My assumption upon registering for GRSJ 307 was that we would be analyzing advertisements, television and film. When I was made aware that we would be closely analyzing one online game (GuildWars2) for the majority of the class, I was a little unsure of whether I would enjoy this experience. I decided to stick with it and I am glad I did! I am not a “gamer” by any means but studying and critically analyzing GuildWars2 was a really interesting and eye opening experience. Previously, I had never thought to think of games/gaming as having a large influence on popular culture and I see now that this idea is false.

Video games have the ability to largely influence its players and in turn, popular culture as a whole. Games can bring out the best and worst characteristics of its players. GuildWars2 like other games dictate exactly what players are able to do and act, as well as where they are able to travel in the gaming world and the missions they are required to complete therefore not allowing much independent agency to its players. Playing GuildWars2 took a lot of effort and dedication because I had to learn the completely new skill of gaming (ie. keys to press, how to level up, …what is leveling up? Etc.). At times, GuildWars2 was incredibly frustrating, not only because I was struggling with the logistics of the game and pressing the right keys on my keyboard, but also because of the things the game made me do and value.

As I had just begun playing GuildWars2, I was in a state of ignorance towards my actions. What I was doing through my character, I did not feel were important nor did I feel accountable for in my real life. GuildWars2 had an insidious effect on me as I was so immersed in the experience of gaming that I was removed from my critical thinking abilities. Though as I began to play more frequently, I started to think more critically of what I was making my character do. Simple missions and actions no longer felt fun, willful and innocent. I now felt forced to constantly utilize violence, become an active colonizer as I stole land from other creatures, and destroyed other characters’ inventions and homes for the sole benefit of my individual character’s advancement in the game. This game forced me (however willfully) to become the kind of character I would hate, and I went along with it.

Ultimately, my experience with GuildWars2 made me more introspective and critical of my actions in all forms, though especially through gaming. Playing GuildWars2 has also gifted me with a new lens to critique and analyze video games as a form of popular culture, and the many ideologies they incorporate to market them to consumers and maintain their consumption.

While interacting with the GuildWars2 world as my avatar, I noticed I was willing to do just about everything I was not willing to do in my real life (ie. use violence, put myself in precarious and dangerous situations, get revenge on characters who had wronged me etc.). The game centers around aggression and violence and dictates the kinds of activities, missions and simple actions your avatar is able to do. Essentially GuildWars2 forces you towards the use of violence as your character is thrown into precarious situations and must fight its way out of them. Further, GuildWars2 places you into a complete fantasy world, which makes it much easier to distance oneself from their violent actions.

I was very aware of the heightened value placed on violence in GuildWars2, similar to other online games I have interacted with before. One could even argue that the violence in GuildWars2 is minimal compared to the thousands of other online games one can play. There is little to no gore in GuildWars2, yet the characters (and the players behind them) are actively killing other creatures in the game. The heightened amount of violence in GuildWars2 made me question the creators marketing scheme; did the creators utilize heightened amounts of violence to appeal to the stereotypical male gamer prototype? I am uncertain, however, the stereotype around gaming is that women do not enjoy it nor participate in it. In addition, male patriarchal values are alive and well, encouraging men to engage and enjoy violence. Thus, I am inclined to believe that GuildWars2, amongst many other games, are created and marketed in the intention that men will be the sole consumers.I find it incredibly difficult to fantasize and eventually use violence in my day to day life, nor would I ever be willing to place myself in situations where violence would be necessitated. I am unsure of a place in society one could compare and contrast with the level of violence experienced day-to-day in the GuildWars2 world, (and the majority of popular culture) …perhaps a nations military ground soldiers? I understand that reads as a bit extreme, however one could argue that these soldiers utilize violence, lethal or other, in their everyday career. Not only is physical violence utilized, but also violence in the form of stealing land or forcing new political systems on a culture abroad.

I find it incredibly difficult to fantasize and eventually use violence in my day to day life, nor would I ever be willing to place myself in situations where violence would be necessitated. I am unsure of a place in society one could compare and contrast with the level of violence experienced day-to-day in the GuildWars2 world, (and the majority of popular culture) …perhaps a nations military ground soldiers? I understand that reads as a bit extreme, however one could argue that these soldiers utilize violence, lethal or other, in their everyday career. Not only is physical violence utilized, but also violence in the form of stealing land or forcing new political systems on a culture abroad.

Violence is not typically permissible in real life so GuildWars2 uses these forms of violence in order to keep their players interested and engaged in acts they wouldn’t have otherwise been able to perform. It is the player’s duty to engage with the game and in hopes, ultimately end up thinking critically about their actions in the game.

When I had just begun my journey in GW2, I was very focused on myself and the mechanics of gameplay though I have since expanded my focus. As my gameplay is advancing, I have become more aware of the other players around me. I have found that group quests are a great way to gain experience points and level up. For the most part, the group quests have been positive experiences as I’ve interacted with some helpful people as we worked together as a community to complete a task. However, this positivity is not universal and unfortunately, I have witnessed negative and hurtful comments (thankfully not directed at me, but it hurt to see others behaving in that way). GW2 is a fantasy game that we are all playing and should be free from toxic behaviour. We’re all here just to have fun so let’s act like it.

When I witnessed the toxic behaviour in GW2, I related it back to my experiences working customer service jobs. I have certainly felt belittled, patronized, insulted and hurt by the things people have said to me while at work. However, I try to remember that these hurtful people are simply projecting their own anger and frustration onto me and that it is not me who is the problem, it is them. Similarly, hurtful players are simply projecting their own frustrations and insecurities onto others in GW2. Toxic and hurtful behaviour reflects poorly not on the person it’s being directed at, but on the person who is directing it.

I am always a kind and empathetic person and my anonymity in GW2 did not change that. Anonymity should not change the way in which you treat others though, for some, it allows them to act with the assumption that they will not be held accountable for their behaviour. That is why I believe the ‘report player’ function in chat is a great addition to the game because it allows a medium for those hurt by others to seek recourse. It also ensures that players who behave unacceptably will be held accountable for their actions (just like in reality). Ultimately, if this function does its job, it will make GW2 a more inclusive, fun, and safe game for those who enjoy it so much. The community one can find in games like GW2 is interesting and incredible, and it’s unfortunate that some players take advantage of their anonymity to hurt others and in turn, the very aspect of community in GW2.

When playing GW2, I decided to participate heavily in the narrative/story aspects. During the narratives, in order to progress in the story, I had to pay close attention. It was difficult to fully understand the language of the narrators (using fantasy terms) however, the voice acting was well done and I felt captivated to hear what was being said, rather than skipping over it. I also felt more partial to the storyline as the other components of the game (missions etc.) were mainly based on violence, an aspect which I didn’t enjoy.

The NPCs heavily influenced my gameplay as they were the ones who assigned my objectives and lead me through my character’s story. The NPC’s provide the majority of the narrative in GW2 which is a concise, linear narrative that is easy for gamers to follow along. What is interesting though, is that with each choice the gamer makes, the narrative changes and becomes more specific to that individual, therefore each gamer is met with a unique experience in GW2.

For the most part, I have been playing this game pretty emotionlessly because I have a hard time associating myself to this world and the ordeals that my character has to manage. There was one part of the narrative where I had to choose between getting revenge on someone who betrayed me and saving a dear friend from being slain and I did end up reflecting on how I would truly feel and act in a scenario like this and decided to save my friend.

The viciousness and enacted violence I find to be quite problematic, but in our society, it seems to make for great entertainment. Simply put, violence and aggression sell, specifically to a male market. In addition, the violence depited in GW2 is a toned down version of what we’re all exposed to through horror and action movies. Further, these types of games use unrealistic violent problems to enhance the story and make events more suspenseful or captivating. For example, action movies without violence or viciousness are seldom created because without that component, most would find the movie boring or bland.

In contrast to popular views, the narrative in GW2 for me, however captivating it is while I’m actively engaging with it, I don’t believe I would find it interesting to read or watch a movie based around it. Personally, I am not that interested in fantasy (other than Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings) and would prefer to watch other genres. In addition, I find that GW2 is largely based on violence and aggression which I do not enjoy watching or reading at all. Often times I find it unnecessary to the storylines… as though it need not be there. However, I am glad to say that so far, I am enjoying listening to the narrative and playing my story.

Upon wandering freely around the Metrica province in Guildwars2 (GW2) with my Asura character, I noticed that the landscape was very under developed, natural and out of control; the landscapes appeared to be untouched. Relating my GW2 experiences within those landscapes to my own in the landscapes of Vancouver made me reflect on how Vancouver had previously resembled the natural landscapes similarly seen in GW2. Canada, and most of the world, have a bleak colonial history. Furthermore, the colonial values and ideology are currently still present around the world. Vancouver developed under colonial rule and through the massacre of the indigenous peoples that inhabited the land, and thus made me wonder if colonial values were present in the GW2 world as well.

Once I began looking for colonial values present in modern society, within GW2, it was quite evident that they were reinforced and undeniable within the game. The landscapes and the missions my character was sent on reflected colonial values perfectly. The missions specifically made me further my critical analysis of the colonial values and of the goals the game had set up for my character (and characters alike). To my surprise, the fantasy world in GW2 reflected oppressive colonial values that society should try to repair, rather than challenging them and valuing a different narrative.

One mission that I found personified colonial values involved helping protect a marsh area in Tyria the Michotl race (resembling toads), the occupiers, were inhabiting. My character’s goal was to assist in the hunting and killing of the dragonfly species, viewed as invaders, that were attempting to harvest the food from the marsh lands in which the Michotl race inhabited. Similarly, in the same mission, what appeared to be more Michotl species with different skin colouring (red) began invading the territory and I was instructed to massacre these intruders just the same as the Dragonflys.

This mission made me wonder about the differing races and the landscapes. Specifically why the Michotl race had land rights over the Dragonfly race? Were the Dragonflys always present in this area of land? How did the Michotl race acquire these specific land rights? I wanted to know the history behind these fantasy races and why one subset was viewed as superior to the other and why the latter deserved to be massacred rather than collaborated with and helped. Furthermore, why did GW2 incorporate the colonial ideology into the production of their fantasy world rather than challenge it?

Video games have a distinct and insidious ability to propagate gendered stereotypes because of how heavily gamers can identify with their avatars. We chose exactly who and what we would like to be, within gender essentialist options, and proceed to live through our characters in the fantasy world the game has created for us. Playing games, such as GuildWars2, and watching a television show or film can be quite different. Rather than sitting back and simply observing characters on television, in GuildWars2, we actively engage, create and live through our avatars. The active engagement between us and our avatars in GuildWars2, and other games, create a level of connection between the avatar and our desired identity embedded into that avatar which is different than the connection we can feel with characters we simply observe on television. That is because active engagement can make us feel embodied in our characters; as though we are the character that we have created.

Because we can identify so strongly with our gaming avatars, the options that gamers are permitted to use in creating their characters can be influential to the ways in which we view ourselves, and others, and propagate ideals of how people should be. Upon choosing my avatar in GuildWars2, I wanted to pick a character that I identified with and would enjoy playing as. Pop culture creates and perpetuates beauty standards for men and women that are nearly impossible to attain and what I noticed is that the characters in GuildWars2 matched those ideals quite accurately. Further, GuildWars2 did not allow any other identities to be chosen for the avatars outside of the gender binary.

I find it can feel very liberating and empowering at times to reject and actively resist to conform to the female beauty standards which is why I chose an avatar that I believe strayed from those ideals. I do not fit the female beauty standards that the media shows us and thus, chose a character in GuildWars2 that I believed to have most closely reflected that and me. I did not want to play a character that I believed was an entirely false representation of myself.

Many of the female avatars bodies were hypersexualized and emphasized by their clothing unlike the character I had chosen, however, my character still strongly resembles the stereotypical female form with her wide hips and smaller stature. The depiction of hypersexualized female avatars maintains the objectification of the female body. Because we view our avatars as representing ourselves, and thus other gamers avatars as representing themselves, the ways in which the avatars look can be very influential to how we view and construct ourselves and others in reality. Creating my avatar in GuildWars2 was an interesting way to question my personal values of what I deem as important and unimportant in how I would like to be represented and seen by others.