The Impact Of Participation In Massively Multiplayer Roleplaying Games

The Impact of Participation in Massively Multiplayer Roleplaying Games

Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games (MMORPGs) are vastly time consuming and are designed to immerse the player in a virtual world. The most popular game in this genre is World of Warcraft (also known as "WoW") and boasts a record breaking player base of nine million paid subscribers ("World of Warcraft Surpasses Nine Million Worldwide"). Given that it is only a single game amongst many that are similar, it is likely that many readers will know someone who plays. It is important for parents and loved ones to understand what the player may encounter and the effect playing may have upon them. Players may not realize the impact their hobby has on themselves or others, so monitoring is frequently necessary if there is any concern over the amount of time they spend in the game world. This is especially true for adolescent gamers. Social interaction is a primary feature in MMORPGs; in the adolescent years, players may by influenced from those they play with. Given the amount of people that play, the risk of exposure to negative influences is present; however, through monitoring and communication it is possible to prevent negative impact on the gamer. These games feature in-game sub-culture that influences how players interact and represent themselves; there are positive and negative effects of playing and the potential for of addiction. Since World of Warcraft has the largest player base, it will be the primary subject of examination.

1. In-Game Subculture

Blizzard, the company owning and designing WoW, has worked hard to create a virtual world. There are two continents and many cities, races, and professions available to the player. Given this level of immersion, it is not surprising a sub-culture has arisen within the player base. The The American Heritage New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy defines a subculture as having a "shared set of customs, attitudes, and values, often accompanied by jargon or slang" ("Subculture"). WoW meets every one of these criteria and since many players tend to be a part of this sub-culture, understanding the community is important.

WoW is flush with virtual customs. The company hosts several different holiday events, corresponding to real world holidays, yearly. In addition to these, there are several events specific to the game. All of these events allow players to undertake certain challenges, congregate and socialize, and generally come together as a community in the pursuit of fun. These events represent global customs; however, many players have created their own through roleplay, where groups of players act the role of their character in a predesignated situation. These players tend to centralize themselves on one of several roleplay realms1 designed specifically this play style.

Along with customs, WoW players also have shared values. The players themselves may have vastly different value systems; however, within the game, the central value system is centered around the opposition of two groups, designated by race2 choice. These groups are known as the Horde and the Alliance. The game is designed around a storyline in which these two groups have undergone centuries of battle. Many players are familiar with the story and feel vehemently about their chosen faction; however, the game designers have instilled the "Horde versus Alliance" value into the game's mechanics. Players are not allowed to interact with the opposing faction unless it is to engage in combat, another shared value. Battle is the key element of the game and players tend to spend the majority of their playtime engaged in it.

Within the system, individual values vary among players. One core value held by the majority of players is the overarching theme of right and wrong when working with other participants in a group. Since the game requires people to work as a team in order to succeed, acting fairly in situations involving meeting objectives (i.e. not taking actions that could endanger the group, being patient with others), item dispersion are important aspects to successful game play. Those who ignore these social guidelines are often labeled as being poor teammates and tend to have difficulty finding people to play with.

Additionally, a sub-culture requires common attitudes. Due to the massive number of players, attitudes can greatly vary; however, there is one centralizing factor: the acceptance and inherent value of online gaming. The fact that players come together on WoW, and other games, demonstrates this; however, there is frequently discontent. By their nature, MMORPGS are designed to keep players engaged, which requires new content and frequent changes to game mechanics, such as how classes function within the game. These changes are often met with fervent opposition by various groups of players, depending on the change being made. This level of opposition is indicative of how invested a player is in the game. The unifying factor that demonstrates the aforementioned attitude is that players cope and, usually, return to the game.

Players of WoW also utilize a specialized vocabulary through an in-game global chat system. Typically, WoW jargon takes the form of abbreviations used to communicate anything from location, character skills3, desired actions (in-game and out), or simple personal interactions. "The compleat WoW abbreviations" an article by Eliah Hecht on popular fan website WoWInsider.com features a comprehensive list of different abbreviations exercised by players. The article lists a total of 406 separate words and abbreviations employed frequently enough to be recognizable by most advanced players. It also features many that originate from the official internet forums4 (Hecht). New players frequently find chat difficult to understand, due to the frequency of jargon manipulated by more experienced participants.

2. Exclusionary Language: Encouraging Time Devotion

"Wamphyri", is the author of a letter exemplifying the exclusion felt by some players and is the reason for the above article. She claims that although a participated for some time, she was still confused by the abbreviations she witnessed in chat. She had witnessed a confusing instance of jargon, so to clear things up, she asked the speaker what the abbreviations meant and the matter was resolved. However, she preceded her question with an apology for her "noob-ness" (Hecht). The term "noob" is not specific to WoW and refers to someone who is new (i.e. Noob) or inexperienced. Since experience level is highly valued