World of Warcraft seems to be the 800lb gorilla in the Massively Multiplayer Online (MMO) scene today. It almost seems that everyone and their dog play the game. I have been playing the game very casually (sometimes I question and not spend the monthly fee for how little I play) since the launch in November 2004 and have seen the game grow from large to almost epic proportions.
I primarily play a male Night Elf druid, but I have alternate characters of almost all other races and both genders, although none of them are particularly high level. In the game, users are allowed to modify certain characteristics such as hair, face, skin tone, and accessories (earrings/tattoos); however, height and weight are set by the game according to race. Night elves are one of the taller races in the game. The druid class is a hybrid class meaning that it can fulfill several separate group rolls effectively and is desirable in a group, but possibly the least played class in the game. For the purposes of the assignment, I’ll use my experience with my main character and compare and contrast it with my experience playing alternate characters.
Yee and Bailenson would argue that while playing my druid (who is tall) for example, I would act more confidently and negotiate aggressively in comparison to my Dwarf hunter or Orc warrior. This is the Proteus effect, which, is argued, drives people to act in a manner appropriate of their avatar. In my highly unscientific observation, I didn’t perceive much of a difference in my actions between my multiple characters whether based on height (as in my example), gender, or class. While this seems to go counter to the theory proposed by Yee and Bailenson, it does not necessarily discount the theory.
I mention this because I feel that the scope and effectiveness of the Proteus effect lies in how much people empathize with their avatar. My personal experience with the game is much more objective focused. The game, to me, is just that, a game. The way I act in the game is completely based on making the game enjoyable. Thus, I am usually polite, social, and patient with people regardless of my avatar or theirs as creating problems usual ruins the gaming experience. In addition, I primarily play with real life friends; people who have met me and know who I am outside of the game. I believe that this results in a more homogenized act between characters as my friends will recognize all my characters as “Joe” not the character and thus there is no point in acting outside of myself. I’m more interested in the game play than the social avatar aspect of the game. When I play a Human mage, I act the same as when I play a Troll mage, or even my main Night Elf druid.
In my opinion, the avatar simply represents my location in the game world, but that’s just me and I play the game to simply play the game and have fun with already established friends.
2 comments:
Although I’ve never played World of Warcraft myself, I’m guessing that none of the characters you are allowed to choose from look particularly attractive. They were all probably designed to appear tough, formidable, and warlike. The Night Elves are probably the only class that doesn’t fit this description, despite being the tallest of the races. Consequently, your avatar’s intimidating appearance may be enough to compel you to act confidently, even when lacking attractiveness and height. (This is under the assumption that the player really empathizes with their avatar, of course. I totally agree with your point that such empathy may not be present.)
Joe,
Your post is very interesting. I like the title, and your explanation of it in your post. You do a good job of explaining your character, along with their physical characteristics and the social roles some characters have in the game. You do a good job of tying in concepts from class into your post.
Great job!
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