Prologue and Chapter One
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| Is THIS a Night Elf?? |
Full Disclosure: I have never played an online game in my life. I've never been a part of an online community (apart from Facebook.) I've never played any sort of MMORPG. My only real exposure to the fantasy genre is through the Lord of the Rings franchise. So I have limited background on the subject of World of Warcraft, apart from knowledge (not believe in) of the various stereotypes that are out there. There is the traditional stereotype of a guy in his 20s or 30s spending 12 hours a day playing this game in his mom's basement. But on a more realistic note, these stereotypes- coupled with my own lack of understanding- did produce a certain mindset toward online gaming like Wow. Specifically, I viewed it as an isolated act- one which did not necessarily produce any new knowledge or personal growth; an act that distracted one from being exposed to the "real world"that was "out there" waiting. I guess more than anything, I was of the mindset that the physical world and/or cultures were the "real" while the virtual/digital world was "fake." The first couple of chapters of Bonnie Nardi's book "My Life as a Night Elf Priest" gave me a lot of insight into this and has begun to change my mindset.
In her Prologue, Nardi mentions a defining moment in her journey into WoW- one that contrasts neatly with Turkle's ideas in "Alone Together." Nardi is describing the moment WoW became "truly interesting" to her: the moment "I became aware of other players. I was not alone in the Night Elves' Garden of Eden but surrounded by real human players who would interact with me." There is no mention of being "alone together" or any hesitation toward this sense of online community- in fact, she goes on to describe it as a "new means of forming and sustaining human relationships and collaborations through digital technology" (pg 5.) She goes on throughout the first chapter to paint a very communal picture of World of Warcraft- particularly the guild life. Again, someone from Turkle's perspective might look at this and see this new form of a relating and living in online community as potentially threatening, definitely needing to be understood. But Nardi seems to have a different perspective: that operating within this community- organizing and participating in raids, coordinating other guild activities, etc.- is a beneficial way of learning about other people, walks of life and even cultures.
In fact, Nardi's cultural approach paints World of Warcraft as a highly sociable activity. While one might argue that these people are only socializing by way of their alternative identities, Nardi would likely argue that many of the people she encountered on WoW were real people with real lives, and there was an understanding of that. She argues that many of the WoW players she encountered were "active people" who were playing the game for an experience that complemented their "offline activities." She mentions parents who have to regularly step away from the keyboard to tend to their children, as one example. People in her guild played sports, traveled the worlds, practiced photography, and any other number of "real activities." Overall, she combats the idea that the game is full of "lonely players who are cut off from "real" social life" by putting forth the idea that the game is in fact an "extension" of one's existing social life. People play with friends, family members, etc. but also make new friends by way of the game. In addition, Nardi argues that WoW itself is a "stimulus to real world interaction." It is a grounds on which to interact with others in the "real world," much like sports or a tv show would be.
Some other things I found interesting about the culture of WoW as compared to the perceptions people have toward it are related to its value as a culture all its own. In addition to painting the participants of WoW as "real people" with "real lives" Nardi mentions the way WoW brought together a variety of people from a variety of backgrounds and even social classes for an "authentic shared activity." This aspect of the game's culture is something that is likely underestimated when looking at its benefits. It provides an arena for people to be exposed to those who are different than they are: maybe a teen will be exposed to someone from another nationality and see that the world does not revolve around his teenage ethnocentrism. Generally, in a world where many people fear that which is different from them, it has to be a good thing to have an arena in which to be exposed to different perspectives on life. A practical example is that, once again, a teenage and upper-middle class white American male might not have the means to travel and see the world on his own- or might not even have the desire to do so. However, through this online culture, he is thrust into a world where traditional roles of nationality, gender, religion, and class have very limited importance- if at all.
A few other things I found interesting in this chapter: for one thing, she mentions the benefits of and the draw toward "play." The way she portrayed WoW really brought home the idea that "play" is both a natural inclination and also a beneficial experience (when done on the proper platform) to learn and grow as a person. Another idea I was interested in was the appeal of diving into a virtual world such as WoW. Again, the stereotypes may view this as a form of escapism; but there are some natural appeals (above simply "play") that are worth mentioning. First, Nardi mentions the appeal of fairy tales- and that jumping into WoW, for her, was like starring in her very own fairy tale. It is a common desire, to want to star in some great story of life, and helps me understand the draw toward the only kind of video games I have played throughout life- sports games. The same thing that draws people to WoW, in a way, draws me to sports games. As a kid I always wanted to hit the winning Home Run in the world series, and I get different ways to experience that through a simulated game. More generally, humans are drawn toward adventure and so WoW becomes a place to experience that adventure in a simulated environment.
Chapter Two
It is into this world that Nardi dives, head first. As a cultural anthropologist, the urge to be a stranger in a strange land is a familiar one. She talks about how the amount of "real world" cultures that remain undocumented is dwindling, leading to the idea that virtual or digital cultures such as WoW are desirable areas of study. This could also be a sign of how the world is changing: as the globe gets "smaller" the options for interpersonal interaction and relation continue to become more and more diverse. Jenkins talked about fan participatory cultures, and WoW seems to be a very deep and extreme version of that. As such, this culture warrants study. I was struck by the "participatory-observation" method that Nardi felt it was important to employ. As she said, "it would be impossible to penetrate the game without becoming engaged as a player" (pg 28.) To understand a culture best, one must become a part of it- at least to an extent; and WoW provides a great opportunity to immerse oneself in a participatory way without really standing out or influencing the culture in an unnatural way.
Nardi fell very strongly on the "participant" side of participant-observation; in fact, the way she described it made me think of the blockbuster movie "Avatar," where Marine Jake Sully doesn't fully understand or appreciate the Na'vi people until he is able to walk among them by way of his own "avatar." Just as Nardi walked among and lived as a member of the WoW community through her own avatar, Sully (eventually) walked and lived among the Na'vi as one of them- also by way of his avatar. The level of understanding that comes from experience is something that I don't think can be understated, particularly when it comes to cultural research. All of this is to say that Nardi has a strong foundation on which to deliver her findings.
Questions:
- Have you played World of Warcraft, or another similar game? If yes, what is the appeal to you? If no, why not? If you haven't played a game like this, what are your perceptions of WoW?
- Nardi mentions "online play" as a compliment to "offline activity." To what extent does this hold true, and how do you think it does act as a compliment?
- To what extent is WoW a culture all its own? What are some benefits that you see to participating in this culture?
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