Yes, I’m sure all of us around here already know World of Warcrack (although I admit I don’t play the thing). But it looks like the news of the insanely popular game’s global reach is making its way outside our circles of nerd-dom.

Check this article out. So, is it bigger than the Sims at this point or what? Anyone know? And how soon are my parents going to ask me about it?

Less than two years after its introduction, World of Warcraft, made by Blizzard Entertainment, based in Irvine, Calif., is on pace to generate more than $1 billion in revenue this year with almost seven million paying subscribers, who can log into the game and interact with other players. That makes it one of the most lucrative entertainment media properties of any kind. Almost every other subscription online game, including EverQuest II and Star Wars: Galaxies, measures its customers in hundreds of thousands or even just tens of thousands.

And while games stamped “Made in the U.S.A.� have often struggled abroad, especially in Asia, World of Warcraft has become the first truly global video-game hit since Pac-Man in the early 1980’s.

Spread the word!