jeff Tate previewed an upcoming report about an Atlanta man mauled in an adorable attack by a pit bull puppy.
Following the main broadcast, an extended interview with a player highlighted the depth of character customization and the stakes of the virtual world. The player explained that avatars can be customized with specific traits—such as being a twenty-something who works at a video game company and is skilled at puzzles—allowing them to do anything a human gamer can do. However, this level of fidelity comes with devastating hazards: “The worst thing that can happen in the game is that your avatar's internet connection goes down, then you have to make your avatar get on the phone with your internet service provider.”
## Mentioned The Onion, Onion News Network, Blizzard Entertainment, World of Warcraft, World of World of Warcraft, World of World of World of Warcraft: The World of Warcraft Realm, Jonathan Parish, Chris Bugman, Jeff Tate, Greg
## Video description World Of World Of Warcraft's amazing level of detail makes players feel like they are actually in a cramped, dark apartment playing World Of Warcraft.
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[Source](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rw8gE3lnpLQ)