Chris Metzen, Blizzard Entertainment's SVP, creative development.

As the world of gaming continues to eclipse many other forms of entertainment in terms of audience size and sales, game designers are starting to look and sound more and more like sagely gurus. For that reason, we asked Blizzard Entertainment SVP Chris Metzen, one of the creative minds behind World of Warcraft, to speak at the 2009 Boards Summit about the power of game play and role play in today's entertainment landscape.

Following his talk with Zoic Studios owner and creative director Loni Peristere, Metzen sat down for a one-on-one with Boards' Christine Clarke to chat about the roles of emotion and moral obligation in gaming. He also talked about plans for the upcoming World of Warcraft movie, which will be directed by Sam Raimi (Spiderman, Evil Dead) and produced by Legendary Pictures (The Dark Knight, 300).

"Emotion plays a huge part in your investment long-term," he says. "If we can achieve this sense of effectiveness and satisfaction and continue to allow you to experience that, it's just going to keep you invested. It's going to keep you bought into the fictional exercise or the character you're playing."