PART THREE
Nardi’s focus in the early part of her book was to introduce her readers to World of Warcraft and the inner workings of the game: the importance of raiding, buffs, leveling up and finding better equipment, all in the name of playing the game successfully. In the second part of her book, Active Aesthetic Experience, she talks about the affect of World of Warcraft, that is, the way it feels to play the game and “The Magic Circle” that surrounds WoW players and essentially transports them from one reality (actual reality) to another (the WoW world). In a logical progression, then, the final portion of Nardi’s book focuses on the actual gamers who play WoW.
In the chapter dealing with addiction, Nardi deals with this “perennial favorite of the media” (123). And, indeed, it is a favorite topic of video game naysayers in the media. It seems that there is always some family specialist or conservative politician warning us all about how video games are a threat to our society due to their violence and “addictive properties.” It seems like any subculture or counter-culture that is a minority is seen as a threat to the larger population. Nardi quotes Cohen who studied mods and rockers in England during the 1960’s, “Societies appear subject, every now and then, to periods of moral panic. A condition, episode, person, or group of persons, emerges to become defined as a threat to societal values and interests; its nature is presented in a stylised and stereotypical fashion by the mass media...Socially accredidted experts pronounce their diagnoses and solutions.” (124). Nardi observes that this is exactly how the scene has played out with video games. She is quick to point out, however, that video games like World of Warcraft are no more addictive than any other medium.
Besides that, addiction is in the eye of the beholder. Some people see addiction as a bad thing, but then there are those individuals (gamers, usually) who don’t see the word as a bad thing, but instead a badge of honor that denotes their commitment their hobby. And make no mistake, video gaming is a hobby, one as worthy of pursuit as any other more acceptable hobby like reading, or stamp collecting, or wood carving. Still, I know that there is a problem with video game addiction, and particularly to World of Warcraft. It is a widely studied and documented problem in South Korea, for example, where there have been reports of players who spend so long playing the game that they forget to eat or use the bathroom. There have even been reported deaths from gamers who spent over 24 hours playing WoW without any food or rest. I know these are extreme cases, however, so I’m not terribly concerned with them. However, because of the fact that they are extreme cases, they create a panic in the wider community when they are brought to light.
Nardi goes on in this final section of the book to discuss another popular topic in video games: gender. WoW allows you to be whatever gender you choose. (Well, male or female, at least. There are no hybrid or new genders...yet.) The reasons why someone would choose to play a gender that doesn’t reflect their real one are many and varied. Anyone who has ever played an online shooter could probably tell you that female players often get harassed by male players. Conversely, in an RPG, particularly and MMORPG like WoW, some male players find that it is to their benefit to play female characters because they will then be gifted with objects and help from other male players that might not have been so easily forthcoming if they played a male character. Apparently chivalry isn’t dead, after all. Gender swapping in games is also a valuable means of expression for some people who might not otherwise be able to do so.
As Nardi closes her book, she leaves by pointing out that video games like World of Warcraft are really about creating community. You meet various people in this game and you form real bonds with them, just as you would do with people in real life. Just like Celia Pearce, Nardi’s work and participation in a gaming world proves its validity as a culture.
Nardi’s focus in the early part of her book was to introduce her readers to World of Warcraft and the inner workings of the game: the importance of raiding, buffs, leveling up and finding better equipment, all in the name of playing the game successfully. In the second part of her book, Active Aesthetic Experience, she talks about the affect of World of Warcraft, that is, the way it feels to play the game and “The Magic Circle” that surrounds WoW players and essentially transports them from one reality (actual reality) to another (the WoW world). In a logical progression, then, the final portion of Nardi’s book focuses on the actual gamers who play WoW.
In the chapter dealing with addiction, Nardi deals with this “perennial favorite of the media” (123). And, indeed, it is a favorite topic of video game naysayers in the media. It seems that there is always some family specialist or conservative politician warning us all about how video games are a threat to our society due to their violence and “addictive properties.” It seems like any subculture or counter-culture that is a minority is seen as a threat to the larger population. Nardi quotes Cohen who studied mods and rockers in England during the 1960’s, “Societies appear subject, every now and then, to periods of moral panic. A condition, episode, person, or group of persons, emerges to become defined as a threat to societal values and interests; its nature is presented in a stylised and stereotypical fashion by the mass media...Socially accredidted experts pronounce their diagnoses and solutions.” (124). Nardi observes that this is exactly how the scene has played out with video games. She is quick to point out, however, that video games like World of Warcraft are no more addictive than any other medium.
Besides that, addiction is in the eye of the beholder. Some people see addiction as a bad thing, but then there are those individuals (gamers, usually) who don’t see the word as a bad thing, but instead a badge of honor that denotes their commitment their hobby. And make no mistake, video gaming is a hobby, one as worthy of pursuit as any other more acceptable hobby like reading, or stamp collecting, or wood carving. Still, I know that there is a problem with video game addiction, and particularly to World of Warcraft. It is a widely studied and documented problem in South Korea, for example, where there have been reports of players who spend so long playing the game that they forget to eat or use the bathroom. There have even been reported deaths from gamers who spent over 24 hours playing WoW without any food or rest. I know these are extreme cases, however, so I’m not terribly concerned with them. However, because of the fact that they are extreme cases, they create a panic in the wider community when they are brought to light.
Nardi goes on in this final section of the book to discuss another popular topic in video games: gender. WoW allows you to be whatever gender you choose. (Well, male or female, at least. There are no hybrid or new genders...yet.) The reasons why someone would choose to play a gender that doesn’t reflect their real one are many and varied. Anyone who has ever played an online shooter could probably tell you that female players often get harassed by male players. Conversely, in an RPG, particularly and MMORPG like WoW, some male players find that it is to their benefit to play female characters because they will then be gifted with objects and help from other male players that might not have been so easily forthcoming if they played a male character. Apparently chivalry isn’t dead, after all. Gender swapping in games is also a valuable means of expression for some people who might not otherwise be able to do so.
As Nardi closes her book, she leaves by pointing out that video games like World of Warcraft are really about creating community. You meet various people in this game and you form real bonds with them, just as you would do with people in real life. Just like Celia Pearce, Nardi’s work and participation in a gaming world proves its validity as a culture.
No comments:
Post a Comment