Proposal

World of Warcraft, like many other massive multi-player online role playing games (MMORPG), implicitly develops social interactions and forges a sense of community while the gamer herself actively focuses on the plot of the game. Even before beginning the game, a player must choose an avatar, a race, a class and eventually the sort of weapons and gear to utilize. Thus, begins the development of a personal social identity within the game, which may be noted extends far beyond the self through the innumerable interactions between characters. Such transactions as guilds, marriages, and even merely asking for help (directions or in completing quests) through the online forums contribute to the community driven social development within the game platform. Even the set of rules, from Blizzard's own (the company itself) to looting and guild rules, cultivates a game with a singular identity and set of beliefs, in which living within the "magic circle" is not only expected but a necessary means in order to further oneself within the game. In other words, developing one's individual identity and one's community identity are essential to the progression of the game. This is part of what I found so difficult within the game- I didn't like the feeling of reliance on others necessary in order to progress.

Nevertheless, it is this very point- this development of social identity- that I hoped to focus on in my paper. I plan on discussing the specific stipulations I've come across as to how both an individual identity and a community identity are formed and what are the ramifications for both are within the game, i.e. eventually needing to form guild to carry out more difficult quests. I may even extend this to make a comment about the social techniques of MMORPGs generally.

Further, and perhaps most importantly, I want to discuss what the ramifications of forging a such a tight-knit social community online have outside the game. Does this affect real-life social interactions, making a very focused player more withdrawn? Or perhaps it has the converse effect and building such close relationships makes one more likely to socialize and likewise form strong social connections outside the game. I hope to explore such questions, highlighting both proximate (within the game) and distal (outside the game) effects over the course of my paper.