This last LIBR559M module on immersion has forced my hand, and I must admit a guilty pleasure: World of Warcraft. I’ve had an active account for over four years. Although it doesn’t offer as many ways to emulate practical experiences in ‘real life’ as an immersive world such as Second Life, it certainly comes close. And as far as social media is concerned, it is a perfect game to experience the module topics we’ve talked about in class: Participation, Collaboration, Creation, Aggregation (indirectly), and of course Immersion. I’d like to talk briefly about the ways in which it achieves this. My apologies for not displaying any badass images; I’m away from home and don’t have access to the game at the moment.
Participation:
By virtue of signing up for an MMORPG such as WoW, one is naturally participating in social media; WoW has as many as 20 million participants across its realms, and there is no offline option…you MUST run into people and interact with them. While playing, one will undoubtably make friends, chat with them (either through text or voice chat), trade with them in a massive economy (either directly or through the auction house), and inevitably FIGHT TO THE DEATH against them.
Collaboration
Because I’m not the fighting kind, I tend to participate with others mainly by collaborating with them. The best way to do this is by joining a guild. Guild members pool their resources and help out with quests, money, gear, or whatever else others might need. Because everyone has different professions (alchemy, herbalism, enchanting, etc.) that others won’t have, the game lends itself naturally to collaboration. Plus, many quests and dungeons require groups, so people have to learn to work together for a common purpose.
Creation
While the game is not as creative as say, a pen and paper RPG, where one must develop their characters without the assistance of avatars and a virtual world, WoW still challenges the creativity of those who wish. This is particularly true in Role-playing servers and guilds, which encourage people to stay in character and true to the lore surrounding the game. Indirectly, the game has spawned thousands of creative efforts by people making websites, fan fiction, art, and to develop game modifications for themselves and others.
Aggregation
While the game is more loosely correlated with aggregation, players need to acquire a MASSIVE amount of information in order to be skilled. There are many informational websites where people gather together data, such as Wowhead, which has a database of items, forums, a collection of guides, and news feeds.
Immersion
And of course the world is immersive. People create avatars, travel across fleshed-out continents, and get sucked in to the story lines and gameplay. As a long-time gamer but neophyte RPGer, I was shocked by how much there is to do, and by the various elements of interactivity. While the social network I’ve formed through the game does not extend outside of the game, I have gotten to know some people really well, forming connections. Because of and through the game I chat, voice chat, participate (and lurk) in forums, and comment on blogs; while World of Warcraft did not come immediately to mind when I began to consider my social media use, I’m now certain it’s been the tool which has allowed me the greatest variety and experience with it.
Categories: