Real Card/Virtual World

Joseph Laszlo | May 07, 2007, 10:43 AM

World of Warcraft becomes the first MMOG with its own tie-in branded Visa card. Ok, it's great, it's a pop cultural phenomenon of sorts, and licensing a popular brand to a credit card issuer is a time-honored tradition at this point.

But...eesh...can you imagine breaking this sucker out at say your local Safeway?

You're buying...I don't know what WoW players buy...lots of cheetos and Mountain Dew, probably. Gladys, who's ringing you up, is in her 50s, those glasses like matrons always wore in "Far Side" cartoons, obviously had a long day on her feet. And you say, "charge it," and offer her your WoW Visa.

Gladys takes it from you, just wanting the transaction done with so she can get to the next one. And the next. She looks at the gnome-encrusted card. Her eyes widen. She fights the urge to smile, to laugh. She loses. She doesn't know from WoW. All she knows is no matter how loserly her life might feel at times, she's just come across someone who's on a whole other plane of existence, loser-ship-wise.

She shows the card to the bag boy, who knows WoW, and therefore feels even more superior than Gladys does. She has to share it with Edith, at the next register, and Consuela at the one after that. Soon the entire checkout line is paralyzed with hilarity. At you and your dumb-ass gnome card.

So what if it's at your own expense, you've brought a little more happiness into the world. So carry those cards proudly, boys and girls. It's a good thing.