Multiplayer Online Games

CFP: Undead in the West: They Just Keep Coming

by Cynthia Miller

Dimensiunea ritualã a jocurilor online (The ritual dimension of online games)

by Dana F. Zabet

Ghergu, F. (2007) published in 'Revista Romana de Jurnalism si Comunicare' ('The Romanian Journal of Journalism and Communication') (4). Abstract available in English from: http://www.jurnalismsicomunicare.eu/rrjc/42007.html

Beyond Play: A New Approach to Games

by Thomas Malaby

Games have intruded into popular, academic, and policy-maker awareness to an unprecedented level, and this creates new... more Games have intruded into popular, academic, and policy-maker awareness to an unprecedented level, and this creates new opportunities for advancing our understanding of the relationship of games to society. The author offers a new approach to games that stresses them as characterized by process. Games, the author argues, are domains of contrived contingency,capable of generating emergent practices and interpretations, and are intimately connected with everyday life to a degree heretofore poorly understood. This approach is both consistent with a range of existing social theory and avoids many of the limitations that have characterized much games scholarship to date,in particular its tendency toward unsustainable formalism and exceptionalism. Rather than seeing gaming as a subset of play, and therefore as an activity that is inherently separable,safe,and pleasurable,the author offers a pragmatic rethinking of games as social artifacts in their own right that are always in the process of becoming. This view both better accords with the experience of games by participants cross-culturally and bears the weight of the new questions being asked about games and about society.

Un rendez-vous parmi d’autres. Ce que le jeu sur internet nous apprend du travail contemporain

by Manuel Boutet

Manuel Boutet, 2011. « Un rendez-vous parmi d’autres. Ce que le jeu sur internet nous apprend du travail contemporain ». ethnographiques.org, Numéro 23 - décembre 2011 "Analyser les présences au travail : visibilités et invisibilités" [en ligne].
(http://www.ethnographiques.org/2011/ Boutet - consulté le 27.12.2011)

Abstract

What can we learn about contemporary work and its collective forms of sociability from the rise of... more Abstract

What can we learn about contemporary work and its collective forms of sociability from the rise of ‘rendez-vous' games on Internet ? Games can be useful tools for analyzing work on the condition that our understanding of the encounters between of these two types of activity is not limited to a common-sense interpretation in which games represent at worst a simple form of entertainment, at best, training for something more serious. On the basis of interviews with players of an online game, we show that forms of play vary with the work activity with which they are associated, and especially, on the presence or absencce of multi-activity, where interactions at a distance and heterogeneous solicitations occupy an important place. Examing gaming pratice during breaks enables us to see how employees manage to maintain the consistency of their activities in such professional contexts, and to understand the developing of new forms of sociability based mainly on shared life/work rhythms.

Résumé

Que peut nous apprendre l'essor des « jeux de rendez-vous » sur le travail contemporain et les collectifs qui s'y inventent ? Si le jeu peut constituer un bon analyseur du travail, c'est que l'intrication de ces deux activités ne se résume pas aux deux interprétations courantes, qui voient dans le jeu un divertissement ou un entraînement. En partant d'entretiens menés avec des joueurs d'un jeu en ligne sur internet, on montre que la forme prise par la pratique de jeu varie selon l'activité de travail où elle s'insère, en particulier selon la présence ou non d'une situation de multi-activité, où se multiplient les communications à distance et les sollicitations hétérogènes dans le cours de l'activité. Le jeu donne ainsi à voir le travail déployé pour maintenir une cohérence de l'activité dans les contextes professionnels, plus nombreux aujourd'hui, où les temps sont individualisés, les arrangements techniques, laissés à la responsabilité du travailleur, et les sollicitations hétérogènes. On comprend aussi que s'y développent des nouvelles formes de sociabilités essentiellement basées sur le partage de rythmes.

From Players to Raiders: Wissensgenerierung in virtuellen Welten am Beispiel kollektiver Gaming Projekte

by Felix Abrudan

University seminar paper/ BA thesis topic introduction

Hats of Affect: A Study of Affect, Achievements and Hats in Team Fortress 2

by Christopher Moore

Published in Game Studies, February 2011
Keywords: affect, achievements, persona, FPS, Team Fortress 2 , hats

An iconic staple of the First-Person Shooter genre, Team Fortress 2 , is popular for its chaotic action, distinguished... more An iconic staple of the First-Person Shooter genre, Team Fortress 2 , is popular for its chaotic action, distinguished by its painterly aesthetics, and made unique by the introduction of hats as rewards for its players. This study investigates the intersection of virtual millinery items, player achievements, user generated content and the implications for online gamer personas as they are connected to the digital distribution platform, Steam. The article examines the iterations of affect involved in the design and play of a game no longer imagined by its publisher, the Valve Corporation, as a distinct commodity but rather a commercial community service.

Visual spaces, norm governed places: The influence of spatial context online

by Rosa Mikeal Martey

Stromer-Galley, Jennifer and Rosa Mikeal Martey. (2009). New Media & Society, 11(6), 1041-1060.

Current theories of social interaction and normative influence in Computer-Mediated Communication were developed in... more Current theories of social interaction and normative influence in Computer-Mediated Communication were developed in the era of the internet predominated by text-based interaction. With the growth of visual-spatial worlds like Second Life, these theories need to be re-examined. The evolution of thinking about social norms online has moved from a mechanistic view to a systems view of humans and communication technology intertwined in a complex relationship that includes groups, identity, communication, and norms. Missing from that system is explicit attention to context and the important role of the environment that encases interaction. This article discusses theories of how architecture and embodiment shape offline life and how such theories increasingly apply in online interaction in visual social spaces. We argue that such spaces communicate normative information that influences behavior within a given context in both conscious and unconscious ways. This article then discusses implications of visual-spatial environments on existing theories of interaction online.

Sanctions, Punishment, and Game Design: Designing MMORPGs for Fair Treatment of Players

by Georgios Christou

This paper discusses the question of how game designers can keep their games fair when adding collaborative content... more This paper discusses the question of how game designers can keep their games fair when adding collaborative content and rewards. The paper presents findings from World of Warcraft in-game chat transcripts and data gathered through an online survey that was placed online for approximately 9 months during 2010. From the chat transcripts, we find that players sometimes do abuse mechanisms for collaborative content, which displeases the other players involved. We also find that players believe that there needs to be some kind of sanctioning mechanism to players that abuse grouping mechanisms. Finally we present suggestions to game designers on how to create sanctioning mechanisms based on human cooperation research.

The gamer experience: Investigating relationships between culture and usability in massively multiplayer online games

by Panagiotis Zaharias

The Self and Second Life: A Case Study Exploring the Emergence of Virtual Selves

by Simon Evans

Chapter 3 in Reinventing Ourselves: Contemporary Concepts of Identity in Virtual Worlds (edited by Anna Peachey and Mark Childs, published by Springer UK)

Using the virtual world Second Life as a case study, the chapter begins a social psychological exploration of how... more Using the virtual world Second Life as a case study, the chapter begins a social psychological exploration of how living in virtual worlds may be transforming the experience of the self in contemporary society, from the ‘insider viewpoint’ of virtual world residents. The relationship between the virtual self and the ‘real life’ self is explored using data collected and key themes elicited from 40 textual interviews conducted inworld and inductive thematic analysis. The findings indicate a variety of complex relationships between the self experienced in the physical world and Second Life. First, the degree of similarity between the actual and virtual self varies according to experience. Second, the avatar tends to be seen as a separate entity. Finally, social processes within Second Life affects how the self is experienced, by allowing exploration of aspects of the self not possible in the physical world.

The Final Fantasy/Frontier: Digital Colonization & Cyber-nationalism in Final Fantasy XI

by Evan W. Lauteria

Paper presented at theThe 2011 Joint Conference of the National Popular Culture & American Culture Association and the Southwest/Texas Popular
Culture & American Culture Association, April 2011

Final Fantasy XI is a massively-multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG), first released in Japan in 2002 and... more Final Fantasy XI is a massively-multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG), first released in Japan in 2002 and later in the United States in 2003. Sporting a massive subscriber base of over 500,000 by the release of its fourth expansion pack in 2007, Final Fantasy XI offers players intriguing stories to unfold, vibrant regions to explore, and a variety of activities to play. These stories, regions, and activities, however, need to be analyzed with a critical eye; among the primary features of Final Fantasy XI are its narratives of war, territorial expansion, and global competition. For the 500,000+ players of Final Fantasy XI, what impact do these narratives have? What discourses construct the spaces in which gamers meet and play? What lessons are they taught through Final Fantasy XI’s gameplay mechanics? This paper will take a look at the narratives, spaces, and mechanics of Final Fantasy XI, wherein players become direct agents of nationalistic and colonial efforts between a triad of politically competing nation-states. By looking at the narratives of the hot- and cold-wars of Final Fantasy XI’s in-game world of Vana’diel and the in-game mechanics of “Conquest,” this paper aims to explore potential implications of a growing gamer citizenry armed with cyber-colonial experiences and memories in light of U.S.-Japan relations and the militarization of civilian lives.

Gender Issues and Museum Websites

by Jonathan Bowen

Clara Baiget, Isabel Bernal, Sue Black, Nadia Blinova, Stefania Boiano, Ann Borda, Jonathan P. Bowen, Wera Grahn (University of Linköping, Sweden), Eleanor Lisney and Teresa Numerico. In David Bearman and Jennifer Trant (eds.), MW2005: Museums and the Web 2005, Vancouver, Canada, 13-16 April 2005.

Read more: Archives & Museum Informatics: Museums and the Web 2005: Papers: Bowen, et al., Gender Issues and Museum Web Sites http://www.archimuse.com/mw2005/papers/bowen/bowen.html
Under Creative Commons License: Attribution Non-Commercial No Derivatives

We consider the provision of museum Web sites with respect to gender issues from a number of different perspectives.... more We consider the provision of museum Web sites with respect to gender issues from a number of different perspectives. Design issues for Web access, the use of technology such as Web logs by women, together with some more specialist interests such as on-line gaming are covered. The differences in various cultures are also considered. In particular, the situation in a selection of Spanish, Italian and Russian language museum Web sites is presented. We include a small survey of potential visitors who are members of the British Computer Society BCSWomen specialist group. It is hoped that the discussion here and in the forum itself could feed into a larger study in this area to see how museums can minimize any gender discrimination on their Web sites, increasing accessibility in the process.
"Women who seek to be equal with men lack ambition."
        - Timothy Leary (1920-1996)

Keywords: female issues, gender studies, museum Web sites, on-line gaming, Web design, women's rights, Web

Leadership in Multiplayer Online Gaming Environments

by Ugur Kaplancali

Is Electronic Community an Addictive Substance? An ethnographic offering from the EverQuest community

by Florence Chee

Co-authored with Smith, Richard; Edited by Price, Melissa Lee and Schaffer, Scott

Many people argue that computer games are unhealthy, and some people claim that they are "addictive." Such... more Many people argue that computer games are unhealthy, and some people claim that they are "addictive." Such arguments assert that as a result of these games, children have lost interest in school, spouses have lost interest in partners, and employees are coming to work tired and distracted. Is this true? And if so, what makes online games so "addictive?"
In this study we report on ethnographic fieldwork from "inside" the EverQuest community, including participant observation and in-depth interviews concerning the experience of becoming a member of the EverQuest community. We test our hypothesis that video game addictions are constructions of a greater need for community. First we discuss the issues regarding addiction and community as they pertain to this study of EverQuest. Second, we highlight initial findings from our fieldwork data. Third, we suggest possible avenues for further exploration by looking at possible implications of regulating online game communities. We have looked at historical perceptions of addiction, the concept of community, and conducted background research on the online game EverQuest. Our fieldwork included conducting participant observation in Norrath, and interviews with people who treat addiction disorders and those who partake in the community of EverQuest.

Addiction and Randomness: A Comparative Analysis of Psycho-structural Elements in Gambling Games and Massively Multiplayer Online Role-playing games

by Faltin Karlsen

Book chapter from the Clearinghouse Yearbook: Children and Youth in the Digital Media Culture. From a Nordic Horizon, Nordicom 2010. This is a shorter version of the journal article Entrapment and Near Miss: A Comparative Analysis of Psycho-Structural Elements in Gambling Games and Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games

Media complexity and diversity of use: Thoughts on a taxonomy of users of multiuser online games

by Faltin Karlsen

Entrapment and Near Miss: A Comparative Analysis of Psycho-Structural Elements in Gambling Games and Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games

by Faltin Karlsen

Quests in context: a comparative analysis of discworld and world of warcraft

by Faltin Karlsen

Games. In Media and communications in Australian families 2007. (pp.267-278). Canberra: Australian Communications and Media Authority.

by Leonie Rutherford

Author's draft, pre-print copy, published by ACMA, 2007

Outlines and evaluates international and Australian research on the role of games (digital) in the lives of children... more Outlines and evaluates international and Australian research on the role of games (digital) in the lives of children and adolescents. Research current as of 2007, but does not include the recent research on mobile devices.

Bending the Rules …and Adding Some New Ones: Legal and Illegal Behaviours of Players in Massively Multiplayer Online Games

by Iro Voulgari

Voulgari, I., & Komis, V. (2011). Bending the Rules … and Adding Some New Ones: Legal and Illegal Behaviours of Players in Massively Multiplayer Online Games. To be presented at the international workshop DEG 2011 Involving End Users and Domain Experts in the Design of Educational Games (IS-EUD 2011). Torre Canne (Brindisi), Italy. Retrieved from https://sites.google.com/site/workshopdeg/.

In this paper we focus on the interaction of the players’ community in MMOGs with the game environment from the... more In this paper we focus on the interaction of the players’ community in MMOGs with the game environment from the perspective of the rules, and the possible implications of these interactions, for the game design. We identify and describe two main types of behaviours: the breaking of rules and the development of new ones, and conclude that whether these rules and behaviours are acceptable or not depends on both personal criteria and the social context.