Kevin Werbach, an intellectual appointed to President-elect Barack Obama's transition team is an avid player of World of Warcraft. It's obvious he's put some time into the game - he has a level 70 Tauren Shaman geared in all epics. Mr. Werbach is an assistant professor of legal studies and business ethics. He'll be helping President-elect Obama to plan his media policies.

Bloggers and gamers have already begun speculating about what impact Mr Werbach's Warcraft background might have on his professional outlook, with some suggesting that his appointment indicates that the new administration may be more open to virtual worlds.

In a blog post written in 2006 Mr Werbach praised massively multiplayer online games (MMOGs) like Warcraft for fostering a sense of community.

"What [Warcraft] does is provide an incentive for people to develop new software and ideas for collaborative production," he wrote.

"Many of those ideas will translate to other group activities, including those within the business world. I think MMOGs will be, at a minimum, a significant testbed for these new technologies, because users see a direct benefit and are willing to experiment with new things."

This certainly seems like an encouraging turn for video gamers of all types.

For more information, please visit the UK Telegraph.

To see the armory page for Mr. Werbach's character, please check the WoW Armory.