{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,9]],"date-time":"2026-05-09T06:28:36Z","timestamp":1778308116753,"version":"3.51.4"},"reference-count":22,"publisher":"BMJ","issue":"2","content-domain":{"domain":["bmj.com"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Med Humanities"],"accepted":{"date-parts":[[2013,3,18]]},"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2013,12]]},"abstract":"<jats:p>In the wake of the Corrupted Blood incident, which afflicted the massively multiplayer online computer role-playing game World of Warcraft in 2005, it has been suggested that both, the incident itself and massively multiplayer online computer role-playing games in general, can be utilised to inform and assist real-world epidemic and public health research. In this paper, I engage critically with these claims.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1136\/medhum-2012-010299","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2013,4,12]],"date-time":"2013-04-12T20:58:59Z","timestamp":1365800339000},"page":"115-118","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1136\/crossmarkpolicy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":6,"title":["Virtual plagues and real-world pandemics: reflecting on the potential for online computer role-playing games to inform real world epidemic research"],"prefix":"10.1136","volume":"39","author":[{"given":"Stuart","family":"Oultram","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"239","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2013,4,12]]},"reference":[{"key":"2025092411461925000_39.2.115.1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"625","DOI":"10.1016\/S1473-3099(07)70212-8","article-title":"The untapped potential of virtual game worlds to shed light on real world epidemics","volume":"9","author":"Lofgren","year":"2007","journal-title":"Lancet Infect Dis"},{"key":"2025092411461925000_39.2.115.2","unstructured":"Ward M . Deadly plague hits Warcraft world. British Broadcasting Corporation On-Line News Service, 2005. http:\/\/news.bbc.co.uk\/1\/hi\/technology\/4272418.stm (accessed 21 May 2012)."},{"key":"2025092411461925000_39.2.115.3","unstructured":"Anon. Virtual game is a \u2018disease model. British Broadcasting Corporation On-Line News Service, 2007. http:\/\/news.bbc.co.uk\/1\/hi\/health\/6951918.stm (accessed 21 May 2012)."},{"key":"2025092411461925000_39.2.115.4","unstructured":"Anon2. Looking Back: World of Warcraft. Computer and Video Games.com, 2005. http:\/\/www.computerandvideogames.com\/131791\/featureslooking-back-world-of-warcraft\/?page=1 (accessed 21 May 2012)."},{"key":"2025092411461925000_39.2.115.5","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1097\/01.ede.0000254692.80550.60"},{"key":"2025092411461925000_39.2.115.6","unstructured":"Castronova E . Synthetic worlds: The business and culture of online games. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2005:100\u201325 & 147\u2013160."},{"key":"2025092411461925000_39.2.115.7","unstructured":"Tsang A. Real lessons from virtual worlds. Financial Times 2013. http:\/\/www.ft.com\/cms\/s\/0\/151b8794-750f-11e2-a9f3-00144feabdc0.html#axzz2M7Khorl0 (accessed 27 Feb 2013)."},{"key":"2025092411461925000_39.2.115.8","first-page":"2","article-title":"Virtual epidemics as learning laboratories in virtual worlds","volume":"3","author":"Kafai","year":"2010","journal-title":"J Virtual Worlds Res"},{"key":"2025092411461925000_39.2.115.9","unstructured":"Klastrup L . What makes World of Warcraft a world? A note on death and dying. In: Corneliussen HG Rettberg JW , eds. Digital culture, play, and identity: a World of Warcraft reader, Cambridge: MIT Press, 2008:143\u201366."},{"key":"2025092411461925000_39.2.115.10","unstructured":"Orland K . The real life lessons of WoW's corrupted blood. Gamasutra, 2008. http:\/\/www.gamasutra.com\/php-bin\/news_index.php?story=18571 (accessed 21 May 2012)."},{"key":"2025092411461925000_39.2.115.11","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1007\/s10676-006-9125-z"},{"key":"2025092411461925000_39.2.115.12","unstructured":"Their D . World of Warcraft shines light on terror tactics. WIRED, 2008. http:\/\/www.wired.com\/gaming\/virtualworlds\/news\/2008\/03\/wow_terror (accessed 21 May 2012)."},{"key":"2025092411461925000_39.2.115.13","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Myers D. Play redux: the form of computer games. Michigan: The University of Michigan Press, 2010:15\u201330.","DOI":"10.2307\/j.ctv65swkk"},{"key":"2025092411461925000_39.2.115.14","unstructured":"Mortenson TE . Humans playing World of Warcraft: or deviant strategies?. In: Corneliussen HG Rettberg JW , eds. Digital culture, play, and identity: a World of Warcraft reader. Cambridge: MIT Press, 2008:203\u201314."},{"key":"2025092411461925000_39.2.115.15","first-page":"2","article-title":"Cheesers, pullers, and glitchers: the rhetoric of sportsmanship and the discourse of online sports games","volume":"9","author":"Moeller","year":"2009","journal-title":"Games Stud"},{"key":"2025092411461925000_39.2.115.16","unstructured":"Lemos R . Digital plague hits online game World of Warcraft. 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