It's not everyday that game-related stuff hits the showbiz scene. And by that, we're talking about interviews by show-business-related media on game-related dudes, NOT some celebrity endorsing some new console or games.

That's why we were pleasantly surprised by this snippet we found over at Hollywood Reporter, which had run an interview on Blizzard's VP of game design, Rob Pardo.

Among other things, the interview went through some of the game's large-scale accomplishments, such as its whopping eight million gamer population worldwide - enough people to legally declare WoW a small country.

But getting back to Mr. Pardo, the interview also mentions Time Magazine's selection of Rob as one of the 100 most influential people of the year, which - for better or for worse - includes guys like Stephen Colbert and Hugo Chavez.

As the interview went:

The Hollywood Reporter: One of the 100 most influential people in the world? That's quite an honor! How does creating a game like "World of Warcraft" entitle you to ...

Rob Pardo: [Laughing] I have no idea. I'm just a nerdy game designer who really enjoys making games. But I guess video games are getting more and more attention as the population ages and as games become a viable entertainment medium for a large number of people, especially for those in their 30s who may have grown up with games. People are very invested in entertainment, especially in something like "WoW," which is very social and where you can meet friends and folks from all around the world. I mean, I've seen people who have met their future wives online. When something becomes that popular, I think that's the main reason why a publication like "Time" would be interested in us.

The full interview's over at the read link.