The WoW Factor: A Virtual Ethnographic Study of Sacred Things and Rituals in World of Warcraft.
This paper describes the method of complete participant observation-style virtual ethnography and how it was used to study sacred objects and rituals in the virtual world of Azeroth, from the massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) World of Warcraft (WoW). Drawing heavily from the wo...
| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
[2015]
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| In: |
Gamevironments
Year: 2015, Volume: 2, Pages: 1-24 |
| Further subjects: | B
social solidarity
B World of Warcraft B virtual ethnography B MMORPG |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (kostenfrei) Volltext (kostenfrei) |
| Summary: | This paper describes the method of complete participant observation-style virtual ethnography and how it was used to study sacred objects and rituals in the virtual world of Azeroth, from the massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) World of Warcraft (WoW). Drawing heavily from the work of Hine (2000), Gold (1958), and Durkheim (1912), and utilizing a case study of the author's MA thesis titled The WoW Factor: The Development of Social Solidarity in Azeroth, this paper provides a detailed description of the unique challenges that a researcher must overcome when planning, and carrying out, an ethnographic study in an MMORPG. Key topics of discussion include: ethical considerations and concerns, recording observations through the use of video-capture and screen-shots, the importance of maintaining the proper balance between being an 'insider' and an 'outsider', and spatial and temporal displacement between the virtual and the real. |
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| ISSN: | 2364-382X |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Gamevironments
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| Persistent identifiers: | URN: urn:nbn:de:gbv:46-00104728-17 |