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|colspan="2"|<div style="margin-top:12px;">[[World of Warcraft|<span style="color:#eee; font-family:Avenir, Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size:150%;">WORLD OF WARCRAFT</span>]]</div>
<div style="background-color:#222; text-align:left; width:100%;">Developer/Producer: [[Blizzard Entertainment]]</div>
''[[World of Warcraft]]'' is a [[MMORPG|massively multiplayer, online, role-playing game]] developed by [[Blizzard Entertainment]], known for their consistently high-quality computer [[Blizzard_Entertainment#Published_games|games]]. The game happens in a fantasy setting in a roughly, post-medieval, fantasy period where two groups of allied, but varied players vie for glory, resources, and territory across many landscapes and multiple worlds. On one side are [[humans]], [[elves]], [[dwarves]], and other strange humanoids, while on the other are the [[orcs]], [[tauren]], [[trolls]], and their cohorts. They have been battling so long, they sometimes forget the basis of their conflict, but their are also constant reminders of why they oppose each other. It is a land of magic and mystery, filled with horror and wonder. There are high mountains, dark caverns, and watery depths. Regions range from ruined wastelands, to everwinter snowscapes, to steaming jungles.
|valign="top"|[[File:Blizzard Entertainment logo.svg|100px|link=Blizzard Entertainment]]
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<div style="background-color:#222; text-align:center; width:100%;">[[#GameInfo|Game information]] | [[#top|^]] | [[#WikiaInfo|Wikia information]]<!-- | [[#FAQ|Frequently Asked Questions]] | [[#top|^]] | [[#ContactInfo|Contact information]]--></div>
The gaming industry and the internet are rapidly growing entities that are being developed and becoming even more accessible at an unprecedented rate. This growth can often leave parents and guardians in the dark about the dangers and mature content that may be present. This page has been created in order to offer the most vital information about the ''[[World of Warcraft]]'' franchise and [[WoWWiki:About|WoWWiki]], in order for you to make an informed decision on whether the material in the game and on this website is suitable for your child.
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{| id="GameInfo" style="background-color:#111; margin:auto; line-height:22px; margin-bottom:24px; width:100%;"
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|align="center" class="hidden" rowspan="3" style="padding-top:30px;" width="10%"|[[File:Pandaren_Shodo_Pan_by_Samwise_circular_cutout.png|75px|link=]]<br/>
[[File:Alliance_64.png|link=Alliance]]<br/>
[[File:Horde_64.png|link=Horde]]<br/><br/>
[[File:TBCLogo.png|75px|link=World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade]]<br/>
[[File:WrathLogo.png|75px|link=World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King]]<br/>
[[File:Cataclysmlogo.png|75px|link=World of Warcraft: Cataclysm]]<br/>
[[File:MistsofPandariaLogo.png|75px|link=World of Warcraft: Mists of Pandaria]]<br/>
[[File:WarlordsofDraenorLogo Shadow.png|75px|link=World of Warcraft: Warlords of Draenor]]<br/>
[[File:Legionbutton.png|75px|link=World of Warcraft: Legion]]<br/>
|width="20%"|<span id="GameInfo" style="font-size:110%;">'''Game information'''</span> [[#TOC1|↑]]
|align="right" width="70%"|<span style="background-color:#222; padding:4px 8px 4px 8px;"><span class="hidden">[[#GeneralInfo|General information]] | </span>[[#MultiInfo|Multiplayer information]] | [[#GameplayRatings|Game-play content ratings]] | [[#Cost|Costs]]</span>
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|colspan="2" class="hidden" style="border-bottom:1px solid #ca0; font-size:120%;" width="100%"|General information [[#GameInfo|⇑]]
|-
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{| style="margin-bottom:24px;" width="100%"
|- valign="top"
!align="left" width="20%"|Title:
|style="padding-left:4px;"|[[World of Warcraft|<span style="color:#eee;">World of Warcraft</span>]]
|- valign="top" style="background-color:#1a1a1a;"
!align="left"|Developer:
|style="padding-left:4px;"|[[Blizzard Entertainment|<span style="color:#eee;">Blizzard Entertainment</span>]]
|- valign="top"
!align="left"|Publisher:
|style="padding-left:4px;"|[[Blizzard Entertainment|<span style="color:#eee;">Blizzard Entertainment</span>]]
|- valign="top" style="background-color:#1a1a1a;"
!align="left"|Rating:
|style="padding-left:4px;" valign="middle"|<small>US:</small> [[File:ESRB-Teen.png|link=http://www.esrb.org/ratings/synopsis.jsp?Certificate=29635&Title=World%20of%20Warcraft&searchkeyword=world%20of%20warcraft]] <span class="hidden">•</span> <small>EU:</small> [[File:PEGI-12.png|48px|link=http://www.pegi.info/en/index/global_id/505/?searchString=world+of+warcraft&agecategories=&genre=7&organisations=&platforms=&countries=&submit=Search#searchresults]] <span class="hidden">•</span> <small>Australia:</small> [[File:ACB-Mature.png|link=http://www.classification.gov.au/Pages/View.aspx?sid=nYmT656qDH0j5Ja7T4GMEw%253d%253d&ncdctx=Oi9fuWpVy5BrcpqElfUNCIGRiohK2LFQu2SFs8DpjwcjSEBAk4xKS3qSV6iKvTTrscURO7bmfpScHgp1PojiNw%253d%253d]]
|- valign="top"
!align="left"|Description:
|style="padding-left:4px;"|World of Warcraft is a massively multi-player game set in the [[Warcraft universe]], a fantasy realm of myriad sentient creatures and dangerous, imposing monsters with a vast world to initially explore with varied terrains and numerous challenges. Players must choose to work with one of two groups (<span class="hidden">{{alliance}}</span> [[Alliance]] vs. <span class="hidden">{{horde}}</span> [[Horde]]) of other players in a conflict to compete for hearts, minds, resources, and territory.
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!align="left"|Similar Games:
|<div style="margin-top:-5px;">
* [[w:c:guildwars:Guild Wars 2|Guild Wars 2]]
* [[w:c:lotro|Lord of the Rings Online]]
* [[w:c:neverwinter|Neverwinter]]
* [[w:c:rift|Rift]]
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|- valign="top"
!align="left"|Genre:
|style="padding-left:4px;"|[[MMORPG|Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game]]; {{texttip|Fantasy|Tolkien derivative, but with many original elements.}}
|- valign="top" style="background-color:#1a1a1a;"
!align="left"|Game difficulty:
|style="padding-left:4px;"|Varies, but can get progressively harder
|- valign="top"
!align="left"|Game length:
|style="padding-left:4px;"|Endless
|- valign="top" style="background-color:#1a1a1a;"
!align="left"|Gaming platform:
|Personal computer
* Mac OS X
* Microsoft Windows OS
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!align="left"|General issues:
|<div style="margin-top:-5px;">
* Behavior of other players may be a concern
* Can be addictive, so breaks should be taken
* {{texttip|Future expansions at additional cost|So far only the latest expansion, Mists of Pandaria, costs extra.}}
* Game play can be very complex
* {{texttip|Has a monthly fee|Maximum $15/month, but can be reduced with multiple months purchased at a time.}}
* {{texttip|Requires a continuous internet connection|DSL (1 Mbps?) or better.}}
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!align="left"|Highlights:
|<div style="margin-top:-5px;">
* Available [[Official_site#Official_WoW_sites|world wide in multiple languages]]
* Diverse population of players of all ages
* Deep and rich background [[lore]]
* Numerous resources for how to play and usage info
* Several [[expansion]]s
* The most popular MMORPG ever, so far
* Vast geography to explore on multiple [[planet#In-game_worlds|world]]s
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!align="left"|Security concerns and mitigation:
|<div style="margin-top:-5px;">
* Email address ID for game login and user account login
** This is a common login ID for many game accounts and is vulnerable to social engineering to figure out.
** [[Blizz]]ard has an account recovery method tied to a typical series of security questions that should have been added when the account was created or changed by the user's choice.
* Text password protection with shared password between game login and user account
** Blizzard mitigates this by giving access to a security code number dongle called the [[Battle.net Authenticator]] for under USD $10 (around €10 or less than £10) or the free [[Battle.net Mobile Authenticator]] smart phone app.
** These "Authenticators" need to be attached (enabled) to the user account and from then on will require entering the security code number from the dongle or the app to access both the web user account or to login to the game.
** Use of an authenticator has proven over time to be an extremely good security measure.
* Account change notification
** [[Battle.net SMS Protect]] (or Battle.net Mobile Alerts) can be enabled on a user account to notify a mobile phone via SMS (text message) about changes to the user account.
** Of course, if your user account is compromised, a malicious person can add their mobile phone to an account and monitor changes, like an attempt to change a password.
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|- valign="top"
|align="center" class="hidden" rowspan="2" style="padding-top:6px;" width="10%"|[[File:Spell_holy_prayerofspirit.png]]
|colspan="2" style="border-bottom:1px solid #ca0; font-size:120%;" width="100%"|Multiplayer information [[#GameInfo|⇑]]
|-
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{| style="margin-bottom:24px;" width="100%"
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!align="left" width="20%"|Online multiplayer:
|style="padding-left:4px;"|Always
|- valign="top" style="background-color:#1a1a1a;"
!align="left" width="20%"|Cooperative:
|style="padding-left:4px;"|Available
|- valign="top"
!align="left" width="20%"|[[Player vs. Player|Player vs. player]]:
|style="padding-left:4px;"|Available
|- valign="top" style="background-color:#1a1a1a;"
!align="left" width="20%"|[[Voice chat]]:
|style="padding-left:4px;"|Available. Offers richer gaming experience, but not required.
|- valign="top"
!align="left" width="20%"|Link-up structure:
|style="padding-left:4px;"|Varies, but groups can be formed with [[party|2-5 players]] or [[raid group|more]]
|- valign="top" style="background-color:#1a1a1a;"
!align="left" width="20%"|Age of community:
|style="padding-left:4px;"|12 years+
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!align="left" width="20%"|Community attitude:
|style="padding-left:4px;"|Varies with [[realm type]]
|}
|- id="GameplayRatings"
|colspan="3" style="border-top:2px dotted #555;" width="100%"|
|- valign="top"
|align="center" class="hidden" rowspan="2" style="padding-top:6px;" width="10%"|[[File:Icon-policy-48x48.png]]
|colspan="2" style="border-bottom:1px solid #ca0; font-size:120%;" width="100%"|Game-play content ratings [[#GameInfo|⇑]]
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!align="left" width="20%"|{{texttip|ESRB|Entertainment Software Rating Board}}:
|style="padding-left:4px;"|[http://www.esrb.org/ratings/synopsis.jsp?Certificate=29635&Title=World%20of%20Warcraft&searchkeyword=world%20of%20warcraft Teen]
|- valign="top" style="background-color:#1a1a1a;"
!align="left" width="20%"|{{texttip|PEGI|Pan European Game Information}}:
|style="padding-left:4px;"|[http://www.pegi.info/en/index/global_id/505/?searchString=world+of+warcraft&agecategories=&genre=7&organisations=&platforms=&countries=&submit=Search#searchresults 12]
|- valign="top"
!align="left" width="20%"|{{texttip|ACB|Australian Classifaction Board}}:
|style="padding-left:4px;"|[http://www.classification.gov.au/Pages/View.aspx?sid=nYmT656qDH0j5Ja7T4GMEw%253d%253d&ncdctx=Oi9fuWpVy5BrcpqElfUNCIGRiohK2LFQu2SFs8DpjwcjSEBAk4xKS3qSV6iKvTTrscURO7bmfpScHgp1PojiNw%253d%253d Mature]
|}
|- id="Cost"
|colspan="3" style="border-top:2px dotted #555;" width="100%"|
|- valign="top"
|align="center" class="hidden" rowspan="2" style="padding-top:6px;" width="10%"|[[File:Inv_misc_coin_01.png]]<br/>[[File:Inv_misc_coin_03.png]]<br/>[[File:Inv_misc_coin_05.png]]
|colspan="2" style="border-bottom:1px solid #ca0; font-size:120%;" width="100%"|Costs [[#GameInfo|⇑]]
|-
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{| style="margin-bottom:24px;" width="100%"
|- valign="top"
!align="left" width="20%"|Initial:
|style="padding-left:4px;"|[[World of Warcraft package|World of Warcraft]]
* US: $19.99
* EU: €14.99 / £9.99
|- valign="top" style="background-color:#1a1a1a;"
!align="left" width="20%"|Free-to-play:
|style="padding-left:4px;"|<div style="margin-top:-5px;">
* Download the client after creating a free [[Battle.net account]]
* [[World of Warcraft Starter Edition|Free-to-play]] up to level 20 with restrictions
** Restrictions: Cannot chat, use in-game mail, trade items, or use the Auction House
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!align="left" width="20%"|Subscription:
|style="padding-left:4px;"|<div style="margin-top:-5px;">
* US: Up to $15 per month
** $14 per month with 3 months prepaid
** $13 per month with 6 months prepaid
* EU: Up to €12.99 / £8.99 per month
** €11.99 / £8.39 per month with 3 months prepaid
** €10.99 / £7.69 per month with 6 months prepaid
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|- valign="top" style="background-color:#1a1a1a;"
!align="left" width="20%"|In-game purchases:
|style="padding-left:4px;"|<div style="margin-top:-5px;">
* {{texttip|Cosmetic items only|Not strictly true, but gameplay effect is very minimal.}} with {{texttip|no purchase of game currency|Can't purchase game currency with real world currency.}}
* No {{wplink|Micropayment|micro-payments}}
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!align="left" width="20%"|Gambling elements:
|style="padding-left:4px;"|{{texttip|Mild|Results of some virtual purchase will be random.}} with no involvement in real world currency
|}
|}
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{| id="WikiaInfo" style="background-color:#111; margin:auto; line-height:22px; margin-bottom:24px; width:100%;"
|- valign="top"
|align="center" class="hidden" rowspan="13" style="padding-top:4px;" width="10%"|[[File:Wikia-logo-yellow-tag-med-vertsubtitle.png|75px|link=w:c:www]]
|width="20%"|<span id="GameInfo" style="font-size:110%;">'''Wikia information'''</span> [[#TOC1|↑]]
|align="right" width="70%"|<span style="background-color:#222; padding:4px 8px 4px 8px;">[[#Monitoring|Monitoring]] | [[#Audience|Target audience]] | [[#Setup|Account set-up]] | [[#Status|Official status]] | [[#History|Brief history]]</span>
|- id="Monitoring"
|colspan="2" style="border-bottom:1px solid #ca0; font-size:120%;" width="100%"|Website maintenance and monitoring
|-
|colspan="2" width="100%"|
[[WoWWiki:About|WoWWiki]] is an encyclopedic database — dedicated to documenting all information about the [[Blizzard_Entertainment#Warcraft_universe|Warcraft franchise]] (with a primary focus on ''[[World of Warcraft]]'') — which is edited and maintained by the general public, either anonymously or through an account. The information on WoWWiki and its social features are monitored through post-moderation mainly by uncompensated volunteers from the community who are selected on trustworthiness and experience; meaning that, although action is always taken against any inappropriate material, such action may be delayed.
WoWWiki is hosted by [[w:c:www|Wikia]], a San Francisco-based wiki platform hosting and development company, and is thus monitored closely by Wikia staff and representatives. Both WoWWiki and Wikia adhere to U.S. federal and applicable state laws to ensure the best security and experience for WoWWiki's users.
|- id="Audience"
|colspan="2" style="border-bottom:1px solid #ca0; font-size:120%;" width="100%"|Target audience [[#WikiaInfo|⇑]]
|-
|colspan="2" width="100%"|
As a Wikia hosted wiki, WoWWiki adheres to federal law and is therefore only available for use by users above the age of 13 years old, in accordance with the U.S. {{wplink|Children%27s_Online_Privacy_Protection_Act|Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA)}}. In general, all content should be suitable for all users 13 years old and above, but as with any user editable web site that allows discussion about its content, some comments, mature discussion, or vandalism may appear. [[WW:ADMIN|Administrators]] and moderators attempt timely removal of problematic content, but a largely volunteer effort, there may be some delay. Also, due the nature of how a wiki archives change information, offensive content may still be accessible to the sophisticated user.
|- id="Setup"
|colspan="2" style="border-bottom:1px solid #ca0; font-size:120%;" width="100%"|Account set-up and cost [[#WikiaInfo|⇑]]
|-
|colspan="2" width="100%"|
A [[Help:Create_an_account|registered account]] is not needed to read any Wikia sites, including WoWWiki, but account creation enriches the experience through extra features such as social modules and reduced website advertisements. WoWWiki allows users without an account to edit its content, but displays that user's IP address publicly as a measure of recognizing who edited what and when. Accounts can be made for anyone above the age of 13 years old, but WoWWiki requires the user's date of birth and email address for confirmation. WoWWiki is free of charge to all users, with or without an account.
|- id="Status"
|colspan="2" style="border-bottom:1px solid #ca0; font-size:120%;" width="100%"|Non-official status [[#WikiaInfo|⇑]]
|-
|colspan="2" style="padding-bottom:12px;" width="100%"|WoWWiki is not affiliated with or endorsed by [[Blizzard Entertainment]] ("Blizzard"), Activision-Blizzard Inc. ("Activision", the parent company of Blizzard), and is therefore not an officially sanctioned World of Warcraft reference website. WoWWiki gathers and publishes all World of Warcraft related information through the fair use doctrine under US federal copyright laws. However, Blizzard does grant rights to use its content<sup>[http://us.blizzard.com/en-us/company/about/legal-faq.html US]</sup><sup>[http://eu.blizzard.com/en-gb/company/about/legal-faq.html EU]</sup> under broad, but limited circumstances.
|- id="History"
|colspan="2" style="border-bottom:1px solid #ca0; font-size:120%;" width="100%"|Brief history [[#WikiaInfo|⇑]]
|-
|colspan="2" style="padding-bottom:12px;" width="100%"|WoWWiki has been around for 10 years as of 2015 and was one of the largest English-language wikis in the world after only a few years of existence. It began as a small wiki run by only a couple of users and hosted privately. However, after the first year of 2005, it was clear that WoWWiki was growing too fast to be maintained without professional infrastructure and maintenance. In the spring of 2007, WoWWiki was moved to Wikia as its host.<ref name="Warschauer">{{ref book|last=Warschauer|first=Mark|coauthors=Grimes, Douglas|year=2007|title=Audience, Authorship, and Artifact: The emergent semiotics of Web 2.0|journal=Annual Review of Applied Linguistics|volume=27|pages=1–23|doi=10.1017/S0267190508070013}}</ref> By 2009, WoWWiki was Wikia's largest wiki.<ref name="RWW">{{ref web|url=http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/warcraft_and_twilight_fans_make_wikia_profitable.php|title=Warcraft and Twilight Fans Make Wikia Profitable|last=Oshiro|first=Dana|date=September 8, 2009|work=ReadWriteWeb.com|accessdate=2009-10-13}}</ref>
According to {{wplink||Wikipedia}}, at various points in its development history, it was described as the "best known [[Massively multiplayer online game|MMO]] wiki",<ref name="Massively6-26-08">{{ref web|url=http://www.massively.com/2008/06/26/tip-of-the-day-wikia-network/ |title=Tip of the Day: Wikia Network |publisher=Massively |date=2008-06-26 |accessdate=2009-10-13}}</ref> "the second largest English-language wiki in the world behind Wikipedia",<ref name="MassivelySXSW08">{{ref web|url=http://www.massively.com/2008/03/08/sxsw08-how-gamers-are-adopting-the-wiki-way/ |title=SXSW08: How gamers are adopting the wiki way |publisher=Massively |date=2008-03-08 |accessdate=2009-10-13}}</ref> and the "mother of all WoW informational sources."<ref name="Massively12-31-07">{{ref web|author=3:55PM 1-06-2008 |url=http://www.massively.com/2007/12/31/adventures-from-the-back-row-world-of-warcraft-back-row-resourc/ |title=Adventures from the Back Row: World of Warcraft priestly resources |publisher=Massively |date=2007-12-31 |accessdate=2009-10-13}}</ref>
|- id="Refs"
|colspan="2" style="border-bottom:1px solid #ca0; font-size:120%;" width="100%"|References [[#WikiaInfo|⇑]]
|-
|colspan="2" style="padding-bottom:12px;" width="100%"|
{{reflist}}
|}
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:''Thanks to the [[w:c:destiny|Destiny wiki]] for providing their [[w:c:destiny:Project:ParentPage|Parent page]] as a model for this one.''
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