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 Does this affect real-life social interactions, making a very focused player more withdrawn?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.

Video Game Blog #6

I chose to look specifically at http://wowgrrl.com/, admittedly drawn to it merely because the author was a female gamer and thus could offer a perspective outside of the conventional. Unlike some of the other blogs I’ve come across, this one in particular intended to convey a sense of ethos to her audience by using a page dedicated solely to her experience with basic facts about herself, her experience with the game, her personal progression, and specifics about her game play including her realm and affiliation with the alliance i.e. This page, aptly entitled “About,” listed such credentials as “World of Warcraft player since 2005, raider since 2008,” “Author of detailed yet precise WoW playing guides” (and provided the link), and perhaps most reflective of her efforts to establish her qualifications- “In terms of Raiding Progression, Zul'jin [her guild] is a competitive realm on both the Horde and Alliance sides and the top 15 guilds (according to 25m Achievement Progression on GuildOx.com) are all within the top 2000 US guilds on all realms.” Further, the author provides a link entitled “Accomplishments,” which presents the reader with walk-throughs. By describing her vast experience not only in World of Warcraft but online gaming generally and even by revealing her ability to complete quests (through walk-throughs), the author was effectively able to present herself as a competent source on the subject matter.

The author chose to convey her ethos as overtly as possible, dedicating an entire page to her experience and credentials on the subject of gaming and World of Warcraft. The author took a similar, overt approach in her discussion of purpose in forging such a website. On its homepage, beneath the title, the author noted, “A GAMER GRRL’S WOW BLOG, VIDEOS, AND GUIDES- OH MY.” While simultaneously using the site as a forum for her own views on such matters as the importance of seasonal events, which yield new titles for your characters and how to merge guilds seamlessly i.e., she also provided a plethora of guides for the reader. In this manner, the author seemed to be propelled by a desire to facilitate players, not only by providing tips and suggestions but by providing guides to help accelerate the pace of the game and make readers more competent players. All the while, the author retains the perspective of a female, presenting a unique outlook as a backdrop to all her guides and suggestions.

Video Game Blog #5

Throughout my brief stint in World of Warcraft, it became strikingly clear that an entirely distinct language had developed specifically for use with the game. For instance, during level 11, when I was asked to kill and then loot the claw of a bear, I specifically remember communicating with a player. Although I could discern what he was saying, peppered throughout our conversation was what could be deemed World of Warcraft slang, which was predominantly characterized by abbreviations. When at one point he stepped away from his computer he left me with, “afk.” On his return and after questioning him, I was informed (with a bit of contempt) that it simply referred to his being “away from the keyboard.” There were other abbreviations and use of slang that made the fellow difficult to understand. Even laughter wasn’t represented through the conventional use of “haha” or even “lol” as those who utilize AIM would expect; this player used “kek” instead. I also frequently came across “pwn,” “dots,” and “noob.” In many ways, the slang that he and others used reduced the amount of time it took to type and therefore quickened the pace of the game. However, this clearly isn’t always the case as slang such as “kek” is the same amount of letters as “lol.” It became evident then that the slang wasn’t simply utilized for time efficiency but solidifying the social interactions among players. Not only can the WoW players interact with each other in real-time, (a characteristic that isn’t present in many other games) but they can also communicate in their own distinct language, a language that is unknown to those that don’t play. Their language contributed to a sense of membership among the players and as a result the players remained steadfast to it, flooding message boards and other community areas such as offices with the succinct slang.

In order to aid inexperienced players, there has also been a proliferation of websites from WoW translators to dictionaries to aid in deciphering the language. One particularly helpful website, http://www.wowslang.com/index.php, allowed me to input entire blocks of WoW slang to then be translated into English. This proved particularly invaluable in the beginning of my game play when I was entirely unaware of the language. However, as game play progressed I found myself picking up on more and more of the slang.

Video Game Blog #4

It seems that the most prevalent texts on World of Warcraft outside those that specifically discuss tips and skill sets are those that highlight World of Warcraft’s ability to form addictions, or merely causing a negative impact on daily life. Dr. Orzack, founder and coordinator of Computer Addiction Services, noted in an article, between 10% and 40% of all players become at least marginally addicted to the game, according to an interview with Jeremy Reimer, writer for ARS website. But what precisely does such an addiction entail? The ARS article emphasizes the fact that the addiction forms not so much as a result of those with addictive personalities or even those with weak constitutions or willpower. Rather, the article notes that games such as World of Warcraft begins play easily, slowly increasing the difficulty level and amount of involvement until eventually relationships begin to suffer as a result. It’s only when the game begins to have negative ramifications on a person’s personal life, outside of the game, that the game can begin to be deemed addictive. The backlash against such findings have been significant indeed; for example, efforts have increased dramatically to have Video Game and Internet Addiction added to the formal diagnosis in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. And further, China has begun measures to delay the benefits of the game, i.e. earning new levels or rewards in order to deter eager players from becoming too entrenched in its easy reward system.

Such addictions range in severity however, a prime example of the more negative end of the spectrum concerns a couple, Joceyln and Peter. Jocelyn was ultimately forced to divorce her husband of 6 years, Peter, after his addiction to World of Warcraft caused him to neglect housework and even paying bills. As Yahoo Games noted, “Jocelyn doesn't hesitate to cite Warcraft as the main reason for her divorce and remains emotional about its impact on her marriage. ‘I'm real, and you're giving me up for a fantasy land. You're destroying your life, your six-year marriage, and you're giving it up for something that isn't even real.’ And while Joceyln’s predicament is certainly a more extreme example of World of Warcraft’s impact, it does correctly highlight how truly wide-ranging and influential this game can be.

Video Game Blog #3

Texts for World of Warcraft exist not only in great multitudes but further reflect a number of different topics and platforms. For example, sites exist that focus predominantly on WoW’s ability to interact with other players through forums, either providing strategies or in an attempt to forge guilds with them. On this thread, the website eu.wowarmory.com allows players to type in the name of any player, allowing them access to see their character, equipment, and specialty. Such texts, even general forum sites, only serve to contribute to the sense of community that World of Warcraft fosters. Other sites serve predominantly as strategy websites, complete with walk-through in order to facilitate completion of certain quests. For example, I’ve had to use thottbot.com in order to aid in my completing quests; the site allows a player to type in a quest and it will give the exact location of items i.e. gems necessary to completing a mission. Such websites, while providing aid to players, especially new players such as myself, admittedly detract from the challenge of the game. Websites such as thottbot.com provide detailed step-by-step stipulations in order to achieve a goal, which detracts from the forging of a player’s own abilities. Sites such as that and the like provide the player with a means to achieve goals faster rather than sharpening their skills and abilities. As a person who doesn’t express much interest in video games, this fact didn’t bother me, however, for any player who chooses to play WoW in any serious way, I feel that many of the sites detract from the experience garnered from the game.

In terms of my progression, I must admit that it’s slow indeed. At this juncture, I’m at level 9 but the game still functions much like it did at the very beginning of my game play. As I’ve accrued more levels, I’ve gained the ability to go more lands and do more actions throughout the game, including entering bigger cities complete with auction house and bank. The quests have also increased in difficulty but reciprocally, the rewards have also increased. Further, the player interaction within the game has been more emphasized as I’ve continued through the game, and have had to cooperate with a greater number of people. Overall however, the progression of the game thus far, while not exceedingly different than when I first began, has highlighted how truly expansive the game is, because as I moved to newer, larger areas, I kept considering how there would always be even newer and even larger areas if I continued playing the game. It was a mind-boggling conclusion to reach.

Video Game Blog #2

Much to my chagrin, I ended up having to change my choice of video game from Fahrenheit to World of Warcraft due the lack of substance the game ultimately had- I feared I wouldn't be able to write about it when the time came. It was a friend who suggested World of Warcraft and frankly I was vaguely horrified with the suggestion as I didn't believe there was any story line involved and I was hoping to avoid a game with overt wars. It was unavoidable however, especially in light of the overwhelming amount of writing on the subject. My negative opinion of the game hasn't altered having played the game unfortunately. Even from the very onset of the game, I found the interface to be very overwhelming, especially for someone who has little experience with video games and multi-player games; there were choices and options for everything including what race I chose to be (I picked gnome), and having made such decisions, I worried how they would affect the rest of my game play. However, getting past the initial decisions, the game itself wasn't difficult especially due to the amount of in-game instructions there were.

In terms of the stipulations of the game itself, it develops over time with the completion of quests. By this I mean, that as one transitions through the game, one gains more weapons and different attacks, which affects which types of enemies one can kill. This is a heavily multi-player game, even to the extent of receiving messages from random players during the game. This floored me, I not only was not used to but didn't necessarily like the idea of interacting with players in real time.

My hope is that the game will improve somewhat as I simply get more used to it.

Video Game Selection

When I had initially learned we had to play a video game as a part of the requirements for research writing, I must admit I wasn't exactly thrilled about the prospect. That isn't to imply that I have never played video games before or even that I dislike them in any way, rather, I found it difficult to think of a specific video game that had a continuing plot that would allow me to analyze over a long period of time. Research ensued, and I ultimately settled on the PC game "Fahrenheit" which came out in 2005. What interested me most about this game was its brooding, realistic story-line, which seems like it will be strong enough to capture my attention for the entirety of the semester.

Further, the game's rejection of a conventional genre, opting instead to consider itself an "interactive film," generated a great deal of feedback from the public and pundits alike, which will facilitate the aspect of the project that requires us to analyze external sources.

It is my intent to gain a greater understanding of how one can rhetorically analyze a video game, and perhaps provide greater insight into video games' merit in general.