Twelve Million People Agreed to Pay Monthly Rent in a Fantasy World

World of Warcraft launched on November 23, 2004, and within months it had more active citizens than most countries. At its peak, 12 million people were paying $14.99 a month to live in Azeroth, a fantasy world where you could be a warrior, a mage, or — more commonly — someone who spent eight hours a night grinding reputation with a faction of fictional elves. The game didn't invent the MMO, but it perfected the formula with a polish and accessibility that made everything before it look like a homework assignment. Marriages formed in-game. Marriages ended because of in-game. Guild drama rivaled reality television. WoW proved that games could be social infrastructure — not just entertainment but community, identity, and for some people, a more meaningful life than the one they logged off to.