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Walk into the Midtown home of Eric Meade and you're transported to a world where knights soar on dragons, sorcerers cast spells on elves that encase them in ice, and time and cash are sucked out of millions of lives.

Ignore the dirty clothes sprawled on the floor, the empty beer cans on the computer desk and the broken guitar in the corner of the room. Focus on the computer screen, a portal into Azeroth, the online computer game "World of Warcraft" realm where a 23-year-old sandwich deliveryman can become an ultrapowerful Level 70 Rogue �an assassin �capable of slaying monsters, spelunking dungeons and questing for hidden treasures.

The game has players complete quests and fight battles, which gradually increase their experience levels as they play a small part in a sprawling war. As they play, their characters' power grows. They forge alliances and rivalries with other advanced players, waging epic battles of reflexes and critical thinking.

Over the span of an hour, Meade's mood fluctuates from mock misery to elation as he heads into an arena with a teammate to battle opponents. Remarking that he's been up for 24 hours straight, Meade complains about how rusty he is as he loses several fights and wins a few clashes before quitting for a cigarette break and some shut-eye. Meade's morning gaming session last week followed a night of work and an all-night poker session.

To an outside observer, the screen is an unintelligible mishmash of gibberish much like the scrolling computer code numbers hackers peruse in "The Matrix." But to Meade, each blipping box of statistics, the circular miniature map and rows of icons feed him information that will mean the difference between virtual life and death.

Meade, who unleashes a slew of curses online, barking strategic requests and commands into a headset, says he's on his best behavior. He mentioned that he'd ruined two keyboards by slamming them up against the wall in frustration after some tough losses.

"It's not an addiction, it's escapism," said Meade. "People play for the same reason they watch movies and read books. Some nobody who works at Circle K can be a hero."

Meade is part of a global phenomenon. "World of Warcraft," a massively multiplayer online role-playing game, has become a full-blown multimedia franchise.

The ingenious �some would say diabolical �subscription format has allowed "Warcraft" to be a colossal moneymaker for publisher Blizzard Entertainment, which has reported more than 9 million subscribers worldwide. The game's revenues are said to be more than $1 billion a year, although a Blizzard representative would not confirm that figure. The monthly fee purportedly pays for server costs, customer support and for developers to make additional content. The real reason Blizzard charges the recurring fee, though, is because it can.

Nielsen Media Research reported that gamers played "World of Warcraft" more than any other computer game in June. Players averaged 17 hours per week. The playtime accounted for 18 percent of total PC gaming play. There's no getting away from "World of Warcraft." On the Internet, YouTube abounds with fan videos, including the legendary "Leeroy Jenkins" made by Ben Schulz, who recorded himself in the game ruining a multiplayer mission with overly serious players by yelling his name and alerting enemy monsters.

In addition to the initial game, Blizzard released an expansion pack subtitled "The Burning Crusade" ($39.99) in January, which introduced new characters, territory and quests. A second expansion, "The Rise of the Lich King," is listed by Amazon.com for release in November 2008.

There are also "World of Warcraft" board games and card games, and a movie is in early stages of development, aimed to open in 2009.

On the radio, hosts of "The Frank Show" (KFMA, 92.1-FM) routinely talk about their "World of Warcraft" exploits on the air.

"Yeah, I'm pretty addicted to it," said Rick Berg, 25, who goes by Sherm the Producer on "The Frank Show." He said he's been playing the game for two years, usually more than 20 hours a week. Berg's playing sessions have lasted as long as 18 hours. "Friends were playing it, and then I started. It's just a release �a fantasy world so I don't have to deal with real stuff in life."

Initially released in November 2004, the game now sells for $19.99 and includes a month of online play. Thereafter, gamers must pay $15 a month to continue playing. Discounts are available for multi-month commitments.

Writer Dave Vanderslice, 54, has played "World of Warcraft" for three years.

"I knew Blizzard made quality products and had a good sense of humor in their games," Vanderslice said in an e-mail interview. "I also was lucky enough to be in the beta (an early version of the game Blizzard released to work out the bugs), which sold me. As a kid, I was a comic-book junkie, and playing 'World of Warcraft' is like being a comic-book hero."

Vanderslice said he's currently on hiatus from the game but imagines he'll return eventually.

Meade, who plays in binges and takes a few days off before starting again, says in-game rivalries can expand to the outside world. He's a member of the Alliance, the game's "good" side, which is at war with the evil Horde. Meade has affixed himself to the Alliance cause the way a crazed sports fan would to his team. He says he's gotten into an argument at Denny's with a waiter who professed to be a member of the Horde, and Meade adds that if he delivers sandwiches to someone he sees playing as a Horde member, he'll start talking trash even if it jeopardizes his tip.

Meade is a veritable George Carlin as he guides a reporter and photographer through the game, dissing enemies and mocking his inadequacy.

"If I could play as well as these guys could," Meade said, "I'd probably still be a virgin. Some people play too much."

Meade says he plays the game between 20 and 35 hours a week, but often goes more than a week without playing.

"It's just something to kill time when I'm bored," Meade says.

Stockbroker and longtime computer gaming enthusiast Brad Becker, 52, has been competing for years and isn't surprised by the success of "World of Warcraft," even though he doesn't play the game.

"It doesn't surprise me that a well-done game in immersive environments does so well," Becker said. "That's what the PC basically lends you today, with widescreen, sound and the whole thing."

Becker shies away from MMOs (massively multiplayer online role-playing games) because he prefers LAN (local area network) competition, in which gamers get together to play on PCs that are connected in the same building, noting that there are fewer issues of lag and participants make more of a commitment than online players who can drift away from the keyboard at any moment.

Becker says that "World of Warcraft" has an alarming pull on some of his friends. "I know some friends play the game and literally for months at a time don't emerge."

Berg said there can be a sense of peer pressure from player-formed teams, known as guilds. Guildmates are expected to put in a certain time commitment, to continually refine their skills and to play with a certain code of shared ethics.

"There are different types of guilds who do hard-core raids that expect you to be there five or six days a week sometimes," Berg said. "They can make you feel 'not special' if you don't show up that much."

Meade has a simple policy of warding off the pressure.

"I tell them to go (expletive)," he says. Meade, who jokes around a lot while playing, says many players are far too serious.

"Most people in life have no sense of humor, so in the game it's no different."

Berg also looks at the lighter side of "World of Warcraft."

"Sometimes I create a random character and start whispering to people, asking them for money," Berg said. "There are low-level people who don't even work and just ask for handouts. Basically, I'm this little homeless character asking for money, 'Run me through this dungeon,' 'Buy me this,' 'Buy me that.' There's this ventriloserver that lets you listen in to other people talking in the guild. I can hear them talking about me. It gets them really (ticked) off."

Berg says he usually plays "World of Warcraft" with "The Frank Show" colleague Matt Stagi, who goes by Stagz McNasty. Show host Frank Brinsley is also known to play from time to time.

"There are people who call up or e-mail and ask what server we're playing on. I give them our names and info on where they can find us," Berg said. "A few people from Tucson and a couple up in Reno were cool and we started playing with them and getting to know them, create friendships."

Berg said the best thing about "World of Warcraft" is how it allows him to meet new people and connect with friends.

"It's the interaction with other people that's great," Berg said. "I'd never played a multiplayer online game or whatever before. You're playing people all over the country and the world. . . . I play for the entertainment. There's a lot of people I've become friends with. I also play it as more of a chat or an IM thing. Some days I just log on and talk."