No, you didn’t read that headline wrong, someone has actually blamed World of Warcraft for students’ lackluster grades. Normally we would shrug off such a story, but when that someone is the FCC Commissioner we can’t help but post it. Oh yes, Deborah Taylor Tate has tapped into that commissioner wisdom and given us a forewarning about WoW’s plans to disrupt our collegiate system. How does she come to this conclusion though?

“….but surveys show just the opposite: a late 2006 survey that showed 59% of parents think the internet has been a totally positive influence in their children’s lives — down from 67% in 2004. You might find it alarming that one of the top reasons for college drop-outs in the U.S. is online gaming addiction — such as World of Warcraft — which is played by 11 million individuals worldwide,” she said in a speech delivered to the Practicing Law Institute on Dec. 5.

Now, I’m no statistics analyst, but we don’t see the numbers linking WoW to college dropouts. I don’t doubt that there has been research done on the subject, but I’m skeptical that WoW is one of the “top” reason for college dropouts. As a college student myself, I have witnessed many colleagues dropout. However, their reasons usually fall under the “it’s too f***ing hard” category, rather than the “I need to raid some Alliance ass” category.