My Freewrite on WoW

I find it fascinating how online/virtual cultures have been created. World of Warcraft, for example, is most certainly its own world, full of spaces, vegetation, races, living creatures, food and liquid for sustenance, conflicts, and communication. The only difference, pragmatically speaking, between WoW and the physical/actual world is the monthly membership cost. Aside from that, WoW is a legitimate community and culture. Ever since I have begun taking Anthro 128C, I have opened my eyes to the virtual realms that, I now see, are real and somewhat tangible, but tangible no less. In WoW, people of different races, classes, and hybrids of race and class, as well as different skillsets, form guilds together that utilize the diverse array of skillsets in WoW to raid a giant enemy creature. Some slay, some curse, others heal, and they may even take turns using the different abilities. The point is, those people, miles apart in the physical world, share an intimate space within the virtual world of Warcraft and form bonds and achievements as one unit. Physical space and intimacy are no longer required to stay together. The non-physical world is existent and real.

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This is my first post on the blog for the year, and I decided to post a freewriting exercise I did to ease my writer's block that has paralyzed me from posting on the blog. I have only played WoW for a sum of 25 minutes, so this post may not be accurate of the world. However, I wanted to share my freewrite as proof of my growth from the class and my growth as a writer. Thanks for reading!

-Geraldo

“Getting that Online Religion”

In a NPR segment back in 2007, religion on the internet was discussed, particularly how the internet is changing the way we communicate with the holy. An interview with Godtube.com (now Tangle.com) founder Chris Wyatt provided some interesting insight on the ways the internet appeals to the religious. Hyatt’s Godtube.com, a video-sharing site that includes a virtual prayer wall, gives believers and nonbelievers alike a way of getting in touch with the spirit online. For believers who are already members of a church sites like Godtube.com provide a community where people from different parts of the world and of different religious backgrounds come together and share ideas and beliefs through blogging, videos, and participating in the prayer wall. It also provides a venue for church members to reach new people (“spread the message”) in an increasingly secular environment. As discussed in class, virtual communities offer individuals with shared interests and identities a forum to come together “under the same roof” and engage in religious activities. It seems that Godtube.com and the like bridge social capital; they provide limited social support and broaden the social horizons and worldviews of those who frequent the site. These sites also have the capability of enabling bonding social relationships between people and creating stronger personal connections.

For nonbelievers, the site provides access to a variety of religious denominations and media. Websites like Godtube.com are opened to everybody and therefore an environment where people of different persuasions are welcomed and encouraged to participate. Some people often find it easier to ask tough religious questions online as opposed to in person due to the anonymity the internet affords. Cyberspace in general allows disabled and other marginalized people to feel as if they are part of a community.

However, religion online does appear to have it limits. The most notable discrepancy between online and offline religion is the relative inability to fully recreate a religious experience online. One reason for this is due to the limits of modern technology to provide one with the physical and mental feeling of a religious experience such as prayer and confession. Aside from programming issues, people often face issues of religious law that prohibit them from engaging in religious practices online. For example, conducting religious services in a synagogue created in Second Life is not allowed. However, it is evident that the internet is changing the ways we practice and think about religion in our day to day lives, and therefore, it may be that someday soon people will be able to engage a ‘real’ religious experience online.