VISA1001 – Art, Technology and Society
The Community behind World of Warcraf
Name: Matthew Burleigh Student Number: 20950992 Tutorial: 12:00 Thursday Tutor: John Kaye
The Community behind World of Warcraf Matthew Burleigh – 20950992
Playing video games is not necessarily a waste of time. It is a way to develop certain skills, and, often, a way of building communities. A gaming community can have its own aesthetic, values, codes of communication. Describe how a gaming community functions and what the role of play is in forging human relationships on the example of one cult video game. Use a variety of sources in your research.
Since its release in 2004, World of Warcraft has been considered the most successful and most subscribed massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) of all time. As such, since its creation, it has seen very large numbers of subscribers ranging from 1.5 million to 12 million.1 With such vast numbers of players, it’s only natural that World of Warcraft has gained a significantly large community with its own aesthetics, values, codes and means of communication. This essay will discuss how real human relationships are forged within World of Warcraft and how these relationships allow for the development of a functioning community, with its own aesthetics, values, codes and means of communication. Aesthetically speaking, even to people who do not regularly play World of Warcraft, there is no denying that the scenery is exceedingly beautiful. The entire world is available for exploration, ranging from beautiful mountain tops, to vast oceans and forests. 2 While these traits also appeal to most of the player base, their attention is often focused on a different kind of beauty. The entirety of the World of Warcraft community is much more strongly focused on aestheticizing their own individual avatar (A player’s physical representation within the game) in the form of armour and weapons. Within the community, it is generally accepted that a player that has earned more powerful weapons and armour is more aesthetically pleasing than those with lesser items. This can even be considered the case when the armour or weapon in question isn’t particularly beautiful or visually pleasing, but instead, is considered more powerful. Furthermore, this view on aesthetics has stemmed from the sense of elevation and esteem within the community that is achieved from earning better armour and weapons.3 As such, it can be stated that amongst the player base,
1 World of Warcraft subscriber numbers 2005-2013 l Statistics. “ Statista – The Statistics Portal for Market Data, Market Research and Survey Results. http://www.statista.com/staistics/208146/number-of-subscribers-ofworld-of-warcraft/ (accessed October 12, 2013). 2 “WoW Scenery.” Pinktoque.com. http://www.pinktoque.com/photos/world-of-warcraft/wow-scenery/ (accessed October 12, 2013)
strength and power has become what is considered aesthetically pleasing rather than typical visual beauty. A similar view on aesthetics is present when regarding game mounts. World of Warcraft contains a system which allows a player to obtain rideable mounts. These mounts serve both as tools for quicker travel around the world and as vanity items. Within the game, there are hundreds of different mounts that can be obtained, varying from easily obtainable, to extremely difficult.4 Much like armour and weapons, certain mounts can symbolize a higher level of elevation amongst the World of Warcraft community. The entire player base is able to appreciate the beauty of the more difficult to obtain mounts and can consider them exceedingly aesthetically pleasing, even if they aren’t necessarily what nonplayers would consider beautiful. Taking both armour and weapons, as well as mounts into consideration, it can be stated that the World of Warcraft community in general find items that elevate themselves within the community aesthetically pleasing. It is these items that provide players with a sense of accomplishment,5 according them the perception of true beauty. Furthermore, such items often help to bring players together and allow them to form bonds with one another as they help each other in attempting to achieve an aesthetically pleasing state for their avatars. Similar human relationships are often formed through the mutual sharing of values as well. Sharing certain values is an important part of any human relationship, and this is no different in World of Warcraft. Naturally, every player has their own personal set of values and beliefs that may not necessarily be the same as they are for the person in real life. However, common bonds can often be formed within the community amongst people who share common important gaming values. World of Warcraft features a system in which players can form ‘guilds’. These guilds allow for a variety of different players to easily communicate amongst one another and help each other. Often, one’s guild can reflect some of the key values that each person may hold concerning the game.6 For example, some guilds may focus on defeating difficult bosses and progressing through the game as quickly as possible, while obtaining the best items available. This can reflect how the players within that guild have bonded with one another over the value they place on progressing through the game and completing their goals no matter how difficult they may be. 7 The sharing of such strong values while working together to achieve a singular goal, helps to forge strong human 3 Billieux, Joel, Martial van der Linden, Sophia Achab, Yasser Khazaal, Laura Paraskevopoulos, Daniele Zullino, and Gabriel Thorens. “Why do you play World of Warcraft? An in-depth exploration of self-reported motivations to play online and in-game behaviours in the virtual world of Azeroth.” Computers in Human Behavior 29, no. 1 (2013): 103 – 109. http://www.sciencedirect.com.ezproxy.library.uwa.edu.au/science/article/pii/S0747563212002245 (accessed October 12, 2013). 4 Perculia. “Mount – WoWWiki – Your guide to the World of Warcraft.” World of Warcraft universe guide – WoWWiki. http://www.wowwiki.com/Mount (accessed October 12, 2013). 5 Billieux, van der Linden, Achab, Khazaal, Paraskevopoulos, Zullino and Thorens, loc.cit 6 Billieux, van der Linden, Achab, Khazaal, Paraskevopoulos, Zullino and Thorens, loc.cit
relationships within these guilds. However, the sharing of values in such a manner is not only limited to guilds, it is also common within the entire community. While the entire community encompasses a much larger number of people, it is still quite common for people with similar gaming values to encounter one another and communicate. Players are able to form groups with other people in order to accomplish tasks such as completing quests, defeating difficult bosses or hunting rare creatures. 8 While engaging in such activities, it gives the players the chance to bond over their mutual goals and potentially discover certain shared values with regard to the game. It’s these sorts of human relationships which are formed through the mutual sharing of values and goals that can often be considered particularly important amongst people outside the gaming world. These bonds remain just as strong within the World of Warcraft, despite it being thought of as ‘simply a game’. It is these strong human relationships that form the foundation of the community and it can be considered very real despite being within a game. Furthermore, the sharing of values within World of Warcraft assists the community in growing closer together as a whole and provides the players with a feeling of belonging. Similar to values, players often share or disagree with each other’s codes within the game. Much like values, every player has their own set of codes that they choose to play the game by. These can vary greatly from player to player and can often be influenced by the weightings they place on the significance of the community. For many players, they consider that there are real people behind every avatar and as such, is an extension of reality to an extent.9 With this in mind, these people often follow a code of conduct which requires them to treat others with respect and consideration. However, the opposite can also be true – for example, there are those who view it simply as a game and nothing more.10 With this in mind, the codes they choose to play the game by can often reflect this state of mind; as they show a lack of respect for others and wish to do as they please without considering others. Of course, there are many other codes of conduct players choose to live by in World of Warcraft as well and this is exactly what aids in creating a real community within the game similar to a real life community. There are numerous examples of different codes of conduct within the game such as an event involving the guild “Serenity Now”. In March of 2006, a number of players organized and held an in-game funeral to honour the death of a real person. The guild known as “Serenity Now” heard about the event and 7 Samsquirtz. “Guild – WoWWiki – Your guide to the World of Warcraft.” World of Warcraft universe guide – WoWWiki. http://www.wowwiki.com/Guild (accessed October 12, 2013) 8 Rossi, Matthew. “What does community mean in World of Warcraft?” WoW Insider – WoW News, Guides, and Analysis. http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/11/16/what-does-community-mean-in-world-of-warcraft/ (accessed October 12, 2013) 9 Kennan, Shannon. “World of Warcraft And Philosophy: Wrath of The Philosopher King.” The Journal of Popular Culture 43, no. 4 (2010): 898-899. 10 Kennan, Shannon, ibid.
decided to kill the avatars of everyone in attendance, subsequently posting a video of the massacre on the internet.11 This is a good example of how conflicting codes of conduct can be present within the game. In this case, the funeral-goers viewed World of Warcraft as an extension of reality in which in-game events can be just as important as real ones and they chose to follow a code of conduct that honours this belief system accordingly. Whereas the guild “Serenity Now” chose to view World of Warcraft as a game first and foremost and as such, have come to follow a code of conduct that encourages competition and domination of other players rather than taking their feelings into account. 12 This is a prime example of how differing codes of conduct within a community resulted in disagreements and difficulties with one another. This is a trend that is also common in real life communities and helps to support the argument that a World of Warcraft community is just as real as one in our world. Similarly, the use of communication is also used to develop a sense of community within the game. Communication is an important part of any human relationship and on a grander scale; community as well. Once again, this is no exception in World of Warcraft. Communication between players is both common and very easy, with the game providing a variety of different channels for players to communicate with each other. They can write messages so that everyone in the immediate area may see what they are saying, they can privately message one another so that only themselves and the receiver of the message can see, they may talk so that everyone online in their guild can see and they may also talk so that everyone in their specific group can see.13 There are a number of other channels; however these are the most significant. By using these channels, a player is able to discuss whatever they wish, with whomever they wish and this allows for them to build relationships with everyone that they talk to. Communicating amongst each other is an important part of any community and this is made very easy in World of Warcraft. However, talking in-game isn’t the only way for players to communicate. There are also a variety of websites available that allow for communication amongst the entire community as well. The official World of Warcraft forums is one of many of the most commonly used websites for discussion amongst the gaming community. The forums provides a variety of different sub forums regarding the World of Warcraft that range from technical support to class specific discussions.14 These forums are an excellent way for players to discuss ideas, tactics and their preferred class of character with the entire community which isn’t entirely possible in-game. This wide connection amongst the player base provides a very strong foundation of 11 Kennan, Shannon, ibid. 12 Kennan, Shannon, loc.cit. 13 Dean, Amanda. “WoW Rookie: Communication Part 1.” WoW Insider – WoW News, Guides, and Analysis. Httpe://wow.joystiq.com/2008/03/31/wow-rookie-communication-part-1/ (accessed October 12, 2013) 14 “Forums – World of Warcraft.” Battle.net. http://us.battle.net/wow/en/forum/ (accessed October 12, 2013)
community, as it allows all the players to help each other easily and provide their opinions on some heavily discussed topics. Aesthetics, values, codes and communication are all very important aspects that go hand in hand in the formation of a community. World of Warcraft has had millions of different players and the interactions each of those people make with one another has helped them to establish real human relationships that are formed in the real world. Behind every avatar is a real person and altogether, these millions of people have formed a large and strong community that has lasted for many years and will likely last for many more. Despite everyone’s differences in aesthetic beauty, values, codes of conduct and ways of communication, it could be argued that this is exactly what forms human relationships and establishes the community in World of Warcraft.
Bibliography Billieux, Joel, Martial van der Linden, Sophia Achab, Yasser Khazaal, Laura Paraskevopoulos, Daniele Zullino, and Gabriel Thorens. “Why do you play World of Warcraft? An in-depth exploration of selfreported motivations to play online and in-game behaviours in the virtual world of Azeroth.” Computers in Human Behavior 29, no. 1 (2013): 103 – 109. http://www.sciencedirect.com.ezproxy.library.uwa.edu.au/science/article/pii/S0747563212002245 (accessed October 12, 2013). Dean, Amanda. “WoW Rookie: Communication Part 1.” WoW Insider – WoW News, Guides, and Analysis. Httpe://wow.joystiq.com/2008/03/31/wow-rookie-communication-part-1/ (accessed October 12, 2013)
“Forums – World of Warcraft.” Battle.net. http://us.battle.net/wow/en/forum/ (accessed October 12, 2013) Ensslin, Astrid. Creating second lives community, identity, and spatiality as constructions of the virtual. New York: Routledge, 2011. “Forums – World of Warcraft.” Battle.net. http://us.battle.net/wow/en/forum/ (accessed October 12, 2013) Kennan, Shannon. “World of Warcraft And Philosophy: Wrath of The Philosopher King.” The Journal of Popular Culture 43, no. 4 (2010): 898-899. Levine, Robert. “Spoils of Warcraft.” Fortune 155, no. 5 (2007): 151-156. Rossi, Matthew. “What does community mean in World of Warcraft?” WoW Insider – WoW News, Guides, and Analysis. http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/11/16/what-does-community-mean-in-world-ofwarcraft/ (accessed October 12, 2013) Samsquirtz. “Guild – WoWWiki – Your guide to the World of Warcraft.” World of Warcraft universe guide – WoWWiki. http://www.wowwiki.com/Guild (accessed October 12, 2013) “WoW Scenery.” Pinktoque.com. http://www.pinktoque.com/photos/world-of-warcraft/wowscenery/ (accessed October 12, 2013) Perculia. “Mount – WoWWiki – Your guide to the World of Warcraft.” World of Warcraft universe guide – WoWWiki. http://www.wowwiki.com/Mount (accessed October 12, 2013). World of Warcraft subscriber numbers 2005-2013 l Statistics. “ Statista – The Statistics Portal for Market Data, Market Research and Survey Results. http://www.statista.com/staistics/208146/number-of-subscribers-of-world-of-warcraft/ (accessed October 12, 2013).