WoW promoting torture and murder?

Thought I would share this interesting review regarding the new "Death Knight" class introduced to World of Warcraft along with the most recent expansion. It's a fairly dated article, but I feel it's still relevant to the sentiments of those concerned with any adverse affects violent games may have on players, as well as the subtle messages that may be promoted through gameplay.

I can't agree or disagree with the reviewer's stance that the forced roleplaying aspect of the Death Knight's initial storyline promotes bloodthirsty and psychopathic virtual behavior because, well, I've never actually played a Death Knight or experienced the gameplay that goes along with it. What I've come to understand from this article, however, is that some players object to Blizzard's decision to force them to torture, maim, and kill. The Death Knight is apparently an extreme form of constricted role play with little beginning options as to where to go and what to do. As opposed to players picking and choosing their quests and objectives within the vast universe of WoW, anyone with a Death Knight is required to advance through a premeditated storyline before stepping out in the freer world of the actual game.

I recently created a Blood Elf character for my class research, and I recall having to complete quests which required that I kill a certain amount of non-hostile animals. The difference being, of course, that I chose to do the quest and I wasn't shuffled right along on a direct storyline path. I also acknowledge that the Blood Elf, as allied with the Horde side of the game, is apparently supposed to be an "evil" class. However, the underlying plot of WoW is obviously war; and in war, there are two sides to every story. I don't necessarily agree that there are good factions and bad factions within WoW, just severe disagreements and misunderstandings.

In any case, players are required to have already played a level 55+ character in order to play a Death Knight, and I'm far from that. As such, I admit to having very little direct experience with the similarities and differences of the Death Knight and Blood Elf classes. However, the article does reveal some fascinating elements of a virtual world's variable gameplay and how even the slightest constrictions create in-game animosity.

Daedalus Project: Guild Demographics

I noticed on the syllabus that we'll be reading Yee's "The Social Life of Guilds in World of Warcraft" next week. From Nick Yee's website, I thought that these figures might prove useful for anyone looking into broader guild relations and demographics.

http://www.nickyee.com/daedalus/archives/001635.php?page=1

What I found most interesting was the first chart on page three of the study, that supports the theory of MMOs maintaining real life social connections. Findings showed that a majority of players surveyed (59%) joined guilds where they knew someone in real life (defined as someone the player knew before joining the guild).

This is a startlingly statistic for me because, as an outsider, I was always given the impression that the "guild" sphere was built upon relationships formed entirely online. In the past, the idea of grouping "guild members" and "friends" in the same category was challenging for me to understand. I feel I should also note that this perspective is strengthened by myself falling victim to an absolutely terrifying incident of "web-rage" escaping into the real-world more than three years ago.

Regardless, I do feel that these figures have given me deeper insight into guild demographics, and I do intend on researching guilds further for my study.

Does the internet bolster cultural circularity?

Just an example of "viral" internet trends growing outside their birth-realm of the internet, sparking a bit "IRL" before returning to their very origins.

One wonders if the "inside joke" does more when providing insight into a given culture. Perhaps it is a light sketch of the developmental path of adaptive culture? No doubt the following examples exhibit the "shared" aspect of culture... and the power of societies to dictate their respective trends beginning with nothing more than effective word-of-mouth.

Of course, Leroy Jenkins
It begins with: A.
And finds popularity in its given mode of hilarity.
It travels to: B.
Though I must mention, the pop culture question goes unanswered.
And finishes where it began with: C. D. E.
As a result, Blizzard acknowledging the viral nature of the event has re-established the joke and the story of "Jenkins" continues.

And now, ...
Numa Numa
An obscure Moldovan pop song receives new interpretation through: A.
And the video finds popularity given the quirky humor.
Now, the viral song finds a new following through: B.
One can only speculate what will develop further, but the movement of this particular song to capture the current trends of American pop music is amazing just in itself.