ABSTRACT
We analyze collaborative play in an online video game, World of Warcraft, the most popular personal computer game in the United States, with significant markets in Asia and Europe. Based on an immersive ethnographic study, we describe how the social organization of the game and player culture affect players' enjoyment and learning of the game. We discovered that play is characterized by a multiplicity of collaborations from brief informal encounters to highly organized play in structured groups. The variety of collaborations makes the game more fun and provides rich learning opportunities. We contrast these varied collaborations, including those with strangers, to the "gold standard" of Gemeinschaft-like communities of close relations in tightknit groups. We suggest populations for whom similar games could be designed.
- Bargh, J., McKenna, K., and Fitzsimons, G. Can you see the real me? Activation and expression of the "true self" on the Internet. Journal of Social Issues 58 (2002), 33--48.Google ScholarCross Ref
- Blizzard Entertainment Inc. www.blizzard.com/press/050720.shtml www.blizzard.com/press/060119.shtmlGoogle Scholar
- Brown, B. and Bell, M. CSCW at play: 'There' as a collaborative virtual environment. Proceedings CSCW 2004, ACM Press, New York, 350--359. Google ScholarDigital Library
- Clegg, A. Games and simulations in social studies education. Handbook of Research on Social Studies Teaching and Learning, J. Shaver, ed. Macmillan, New York, 1991.Google Scholar
- Dewey, J. Experience and Education. Macmillan, New York, 1938.Google Scholar
- Dourish, P. The state of play. Journal of Computer-supported Cooperative Work 7 (1998), 1--7. Google ScholarDigital Library
- Driskell, R. and Lyon, L. Are Virtual Communities True Communities? Examining the Environments and Elements of Community. City and Community 1 (2002), 373--390.Google ScholarCross Ref
- Ducheneaut, N. and Moore, R. The social side of gaming: A study of interaction patterns in a massively multiplayer online game. Proceedings CSCW 2004, ACM Press, New York, 360--369. Google ScholarDigital Library
- Ducheneaut, N., Yee, N., Nickell, E., Moore, R. "Alone Together?" Exploring the social dynamics of massively multiplayer online games. Proceedings CHI06, ACM Press, New York, 407--416. Google ScholarDigital Library
- Engeström, Y., Engeström, R., and Vähäaho, T. When the center doesn't hold: The importance of knotworking. In S. Chaiklin, M. Hedegaard and U. Jensen (eds.). Activity Theory and Social Practice. AarhusPress, Denmark, 1999.Google Scholar
- Gee, J. What Video Games have to Teach Us about Learning and Literacy. Palgrave Macmillan, New York, 2003. Google ScholarDigital Library
- Golder, S. and Donath, J. Hiding and revealing in online poker games. Proceedings CSCW 2004, ACM Press, New York, 370--373. Google ScholarDigital Library
- Granovetter, M. The strength of weak ties. American Journal of Sociology 78 (1973), 1360--1380.Google ScholarCross Ref
- Hillery, G. Definitions of community. Rural Sociology 20 (1955), 779--791.Google Scholar
- Kraut, R., Patterson, M., Lundmark, V., Kiesler, S., Mukhopadhyay, T. and Scherlis, W. Internet paradox: A social technology that reduces social involvement and psychological well-being? American Psychologist 53 (1998), 1001--31.Google ScholarCross Ref
- Kushner, D. Engineering Everquest. IEEE Spectrum Online. July, 2005. http://www.spectrum.ieee.org/jul05/1561Google Scholar
- Lave, J. and Wenger, E. Situated Learning: Legitimate peripheral participation. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 1991.Google ScholarCross Ref
- Leontiev, A. (1974). The problem of activity in psychology. Soviet Psychology 13 (1974), 4--33.Google Scholar
- Muramatsu, J. and Ackerman, M. Computing, social activity, and entertainment: A field study of a game MUD. Journal of CSCW 7 (1998), 87--122. Google ScholarDigital Library
- Nie, N.H. and Erbring, L. Internet and Society: A Preliminary Report. IT & Society 1 (2002), 275--283.Google Scholar
- Pearce, C. Productive play: Game culture from the bottom up. Games and Culture 1 (2006), 17--24.Google ScholarCross Ref
- Prince, M., Harwood, R., Blizard, R., Thomas, A., and Mann, A. Social support deficits, loneliness and life events as risk factors for depression in old age. Psychological Medicine 27 (1997), 323--332.Google ScholarCross Ref
- Putnam, R. Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community. Simon and Schuster, New York, 2000. Google ScholarDigital Library
- Reid, E. Electropolis: Communication and Community on Internet Relay Chat. Honours Dissertation, University of Melbourne, 1991.Google Scholar
- Schiesel, S. The game is a hit but the work isn't done. New York Times. February 7, 2005.Google Scholar
- Squire, K. Changing the game: What happens when video games enter the classroom? Innovate: Journal of Online Education 1 (2005).Google Scholar
- Steinkuehler, C. Cognition and Learning in Massively Multiplayer Online Games: A Critical Approach. Ph.D. Thesis, University of Wisconsin, Madison, 2005.Google Scholar
- Taylor, T. Power gamers just want to have fun?: Instrumental play in a MMOG. Proceedings 1st DiGra Conference. University of Utrecht, Netherlands, 2003.Google Scholar
- Tönnies, F. Community and Society: Gemeinschaft and Gesellschaft. Michigan State University Press, 1887/1957.Google Scholar
- Twidale, M., Wang, X., and Hinn, D. CSC*: Computer supported collaborative work, learning, and play. In Koschmann, T., Suthers, D., and Chan, T. (eds.) Proceedings, Computer Supported Collaborative Learning 2005. Lawrence Erlbaum, New Jersey. Google ScholarDigital Library
- Vygotsky, L. Mind and Society: The Development of Higher Mental Processes. Harvard University Press, 1978.Google Scholar
- Wang, H., Karp, A., Winblad, B., and Fratiglioni, L. Late-life engagement in social and leisure activities is associated with a decreased risk of dementia. American Journal of Epidemiology 155 (2002), 1081--1087.Google ScholarCross Ref
- http://www.warcraftrealms.com/census.phpGoogle Scholar
- http://www.worldofwarcraft.com/misc/awards.htmlGoogle Scholar
- Yoon, J., Oishi, J., Nawyn, J., Kobayashi, K. and Gupta, N. FishPong: Encouraging human-to-human interaction in informal social environments. Proceedings CSCW 2004, ACM Press, New York, 374--377. Google ScholarDigital Library
- Zimmerman, A. and Nardi, B. Whither or Whether HCI: Requirements Analysis for Multi-Sited, Multi-User Cyberinfrastructures. Proceedings CHI 2006, ACM Press, New York. Google ScholarDigital Library
Index Terms
- Strangers and friends: collaborative play in world of warcraft
Recommendations
The social side of gaming: a study of interaction patterns in a massively multiplayer online game
CSCW '04: Proceedings of the 2004 ACM conference on Computer supported cooperative workPlaying computer games has become a social experience. Hundreds of thousands of players interact in massively multiplayer online games (MMORPGs), a recent and successful genre descending from the pioneering multi-user dungeons (MUDs). These new games ...
Ladies of Warcraft: changing perceptions of women and technology through productive play
FDG '12: Proceedings of the International Conference on the Foundations of Digital GamesWomen are frequently underrepresented and misrepresented in gaming culture. Stereotypes of "female gamers" often contribute to the abysmally low engagement of women in information and communication technologies (ICTs). This pilot ethnographic study ...
A playful affordances model for gameful learning
TEEM '14: Proceedings of the Second International Conference on Technological Ecosystems for Enhancing MulticulturalityGames are often cited for their inherent qualities that make them engaging, inspiring, fun and easy to learn. In education, two separate tracks of game-based learning and gamification have sought to activate the benefits of games and game design for the ...
Comments