World of Warcraft is a controversial, online, fantasy role-playing game. It is a completely immersive experience; requiring players to create fully realized characters with relationships, jobs, and skills. Thousands of academic studies have been conducted, investigating whether MMORPG’s such as this are hurting or helping the overall lives of their players. While there are negative side effects of this game, as there are with any new technology, it is in general a beneficial tool for developing social and practical skills.
First, players must learn the rules of the game, how to control the characters and their environment, how to earn goods in a capitalistic society, and work with other players to achieve common goals. All levels are able to beaten, and this pre-established sense of fairness is largely why players "stick with the difficult challenge and use the feedback of the game to get better" (Danforth, 2011). An internal and external rewards system is highly beneficial to gamification of learning – players can gain important spatial awareness, reasoning, and collaborative skills.
Similarly, playing is “a highly collaborative endeavor, a social life unto itself; you routinely check e-mail, talk to, and message the people you game with” (Turkle). Players who are socially disinclined, such as introverts or more extreme cases such as people with a schizophrenia or autism diagnosis, can learn people skills and create connections that could not necessarily in real life.
Finally, more women play WoW than any other similar game. This is partially due to a female player having the ability to create a character of any race, gender, or social class. WoW is an environment where the playing field has been leveled, and anyone with access to a computer and a monthly subscription fee can succeed to the same level as any other player (Eklund, 2011).
Although there are many great things about WoW, there are also some serious drawbacks. Firstly, this game causes addictions. Being nicknamed as the “crack cocaine of the gaming world,” World of Warcraft players spend endless hours playing and often lose site of reality. In fact, a fifteen-year-old boy was hospitalized after collapsing from playing the game for 24 hours. His addiction to the game kept him from eating or using the restroom, causing his seizure (Sparks). This addiction could be driven by the fact that the player can do certain things in the game that are not options in real life. Fighting, traveling, and immersing into the character’s special roles are some examples. Secondly, this game feeds in to addictions in real life such as gambling, drinking and inappropriate or risky behavior (Ebscohost). Secondly, this game allows for cyber bullying to take place. Because this game is very complex, amateur players are usually messed with by more advanced players. Even though the bullying does not occur face-to-face, the wounds are still just as deep behind a computer. Third and most importantly, this game promotes hiding behind a computer or technology to communicate as opposed to communicating with those in your surroundings. In Alone Together, Sherry Turkle writes heavily about second-life and MMORPG games and the role they play on society. She writes, “With sociable robots we are along but receive the signals that tell us we are together. Networked, we are together, but so lessened are our expectations of each other that we feel utterly alone. And there is the risk that we come to see each other as objects to be accessed—and only for the parts we find useful, comforting, or amusing (Turkle, 154). Although players interact with others through World of Warcraft, they are missing the physical interactions. Facial expressions, tone of voice, and physical embraces are all lost. I believe that this interaction over the computer is better than none at all, however, the addictive nature of this game draws players to prefer this interaction over physical. Playing this game instead of being with people in person is the same analogy as text messaging instead of face-to-face communication, in my opinion. There is a time and place for World of Warcraft when played in moderation for recreational purposes. Humans worldwide have hobbies and vices that are not the most communicative, like watching movies. However, the addictions are not nearly as prevalent. Just like a text message, this game is better than no interaction at all, but so many important communicative qualities are lost.
Danforth, L. (2011). Why Game Learning Works. Library Journal, 136(7), 67.
Eklund, L. (2011). Doing gender in cyberspace: The performance of gender by female World of Warcraft players.Convergence: The Journal Of Research Into New Media Technologies, 17(3), 323-342. doi:10.1177/1354856511406472
Sparks, Ian. "World Of Warcraft 'more addictive than crack cocaine' as teenager suffers convulsions after 24-hour-long game." Mail Online 27 Feb 2009, n. pag. Web. 18 Apr. 2012.
