UPDATE: I am into exams right now and then will be on vacation, so the blog likely will not be updated within the next 3 weeks unless I somehow find the time. Stay tuned!
Monday, 19 November 2012
New Material Delayed
Got a few ideas on the go, but as the semester is closing I have not had time lately to finish any new posts. Hopefully by the end of this week I can have at least one done. Thanks for reading!
UPDATE: I am into exams right now and then will be on vacation, so the blog likely will not be updated within the next 3 weeks unless I somehow find the time. Stay tuned!
UPDATE: I am into exams right now and then will be on vacation, so the blog likely will not be updated within the next 3 weeks unless I somehow find the time. Stay tuned!
Thursday, 8 November 2012
Religion in Warcraft: Early Implications
Just a small update today, as I am not fully sure on where I want to go with the idea of religion yet. So far, this is what I have. I plan on expanding these thoughts.
Religion is a fundamental aspect of all societies and is followed by Warcraft players through their individual journeys within their virtual realms. Religion is an underlying value for many of the different classes in the game. Paladins and Priests focus on the power of the Holy Light to heal allies. Druids, on the other hand, use the power of nature in forms similar to the druidic and nomadic discourse that has been seen in our real world society. Much like societies in the real world are divided by religion, I argue that cultural class division in Warcraft is fundamentally based on the different religious beliefs and practices in WoW. This gives players a sense of belonging to one side or the other, but only a handful of races practice such religions. It also allows players to be able to cross-faction lines in understanding their enemies, many religions such as the holy light are followed by multiple races, not just by Alliance or Horde.
Human players are the most easily characterized when talking of class division via religion. Humans have a long history of following the light, which is the basis of the Christian-like religion. Essentially, the human spirit is empowered by the holy light which can give Human Priests and Paladins power to heal fellow players, but also use the light to exorcise enemies. We can see this is similar to priests in our societies of Christian religion who speak in terms of having divine powers and are able to cure the weak. In Warcraft though, these powers are legitimate. Players who play as Human Paladins or Priests often feel a sense of accomplishment because they are the definition of hope. Without these healing classes based on religions, there would be no progress. They are the menders, just like our real world repair men, but are much more venerated. In this sense, we see religion taking on a more fundamental and structural role than spiritual. Religion in WoW is there to grant power like in our real world where religion is there to give humans strength.
Traditionally a human religion, the "light" is interpreted by many races. For example, Night Elves worship the Goddess of the Moon, Elune. They say their power is granted from Elune, and she is the real holy light. Undead, once being humans, can still be empowered by the holy light as well, despite begin walking corpses. Interestingly, this allows players to connect with other players even though they are enemies. For example, Druids have their own special meeting ground known as Moonglade which is a neutral zone in which members of both the Horde and Alliance meet. Therefore religion can cross cultural and nationalistic borders, much like in our own world where religious cultures can be connected even though they are a world apart.
I juxtapose the various religions to our own world because all religions are trying to answer the same thing in both virtual and real worlds: who created us, how we came to be and what happens when we die.
TL;DR - Warcraft religions can form a sense of belonging and understanding between players and within players.
Religion is a fundamental aspect of all societies and is followed by Warcraft players through their individual journeys within their virtual realms. Religion is an underlying value for many of the different classes in the game. Paladins and Priests focus on the power of the Holy Light to heal allies. Druids, on the other hand, use the power of nature in forms similar to the druidic and nomadic discourse that has been seen in our real world society. Much like societies in the real world are divided by religion, I argue that cultural class division in Warcraft is fundamentally based on the different religious beliefs and practices in WoW. This gives players a sense of belonging to one side or the other, but only a handful of races practice such religions. It also allows players to be able to cross-faction lines in understanding their enemies, many religions such as the holy light are followed by multiple races, not just by Alliance or Horde.
Human players are the most easily characterized when talking of class division via religion. Humans have a long history of following the light, which is the basis of the Christian-like religion. Essentially, the human spirit is empowered by the holy light which can give Human Priests and Paladins power to heal fellow players, but also use the light to exorcise enemies. We can see this is similar to priests in our societies of Christian religion who speak in terms of having divine powers and are able to cure the weak. In Warcraft though, these powers are legitimate. Players who play as Human Paladins or Priests often feel a sense of accomplishment because they are the definition of hope. Without these healing classes based on religions, there would be no progress. They are the menders, just like our real world repair men, but are much more venerated. In this sense, we see religion taking on a more fundamental and structural role than spiritual. Religion in WoW is there to grant power like in our real world where religion is there to give humans strength.
The Cathedral of Light, located in Stormwind, the most iconic spiritual structure within WoW:
Traditionally a human religion, the "light" is interpreted by many races. For example, Night Elves worship the Goddess of the Moon, Elune. They say their power is granted from Elune, and she is the real holy light. Undead, once being humans, can still be empowered by the holy light as well, despite begin walking corpses. Interestingly, this allows players to connect with other players even though they are enemies. For example, Druids have their own special meeting ground known as Moonglade which is a neutral zone in which members of both the Horde and Alliance meet. Therefore religion can cross cultural and nationalistic borders, much like in our own world where religious cultures can be connected even though they are a world apart.
I juxtapose the various religions to our own world because all religions are trying to answer the same thing in both virtual and real worlds: who created us, how we came to be and what happens when we die.
The secluded druidic sanctuary of Moonglade; very rarely do players who are not druids enter:
TL;DR - Warcraft religions can form a sense of belonging and understanding between players and within players.
Monday, 5 November 2012
Racial Prejudice
Besides the obvious use of real world racism between players, the Warcraft Society itself has created racism and racial prejudice. This prejudice focuses on the playable races which the player actually controls. To date, there are now 13 playable races in World of Warcraft:
Alliance:
- Humans
- Night Elves
- Dwarves
- Gnomes
- Draenei
- Worgen
Horde:
- Orcs
- Trolls
- Tauren
- Undead
- Blood Elves
- Goblins
Mutual Race:
- Pandaren
With such a variety of races to be played, one can see where the different stereotypes and prejudice can stem from. Many players become quite devoted to one race or another due to the features and benefits from the race. Each race has their own particular perks known as racials. In this case, some races can actually be seen as better than others for certain roles because of these racials. This is an early warning sign of prejudice, showing superiority between the races. As much as Blizzard has tried balance racials, some player races are always better than the others. Some racials increase damage and some can increase certain stats. Therefore, we can begin to see prejudice between races when they are expected to fulfill certain class roles. Many have argued over the years that Tauren make the best warriors, for example. On Alliance side, there was prejudice against Gnomes tanking for a long time because they do not have any racials that help them tank and often their small size got them stuck during boss fights.
A major form of racial prejudice stems from the physical models of the characters themselves. Before Blood Elves, Night Elves were the target of many players negative prejudicial attitudes. Often, a Night Elf player would be taunted for their age because a common stereotype was that all Night Elf players were children. A Night Elf as a hunter was often the worst combination one could be, and were dubbed "huntards." This stereotype stayed among players until the racial swing took a different turn in 2007 and players began attacking the newly implemented race: the Blood Elves. Blood Elf males took the most heat because of their feminine design:
Blood Elves were now becoming the target of not just racial prejudice, but sexual prejudice as well. Many alluded to male Blood Elf players as homosexuals due to the similarities between males and females within the race itself. Both had small frames, delicate features and long hair. Blizzard has even alluded to a male Blood Elf in one quest as being a female. It is decisions like these which reinforce the stereotypes placed upon the different player races, much like we in our own world have seen different races assume they are better than others. What has happened though in the Warcraft Society is that races have been actually created so they can be better than others. This is the ultimate fount from which prejudice is formulated from, coupled with character design.
Players do not hesitate to kill members of the opposing faction. Known as ganking, players will often go out into the world and kill low-level players to annoy them. Once the initial gank is complete, players will begin to camp the body of the player and continuously kill them. This is a common practice. This, however, can be paralleled to racial hate crimes. What we see stemming from this racial agenda is that some players actually enjoyed ganking and camping players of certain races. A horde favourite has always been the execution of Gnomes. What arises then is a racial motivation to kill, a virtual lynching so to speak. It is interesting to note though that racism within WoW is not as seriously taken as racism in our real world. With that said, it is amazing to see that just like the world today, racism is still a major factor in the Warcraft Society.
Here is a video of a player ganking strictly gnomes, clearly demonstrating the lynching mentality of some Warcraft players within the society:
TL;DR - Prejudice impacts Warcraft players in-game, just like it affects them out of game.
Blood Elves were now becoming the target of not just racial prejudice, but sexual prejudice as well. Many alluded to male Blood Elf players as homosexuals due to the similarities between males and females within the race itself. Both had small frames, delicate features and long hair. Blizzard has even alluded to a male Blood Elf in one quest as being a female. It is decisions like these which reinforce the stereotypes placed upon the different player races, much like we in our own world have seen different races assume they are better than others. What has happened though in the Warcraft Society is that races have been actually created so they can be better than others. This is the ultimate fount from which prejudice is formulated from, coupled with character design.
Blood Elf Female:
Players do not hesitate to kill members of the opposing faction. Known as ganking, players will often go out into the world and kill low-level players to annoy them. Once the initial gank is complete, players will begin to camp the body of the player and continuously kill them. This is a common practice. This, however, can be paralleled to racial hate crimes. What we see stemming from this racial agenda is that some players actually enjoyed ganking and camping players of certain races. A horde favourite has always been the execution of Gnomes. What arises then is a racial motivation to kill, a virtual lynching so to speak. It is interesting to note though that racism within WoW is not as seriously taken as racism in our real world. With that said, it is amazing to see that just like the world today, racism is still a major factor in the Warcraft Society.
Here is a video of a player ganking strictly gnomes, clearly demonstrating the lynching mentality of some Warcraft players within the society:
TL;DR - Prejudice impacts Warcraft players in-game, just like it affects them out of game.
Sunday, 4 November 2012
Poverty and Richness in WoW: The Growing Middle Class
Recently I began brainstorming the various ways that the Warcraft subculture adopted values and systems similar to many global societies, and we are off to a good start. Today I want to touch on the idea that much like the Western world that many players come from, the Warcraft Society has a large middle-class, and even worse, poverty. Many Warcraft players are your average middle-class teenagers and adults who are simply looking for a past-time. They seek glory, gear and fun. What is often overlooked though is that they are directly becoming byproducts once again in a society that is dominated by capitalism.
World of Warcraft functions on a gold currency, which is used to buy everything from gear, mounts (items that make you travel faster), and even services from other players. But how does a player make gold? Most players are able to make gold by farming. This is not farming in the traditional sense. Farming refers to going out into the world and looking for goods such as herbs, minerals and leather to sell on the Auction House to other players. Some players make a living just fine selling off these raw goods. Much like our first world society, some players take these raw materials and forge items to be sold back into the market. These players are often the richest in the Warcraft Society and on some realms whole markets of goods can be controlled by a handful of players. In this sense, we can see an upper-class in the Warcraft Society akin to our real, Western, capitalistic countries.
Middle-class players are more likely to be those who only farm once and a while, and get much of their money from questing, levelling and raiding. They carefully balance their gold across their account and in-between their characters, making sure they don't waste any. The middle-class is often worried about repair bills (which eats a lot of gold) and the growing cost of goods from the upper-class. Very similar to our society, the Warcraft Society's middle-class needs to budget their currency in order to continue living comfortably within the realms of Warcraft. Often, the middle-class will sell much of their raw materials in bulk to those upper-class players who control the market, and only will make a fraction of what the upper-class players will gain in the broader transaction. In almost every sense, the capitalistic market is like that of the real world. I argue that most players within Warcraft would fall into this middle-class, as many players do not have the time to farm extensively nor the means to constantly produce goods and items.
You may be asking, "how does poverty come into play within this world?" Well, many players while levelling their first characters have no way to make copious amounts of money. The herbs, minerals and leather they have access to is of little use to higher-level players who seek the more rare raw materials. Therefore, farming does little for them. Also, their quest rewards do not give out as much money as one would get from high-level quests. Often, while in the major cities of Stormwind and Orgrimmar low-level beggars will come up to you and open trade (the way in which most players exchange money and goods). They will then ask for any gold you can spare. Most of the middle-class players find this annoying, and upper-class players are often hard to find because many protect their identity through alternative characters (known as alts). What we then see is an impoverished class of low-level players that are often beginning to play the game for the first time. Many seek money for mounts, which has historically been one of the major reasons to attain gold. During the Burning Crusade expansion, much of the middle-class was forced to ride slower mounts because they could not afford to spend the 5000 gold on the faster versions of flying mounts (60% speed versus 280% speed).
However, with new implementations, Blizzard has reduced restrictions to get gold. These days, one may not notice as many impoverished lower-level players due to gold prices for things such as mounts being reduced, and the lack of a new player base. This is not to say poverty has been wiped out though, because it can still exist within high-level players who never levelled the abilities to go out and farm (known as professions). Therefore, high-level players without professions often have trouble attaining gold and have formulated a new lower-class within the upper-echelon of players. Although Blizzard can make attaining gold easier, there will always be large contrasts between the higher, middle and lower-classes.
TL;DR - Capitalistic effects of the real world can be seen implemented into the World of Warcraft, causing class divisions similar to those seen in Western Society.
World of Warcraft functions on a gold currency, which is used to buy everything from gear, mounts (items that make you travel faster), and even services from other players. But how does a player make gold? Most players are able to make gold by farming. This is not farming in the traditional sense. Farming refers to going out into the world and looking for goods such as herbs, minerals and leather to sell on the Auction House to other players. Some players make a living just fine selling off these raw goods. Much like our first world society, some players take these raw materials and forge items to be sold back into the market. These players are often the richest in the Warcraft Society and on some realms whole markets of goods can be controlled by a handful of players. In this sense, we can see an upper-class in the Warcraft Society akin to our real, Western, capitalistic countries.
Middle-class players are more likely to be those who only farm once and a while, and get much of their money from questing, levelling and raiding. They carefully balance their gold across their account and in-between their characters, making sure they don't waste any. The middle-class is often worried about repair bills (which eats a lot of gold) and the growing cost of goods from the upper-class. Very similar to our society, the Warcraft Society's middle-class needs to budget their currency in order to continue living comfortably within the realms of Warcraft. Often, the middle-class will sell much of their raw materials in bulk to those upper-class players who control the market, and only will make a fraction of what the upper-class players will gain in the broader transaction. In almost every sense, the capitalistic market is like that of the real world. I argue that most players within Warcraft would fall into this middle-class, as many players do not have the time to farm extensively nor the means to constantly produce goods and items.
You may be asking, "how does poverty come into play within this world?" Well, many players while levelling their first characters have no way to make copious amounts of money. The herbs, minerals and leather they have access to is of little use to higher-level players who seek the more rare raw materials. Therefore, farming does little for them. Also, their quest rewards do not give out as much money as one would get from high-level quests. Often, while in the major cities of Stormwind and Orgrimmar low-level beggars will come up to you and open trade (the way in which most players exchange money and goods). They will then ask for any gold you can spare. Most of the middle-class players find this annoying, and upper-class players are often hard to find because many protect their identity through alternative characters (known as alts). What we then see is an impoverished class of low-level players that are often beginning to play the game for the first time. Many seek money for mounts, which has historically been one of the major reasons to attain gold. During the Burning Crusade expansion, much of the middle-class was forced to ride slower mounts because they could not afford to spend the 5000 gold on the faster versions of flying mounts (60% speed versus 280% speed).
Basic human mount (this would be a human players first mount):
However, with new implementations, Blizzard has reduced restrictions to get gold. These days, one may not notice as many impoverished lower-level players due to gold prices for things such as mounts being reduced, and the lack of a new player base. This is not to say poverty has been wiped out though, because it can still exist within high-level players who never levelled the abilities to go out and farm (known as professions). Therefore, high-level players without professions often have trouble attaining gold and have formulated a new lower-class within the upper-echelon of players. Although Blizzard can make attaining gold easier, there will always be large contrasts between the higher, middle and lower-classes.
TL;DR - Capitalistic effects of the real world can be seen implemented into the World of Warcraft, causing class divisions similar to those seen in Western Society.
Saturday, 3 November 2012
Celebrity Status in A Virtual World
In our society each of us have favourite actors, athletes and comedians. Believe it or not, World of Warcraft has many players within its society that would be considered celebrities. Many are high-end raiders, who are some of the best players in the world at the PVE (player versus enemy) aspect of the game. Others who focus more on PVP (player versus player) are great WoW-athletes and many compete for titles, mounts and realm glory. Some players are simply famous for their comic routines. What we see developing is a difference between your average player, and those that would be considered the higher class. In this way, there is very much a hierarchy in WoW as there is in the real world. I will not dive into specifics on the hierarchy yet, as that topic will be covered more thoroughly, but what is important to understand is players with charismatic personalities and amazing abilities are recognized within the Warcraft Society similarly to any real world celebrity.
If you are a Warcraft player then you have likely heard the name Kungen before. To those WoW players who have been living under a rock for the past 6 years or those of you who don't play WoW, Kungen was the main tank of Nihilum, and for a while, Ensidia. Main tanks play a pivotal role in WoW because they are often what make or break a raid. Tanks take all the damage from bosses, and are critical in making sure both bosses and creatures don't kill other players. Even minor slip ups often prove fatal and kill a raid. But what makes Kungen famous? Well besides being one of the best warrior tanks on the planet, Kungen gained multiple world firsts (being apart of the raid that kills a boss before anyone else in the world) from Classic WoW all the way up to Cataclysm expansion pack. Kungen is so popular, Blizzard even made a tribute to him in their trading card game:
In this sense, Kungen can be compared to many real world athletes, yet he is a player in a virtual world. Much like a baseball card, Kungen's image is now immortalized in Blizzard's card game like that of Babe Ruth or a Sidney Crosby rookie card. It may not have the same value, but the symbolic power is there. If one was to search youtube you will come across multiple videos of players huddling around Kungen because he always had the latest and greatest gear, much like celebrities are often found in public with some of the newest clothes in fashion. Kungen has competed in multiple competitions for top-ranking players around the world. If interested, here is an interview with Kungen from a previous PVE tournament challenge (english starts about a minute in):
Moving on from the athlete aspect of society, we can see that other players have pushed the boundaries through not only skill, but humour. Another famous player in the virtual world is Athene, dubbed "greatest paladin in the world." Since his debut a few years back, Athene has become a celebrity of the Warcraft Society. Athene began his career showing off his PVP prowess in a series of youtube videos which gave him a large cult following among many players. Athene emphasized humour, and used many subcultural norms to his advantage when speaking to the player population, often talking of "pwning noobs." Since then, Athene has been a host for many in-game events and is renowned in the world for his speed-leveling skills (getting a character to max level in the fastest time possible). Athene is now an embodiment of what we as a society would call a celebrity. He is a humorous, colourful, and a talented individual who has many fans. Here is one of his original videos:
What we can conclude from this is that just like our real world we live in, Warcraft players in their society have formed followings under their favourite celebrities. Just as someone would be cheering on their favourite hockey player while watching a game, there is a gamer in this Warcraft Society who is cheering on their favourite Arena-PVPer. Whether in the flesh or pixelated, the virtual worlds have the formation of celebrities, athletes and personalities that the populous loves.
TL;DR - Just like our real, physical world, the Warcraft Society has gone from players having fun to capitalizing on their personalities and skill to become celebrities. Once again this shows the shifting of the subculture into a society.
If you are a Warcraft player then you have likely heard the name Kungen before. To those WoW players who have been living under a rock for the past 6 years or those of you who don't play WoW, Kungen was the main tank of Nihilum, and for a while, Ensidia. Main tanks play a pivotal role in WoW because they are often what make or break a raid. Tanks take all the damage from bosses, and are critical in making sure both bosses and creatures don't kill other players. Even minor slip ups often prove fatal and kill a raid. But what makes Kungen famous? Well besides being one of the best warrior tanks on the planet, Kungen gained multiple world firsts (being apart of the raid that kills a boss before anyone else in the world) from Classic WoW all the way up to Cataclysm expansion pack. Kungen is so popular, Blizzard even made a tribute to him in their trading card game:
In this sense, Kungen can be compared to many real world athletes, yet he is a player in a virtual world. Much like a baseball card, Kungen's image is now immortalized in Blizzard's card game like that of Babe Ruth or a Sidney Crosby rookie card. It may not have the same value, but the symbolic power is there. If one was to search youtube you will come across multiple videos of players huddling around Kungen because he always had the latest and greatest gear, much like celebrities are often found in public with some of the newest clothes in fashion. Kungen has competed in multiple competitions for top-ranking players around the world. If interested, here is an interview with Kungen from a previous PVE tournament challenge (english starts about a minute in):
Moving on from the athlete aspect of society, we can see that other players have pushed the boundaries through not only skill, but humour. Another famous player in the virtual world is Athene, dubbed "greatest paladin in the world." Since his debut a few years back, Athene has become a celebrity of the Warcraft Society. Athene began his career showing off his PVP prowess in a series of youtube videos which gave him a large cult following among many players. Athene emphasized humour, and used many subcultural norms to his advantage when speaking to the player population, often talking of "pwning noobs." Since then, Athene has been a host for many in-game events and is renowned in the world for his speed-leveling skills (getting a character to max level in the fastest time possible). Athene is now an embodiment of what we as a society would call a celebrity. He is a humorous, colourful, and a talented individual who has many fans. Here is one of his original videos:
What we can conclude from this is that just like our real world we live in, Warcraft players in their society have formed followings under their favourite celebrities. Just as someone would be cheering on their favourite hockey player while watching a game, there is a gamer in this Warcraft Society who is cheering on their favourite Arena-PVPer. Whether in the flesh or pixelated, the virtual worlds have the formation of celebrities, athletes and personalities that the populous loves.
TL;DR - Just like our real, physical world, the Warcraft Society has gone from players having fun to capitalizing on their personalities and skill to become celebrities. Once again this shows the shifting of the subculture into a society.
Friday, 2 November 2012
Crime within Warcraft: Part 1
Warcraft, like any other society found in the world, suffers from crime. Virtual crime though is in some ways similar, but in many ways is a stark contrast to the real world. Arguably, the most heinous crime within Warcraft is that of stealing. In the language of the subculture, this is known as ninjaing and it is when one player is able to steal loot that: a) does not belong to them b) cannot use the item or c) takes the item even though another player actually won it.
With recent updates, Blizzard has implemented safer loot distribution tables that now makes it harder (and less worth while) to steal loot from another player. Although these updates help, there is still wide spread theft within gaming realm. Many players and guilds try to stop ninjaing from occurring by strategically making systems that distribute items and loot fairly. One of the main systems is known as DKP. DKP is a point system that was created by MMORPG players that accumulates points for every time a player shows up to a raid and kills a boss. Some guilds have more specific ways of getting points such as early-login points, readiness points (such as having flasks and consumables) and even time-related points. When enough points are saved up, one can purchase items then in a bidding environment against fellow raiders. In this sense, the DKP system tries to stamp out players who do not deserve loot, much like our own societal systems use currency to purchase goods. Therefore, the more you show up and participate, the more points you get and the more deserving of loot you are. This also helps to stop people from quitting the game and those who do not help with raids after they have accumulated the best items possible.
Ninjaing is only second to the theft of hacking another's account (which will be touched on at a later date). Therefore, instead of murders, rape and assaults occurring, theft now becomes the main crime against the person. Not only that, but ninjaing causes intense arguments, outcries and even in some cases, causes entire guild communities to break up. Therefore, ninjaing is the most damaging crime to the Warcraft Society due to the fact that it can cause massive negative consequences which ultimately hurt the congruity of the community as a whole. In order to understand just how intense and corrupt stealing loot from another player is, watch this classic video in which a ninja recorded his actions in one of the first raids, Molten Core (a third party program was used so players could communicate with each other while playing).
With recent updates, Blizzard has implemented safer loot distribution tables that now makes it harder (and less worth while) to steal loot from another player. Although these updates help, there is still wide spread theft within gaming realm. Many players and guilds try to stop ninjaing from occurring by strategically making systems that distribute items and loot fairly. One of the main systems is known as DKP. DKP is a point system that was created by MMORPG players that accumulates points for every time a player shows up to a raid and kills a boss. Some guilds have more specific ways of getting points such as early-login points, readiness points (such as having flasks and consumables) and even time-related points. When enough points are saved up, one can purchase items then in a bidding environment against fellow raiders. In this sense, the DKP system tries to stamp out players who do not deserve loot, much like our own societal systems use currency to purchase goods. Therefore, the more you show up and participate, the more points you get and the more deserving of loot you are. This also helps to stop people from quitting the game and those who do not help with raids after they have accumulated the best items possible.
Ninjaing is only second to the theft of hacking another's account (which will be touched on at a later date). Therefore, instead of murders, rape and assaults occurring, theft now becomes the main crime against the person. Not only that, but ninjaing causes intense arguments, outcries and even in some cases, causes entire guild communities to break up. Therefore, ninjaing is the most damaging crime to the Warcraft Society due to the fact that it can cause massive negative consequences which ultimately hurt the congruity of the community as a whole. In order to understand just how intense and corrupt stealing loot from another player is, watch this classic video in which a ninja recorded his actions in one of the first raids, Molten Core (a third party program was used so players could communicate with each other while playing).
This video shows the sheer outrage that in-game theft creates. After putting hours into a raid, or attempting to kill a boss, stealing the very outcome of labour is beyond corrupt to most in the Warcraft Society. In real life it would equate to working for two weeks and not being paid by your boss for all the hours put in. Players often look forward to loot because many items are significantly harder to get than others. It is extremely damaging to a community or guild to lose these items because the point of upgrading gear is so that your raid group as a whole can progress further, much like we see with education in our own real-life communities. As we ourselves become more educated we further societal goals. This is the exact same concept within Warcraft and attaining loot/gear/items.
Unlike in real life though, ninjas often go unpunished because they are usually players who are in a trusted position and abuse power. Often, raids have 1 person who is given the ability to master loot, which is chosen by the guild as a whole. Therefore, since he has been chosen by his peers Blizzard considers the ninjaing of loot to not be a crime, and most ninjas go on with their virtual lives unpunished. Blizzard is often able to distribute the loot to the players properly, but in many cases they don't.
Much like murder in our society is considered the worst crime possible, robbery inside the virtual world is theirs. However, without court systems, many players are not able to get justice on the thieves who reap the benefits of other players hard work. This is where crime deviates from mainstream society in the virtual world: there is no democratic or judicial system to balance the offense caused to societal norms. Theft in the real world is often done sneakily and seen by no one. Theft within Warcraft though is done openly, in front of the victims themselves, and they know immediately who has robbed them, but are not able to gain justice. It is interesting to understand that in this virtual world that players victimized of ninjaing never attain closure. Many players are able to move on from these events though, much like robbery within a real world society (often after a display of anger, of course).
TL;DR - Theft within a virtual world is ultimately the worst offense a player can commit.
From Gamer Subculture to a Fully Functioning Society
The purpose of this blog is to function as a communal sphere where others can input and criticize my ideas on the virtual communities that are seen within World of Warcraft. I argue that the World of Warcraft world has created small societies that began as simple subcultures. These subcultures emerged to form realms that have multiple aspects of a fully functioning society. In order to see prove these points I will analyze various aspects of a common society such as economic, social, communal and political factors. I hope some of you find this insightful.
Many will have never considered the intense development that created these societies since World of Warcraft's launch in 2004. Within 8 years we have seen a virtual world become more than anything ever expected: cultural norms, language and even lifestyles have been a major by-product of one of the best selling computer games of all time. My eventual goal is to publish a book on my ideas after I can find the time to study and collect the proper research.
Until then, this blog will serve as a functioning tool of documenting my beliefs and ideas on the formulated Warcraft Society. As of yet, I am unsure of the format I am going to post in, so expect updates to either consist of small, direct points or large wall of texts. If long, I will try to provide a TL;DR (too long; didn't read) at the end of the post.
For those of you who are not familiar with just how vast the Warcraft Society spans, here is a diagram of current and past subscribers:
As can be seen at the height of Warcraft's popularity there were about 12 million subscribers. To put this into context, the population of Ontario is currently 13 million (Ontario Fact Sheet October 2012). What we are dealing with is a virtual community that almost equaled Canada's most populated province. Clearly, there are multiple implications that can be seen inside this world.
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