WoW lore is in a very chaotic state. There are many different sources that are sometimes completely opposite, so I don't know what exactly to recommend to someone who is a beginner.
I started with Nobbel87 videos so after that I just started reading written materials. Maybe that's the best way.
If you are only interested in the story of Sylvanas Windrunner, a book will be published soon dedicated only to her and where her life and view of the world will be shown: https://www.amazon.com/Sylvanas-World-Warcraft-Christie-Golden/dp/0399594183
Blithering Genius has just released his fourth book where he explains why the reality simulation experience machine that you're talking about will probably never be invented in the near future, if ever: Futurist Fantasies by Blithering Genius
He's probably going to write and publish even more books in the future, in addition to the four that he's already published.
I have no idea who Zapffe and Ligotti are, but I play old DOS adventure games with DOSbox emulator, on my Windows or Linux system. Tons of games I've never played yet, and I love the animation and point-and-click game genre from the late 80s to the early 2000s. So much more diverse than monster and people running around and shooting each other up. These are real adventures and quests and puzzle solving and timed challenges....often mixed in with a wry sense of humor and references to other, earlier games and cult movies. Best place to get these great games for free is:
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