Funerals in the ‘World of Warcraft’: Religion, polemic, and styles of play in a videogame universe

Abstract

This article discusses ‘World of Warcraft’ (WoW), one of the most popular of today’s ‘massively multiplayer online role playing games’ (MMORPG). The author focuses on the funeral ceremonies organized by players within the game. The first section gives a brief outline of the different perspectives in current research relative to the study of religion on the internet and particularly in digital universes. The second contains the discussion on cyber funerals in WoW and the different dimensions of such ceremonies. In particular, the author examines the controversy surrounding a ceremony honoring a deceased player, which was unexpectedly and violently interrupted by other players. In the third and final part, the author considers the anthropological issues that this case raises.