. >> rushkoff: alen lives in new york and is a member of a warcraft guild... >> it's probably becauseok floating text out. >> rushkoff: ...a group of players that work together to fight off monsters, attack enemy this guild raids, on average, four evenings a week. >> i need to hug my boy good night. i'll be right back.[ >> win rider, orc shaman, windster clan horde. >> rushkoff: many of these people never actually meet each other in person, unless they travel to one of the annual fan conventions sponsored by the gaming companies. >> they told me you'd be here. >> rushkoff: but they say they consider each other close friends. >> we talk four times a week because we meet online, so... we recognize everyone's voices, and we're just getting used to faces now. >> yeah, we have members as far away as new zealand. >> rushkoff: last summer, we followed alen and his wife liza out to california, where every year, blizzard entertainment throws a giant party for its fans. >> oh, my god. they're all playing the game. >> rushkoff: sure, games like warcraft aren't for everyone, but the number and va