We've all heard the rumors: Dave Chappelle loves World of Warcraft. So does Jon Stewart. Asia Carrera kills in Unreal Tournament.

But it turns out that perhaps another group of power-players are addicted to WoW - high-tech entrepreneurs, big-idea folks, internet movers and shakers. Is WoW turning into a place where they can meet and find each other? I wrote a story on it for 1UP.com: Is WoW the New Golf?

It's an interesting idea, but WoW is a long way from Friendster or mySpace or LinkedIn. For one, it's a lot harder to browse for friends; the server system is optimized for play experience, not for contact volume. And then the game itself is so involving that, unlike taking a stroll through the links, there's a lot less potential time for schmoozing while playing. At the lower levels, at least.

Still, there is something to the fact that a lot of people, including celebrities and CEOs and the like, are now choosing to relax by playing games online. With a little research you may be able to join Jon Stewart's raiding party next time you log on.

I talked with Joi Ito, a WoW player with the passion of the newly converted, about his guild, "We Know", and whether the buzz on it comes from the fact that he's attached to the project. I got the idea for the story because Eric, who's Joi's friend and fellow Guild-member, told me an amusing anecdote about going out to brunch with a big group of people and a mobile entrepreneur-type was talking about the very same guild with another bruncher.

Anyway, I took video of the chat with Joi while he also showed us around Azeroth; I'm working on editing it now and I'll post it up later. It was an experiment that turned out, I think, rather well! Thanks to Eric for his help.