To most millenials, the Covid-19 pandemic reminds them of scenarios when a virus plagued and caused virtual infection in the World of Warcraft (WoW).

In 2005, a spell known as Corrupted Blood had infected and claimed virtual lives of online players who were still vulnerable to the harms caused by a debuff or spell cast by a high-level boss. Developers of the World of Warcraft had no intention of turning the “Corrupted Blood” into a plague.

Yet how that came to happen presented a scenario that real-world epidemiologists took to studying, in determining how deadly viruses can spread and be transmitted in real environments.

A Glimpse of the “Corrupted Blood Plague” that Actually Disrupted WoW Games

Corrupted Blood was originally meant as a spell that an ancient winged serpent called Hakkar, cast on elite and battle-hardened players who succeeded in reaching Zul’Gurub. Once the spell has been cast, characters of players engaged in battle with Hakkar weaken. Moreover, the spell can be transmitted and can infect all characters in close proximity to each other. The effect was supposed to last only for a few seconds and was only intended to make battles with Hakkar extra difficult.

Developers wrote codes that enabled Hakkar’s spell to drain the lives of characters, They also wrote codes to ensure the avatars will be protected against total damage while inside Hakkar’s domain. That way, the health-draining effects of Corrupted Blood stays contained in Zul’Gurub.

However, one thing that developers forgot to do was to write codes that would protect the health of minions and pets that characters brought along with them during the battle. The animals subsequently became unprotected carriers of the Corrupted Blood virus, while their respective avatars teleported them back to city environments.

What happened next was devastating because the break out of the Corrupted Blood became an actual pandemic in the World of Warcraft. The virus drained out the health of weaker players who have yet to reach the game level where they can receive protection against it.

In a matter of hours, the streets of Ironforge and Stormwind had filled with dead bodies belonging to avatars of new and lower-level players regardless of the civilization they represent, humans, gnomes and elves.

Video Gaming while Quarantined in the Midst of the Covid-19 Crisis

The world that the Covid-19 crisis has created, has brought to reality, the environment that many video games allow us to experience virtually.

Streets once practically filled with cars and people are now empty, as fears of a life-threatening pandemic hang over our head. To many, sheltering in place and the closing of bars and moviehouses is not something to fret about, as long as their computers or gaming consoles are working just fine.

Now that the real word is confronted with a true-to-life pandemic, many have been presented with opportunities to go back full-time to their video gaming activities. Worries about job loss.and dwindling funds can take a backseat for awhile if only to keep their sanity in check. Besides, staying quarantined is the most sensible thing that ordinary people must do, to prevent the health crisis from getting even worse than it already is.

Since it appears that the coronavirus plaguing the entire globe will be around for quite some time, many even upgraded their computer systems with speakers for gaming setups to make their playing experience completely immersive.