This just in by email from Brian Jepson: “This is really weird–apparently Blizzard recently added a new opponent that has a powerful attack with a contagious effect. They’ve even tried quarantining affected characters: http://crystaltips.typepad.com/wonderland/2005/09/plaguelands.html”
As virtual worlds become more complex, they appear to mimic the natural world, even to unexpected side effects. All I can say is: just extend that line of sight for a few years, a decade, and tell me what you see!