Virtual Lives?
For part of my course I am looking at Virtual Communities, and after doing some research I've become quite interested in how interactions in virtual worlds impact on people in real life - as well as more general topics such as why people decide to become part of virtual communities online, and how they work - e.g. politics, economy etc
( Read more... )
World of Warcraft
I joined because I love role-playing games and always have, and my housemate downloaded a free trial. I did as well, and got hooked. And yes, I still play.
Virtual life can definitely impact real life. In WoW when you're running a dungeon or a raid you have to set aside a few hours to do it in. You can also get very involved in completing quests and levelling your character. So that cuts into the time for other things.
There are game rules that if broken mean your account gets suspended - harassment, spamming, using robot scripts to powerlevel, selling gold, etc. That area is taken care of by the GMs (game masters) who are Blizzard's police force. They tend to be reactive rather than proactive though, so you usually have to report someone before they'll do anything.
More interestingly, there is social etiquette in various situations. One of the most frowned upon things you can do in a collaborative dungeon situation (where everyone has to work together to achieve the goal) is to be a 'ninja' - which means you're only along for the exclusive loot you can get in dungeons. Ninjaing is usually punished by immediate kicking from the group, and a warning to others that you are not to be trusted.
I've been in a group with a ninja, and I left it when it became clear that the rest of the group weren't going to take any action. So it goes. It is possible to make real money in WoW (by selling gold or powerlevelling services) though this is prohibited by the terms of service.
As for other benefits, it is fun to meet new and interesting people and kill monsters with them. :-)
Reply
Leave a comment