Travelers will tell you that Azeroth is an interesting, but strange land where Night Elves lurk, Death Knights strut and Gnomes roam. A place to explore forbidden dungeons or frolic around in the Dwarven city of Ironforge. A realm where axes and magic spells are as ingrained as iPhones and Facebook.
Before your eyes completely glaze over with just the thought of a video game, know this: Online gaming isn’t just for pimply-faced teenagers anymore. Ask your neighbors, cousins and co-workers, and you might be surprised at who’s been living a virtual life. Probe a little further, and you may just be sucked into the world of fantasy yourself.
“World of Warcraft,” the setting for Azeroth, is now the world’s most popular multiplayer online video game, with millions of visitors every day. The game – developed by Irvine-based Blizzard Entertainment – is a virtual fantasy otherworld with a backstory grand enough to raise even Tolkien’s brow. World-renowned and translated into over eight languages, this online role-playing game allows thousands of players to interact in the same game world (per server) at the same time using Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game (MMORPG) and boasts more than 11.5 million subscribers, and counting. Even more surprising are its expansions to the MMORPG, including the “Burning Crusade,” the fastest-selling PC game in history; that is, until “Wrath of the Lich King,” released last November, and which sold over 2.8 million copies in the first 24 hours, shattered that record.
Deep within Orange County, in the heart of Irvine’s business district, lies a real world operation completely dedicated to making this and other fantasy worlds come to life every day for gamers across the globe. For a decade-plus, Blizzard Entertainment – arguably the greatest PC video game development company of all time – has infiltrated pop culture with its award-winning home computer strategic video game franchises, including “Diablo,” “StarCraft,” and “Warcraft.” Geared toward the serious computer gamer, nearly every published game by Blizzard has earned high recognition, multiple awards and the respect of the entire interactive entertainment industry.
“For us, it’s really incredible how many people we were able to touch with what we were creating,” says Blizzard Entertainment President and co-founder Mike Morhaime. “We go out to the other side of the world and there are millions of people playing Blizzard games, familiar with our universes, our company. It’s a really incredible feeling to see that.”
This year, Blizzard celebrated its grand success by erecting a giant, 12-foot statue of a furious, fantastical orc within their Irvine stronghold. This beastly warrior wields two massive axes striding upon a large wolf-like creature, all sculpted by Weta Workshop, the famed movie design team behind Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy.
This latest symbol of success is the cherry topping to Blizzard’s 240,000-square-foot worker’s wonderland. Here, more than 1,000 employees – including programmers, writers, voice actors, and designers – move Blizzard forward in a comfortable, fun environment. Perks include an on-site basketball court, high-tech gym, outdoor volleyball turf, personal movie theater, and even a green-powered health-minded cafeteria promoting a wholesome mind and body. Much of Blizzard’s spirit is put on display through many of its hallways, smoothed over with vivid murals, framed art, and interesting tokens of a rich, decade-long legacy. Also of great interest is Blizzard’s personal mini-museum: exhibiting various art, shiny awards, merchandise, and many other wonders highlighting the company’s honors and history.
The Blizzard work ethic is based on a somewhat Zen philosophy, with every cubicle and office matching the personality of its inhabitant. While toys, posters and pieces of culture are proudly displayed, the most fantastic ornaments visible are the metal life-sized Blizzard swords and shields – rewards to certain employees for their long-standing warrior service. Paul Sams, Blizzard’s chief operating officer, has perhaps the most outrageously decorated room: an office adorned with a fantastic assortment of iconic figurines, resin statues and other curiosities. “I have been with our corporate family for more than 15 years,” Sams says. “I came here because of the people. We have arguably the most talented and smartest people in the business, and they are fun to be around.”
Blizzard is working toward an even brighter tomorrow. The developer’s next game, “StarCraft 2,” the long-awaited sequel, is now poised to enrapture the world with the latest in strategic gaming and sci-fi storytelling. Meanwhile, “World of Warcraft” has now reached beyond its digital boundaries, flaunting its toy line, books and apparel, and even talks of a major motion picture. Blizzard will host its fourth annual BlizzCon this summer, August 21-22, a convention for fans of Blizzard worldwide to gather and play at the Anaheim Convention Center.
As for Azeroth, this fine land remains open to all travelers. Check out any retail computer game store or download a free trial at blizzard.com. We recommend you grab your most comfortable chair.
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Q & A with Blizzard co-founder Mike Morhaime
Within Blizzard’s top throne room sits President, CEO and co-founder Mike Morhaime, who spends much of his days zapping out e-mails, tending to daily matters and gauging the success and growth of the Blizzard empire. When not in the office, he often ventures to other Blizzard offices throughout the world, which Morhaime personally enjoys as a perk. Other times, he takes time out to greet fans of his company.
To no one’s surprise, Morhaime plays “World of Warcraft” as a Night Elf hunter. But what sets him apart from most gamers is the personal input into the games he plays. On nearly every game made by his company, Morhaime has also lent a hand as a programmer or producer, sometimes both. During our visit to Blizzard, he took some time to reflect on life and Blizzard.
What were your inspirations for venturing into the video game industry?
Growing up, I was always interested in how stuff works. Every time I got a new device, I would go through the manual and understand all the obscure features of pretty much everything I got. I wanted to know how it could work with other devices. That curiosity sort of led me to study mechanical engineering. I went to UCLA, and got a degree in electrical engineering.
Why did Blizzard Entertainment set the business up here in Orange County?
Well, that really came down to Alan [Adham, co-founder], who grew up here, and there were quite a few gaming companies in the area. It was one of the big gaming business centers here in California, and actually one of the biggest gaming centers in the country. Interplay productions was located here, Virgin had a studio and there were others, and so as a small developer, it was beneficial for us to be near large publishers.
What were your first impressions of OC?
It felt to me a lot like Silicon Valley. I lived up there for about six months while I was doing an internship for school. A lot of high-tech companies, very clean, very new, a lot of development going on.
What are your favorite places to unwind here?
We go to a lot of movies, often at Irvine Spectrum Center and in Newport. I like going to The Hobbit. It’s really cool. It is a nice little restaurant in Orange, inspired by the Hobbits from Tolkien’s books, and their love for food. It is in a historic house, a pretty old location that was once a farmhouse.
Any thoughts on adapting such a large company over time, both technologically and economically?
I think what we needed to do was constantly take a step back and take a look at what we wanted as consumers, as game players. Test what we were doing against that. I think that has driven the right decisions we have made over the years. Sometimes that has caused us to make some pretty dramatic shifts in focus and strategy. Sometimes, we have done things that go against the grain of what other companies were doing.
Where do you see the future of game development?
I think the industry is still very young. The life cycle of this industry is that we are on the verge of passing up more mature industries, in terms of revenue generated and growing very fast for people that consider themselves gamers. Recent platforms like the Nintendo Wii and games like “Guitar Hero” opened up the market to new people. I see that trend continuing.
Virtual Facts
• Blizzard Entertainment began in 1991 when college buddies Mike Morhaime, Alan Adham and Frank Pierce started Silicon & Synapse, a small-time game development company that developed ports for gaming systems, including the Super Nintendo and Sega Genesis. In 1993, the company developed its own video games, including cult classics “Rock N’ Roll Racing” and “Lost Vikings.” In 1994, they changed their name to Blizzard Entertainment and set their sights much higher.
• Activision, a leading developer of console gaming with its “Guitar Hero” and “Call of Duty” franchises, recently merged with Blizzard Entertainment to form Activision Blizzard. In 2008, it gained over $5 billion in revenue.
• Blizzard Entertainment is headquartered in Orange County, but also has offices in Korea, China, Taiwan, France, and Ireland.
• Irvine is indeed a hotbed for video game developers. Here, many American gaming companies reside, including Obsidian Entertainment and Red 5 Studios.
College Games
Games have emerged as a significant part of the worldwide culture, mixing computer programming, art, game strategy, and business smarts. Because Laguna College of Art and Design (LCAD) is an art college, the Game Art Department partners with the Computer Programming Department of UC Irvine where the two groups of students collaborate on some impressive game strategies. LCAD and UCI students come up with ideas, and the programmers stimulate the artists and the artists stimulate the programmers. UCI programmers then write the code that makes the game a reality, while LCAD students add the spice, making the dry program come to life visually with color and vivid illustrations. –Roberta Carasso
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WoW as Art
Had he lived in the 21st century, Shakespeare might have said, “All the world’s a game,” referring to video, computer, solitary and interactive games played across the globe. Tech games have been played since 1972, first on individual consoles, and today, on a host of multimedia devices. The advent of the popularity of gaming has spawned new and innovative graphics and artistic styles, now recognized by the Laguna Art Museum, which has mounted an exhibition based on Blizzard Entertainment’s “World of Warcraft.”
Game characters are other-worldly, often scary, with exaggerated costumes, makeup and hairdos that mix medieval styles with those of outer space. Artists such as Antoinette Lafarge and Linda Kostowski contribute to this new breed of illustrative art. The exhibition, which will dazzle every gamester, is a celebration of Warcraft’s 15th anniversary, where Blizzard shows off its many artistic and gaming achievements.
Blizzard is based in Irvine, where the gaming industry thrives. Southern California is also the birthplace of Pong and Atari. Pong, introduced in 1972, was one of the first tennis-based arcade video games; and Atari, introduced in 1977, was the first machine to popularize interchangeable cartridges. Located among the original gaming giants, Blizzard prides itself on being one of today’s leaders in the gaming world, where 18,000 people in California work in the electronic games industry. This includes a heavy emphasis on graphic artists, whose captivating imagery is a strong selling point in the world of games. –Roberta Carasso
WoW: Emergent Media Phenomenon
Laguna Art Museum • Through October 4, 2009
Saturday, July 11 at 1 p.m.
Aram Bartholl’s WoW workshop will be held the day before his lecture. Bartholl, who is based in Berlin, will extend the project shown in the exhibition out onto the streets of Laguna Beach. Everyone is welcome to participate and enjoy an afternoon of art making and have the opportunity to be involved in a collaborative performance. The workshop and performance will be documented on video, and the edited version will be shown in the exhibition.
Sunday, July 12 at 1 p.m.
Aram Bartholl is interested in the way network data manifests into the everyday world. Bartholl investigates this in the physical space through performance, installation and video. With “World of Warcraft,” Bartholl investigates this manifestation through one of the most popular online role-playing games.
Sunday, July 26 at 1 p.m.
Jacqueline Goss, based in New York, creates film and video in order to explore the ways we think about ourselves through systemic machines, like politics, culture and science. Goss will talk about her work in game space, animation and the documentary form.
