- Index
- Chapter
- University of Michigan Press
- pp. 227-236
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Index
Page numbers in italics refer to illustrations.
Aarseth, E., 89
active aesthetic experience, 85, 198
activity, hybrid physical-digital spaces of visual-performative, 181–82, 194, 196, 201
activity, participatory design, 70–72, 79–83, 199. See also modding and mods; theorycraft
activity theory, 30, 41–42, 42, 56–57, 62, 65, 85, 102
addiction to video games: described, 128; heterogenous mix of resources and, 135; intermittent reinforcement of unpredictable rewards and, 39–40; negative connotation of, 126–27; positive connotation of, 125–26, 133–34; psychological problems as trigger for, 127–28; school and, 124, 125, 127–28, 132; self-regulation and, 125, 129–33; summary, 123, 135–36; video games as cause of, 124–25
aesthetic experience: encoded rules and, 45, 54; game play as, 104; mods as, 151; phases and, 45–46, 46; play and, 6–7, 41, 48; work versus, 44, 49, 94–95, 198; WoW and, 45–46, 54
aesthetic experience theory: activity and, 41, 151; balance and proportion qualities and, 123; flow and, 47, 85; human activities and, 43; means-ends relations and, 44–45; mods and, 151; participatory aesthetic experience and, 41, 48, 68, 70, 79–80, 82–85, 92–93, 194, 197; passion and, 123–24; play and, 101, 151; on relations sustained by an activity, 128; relations sustained by an activity and, 128; remaking of material of experience and, 47–48, 79, 139, 204; sociality and, 47–48, 50–51; subjective disposition toward activity and, 43, 46; summary, 41, 48–51. See also aesthetic experience
aggro: RL, 109, 116–17, 161, 162; in WoW, 109, 147, 206n1
alchemy profession, 9, 12, 112, 209n7
Alliance races, 16, 60. See also specific races
American Medical Association (AMA), 125
Ang, C. S., 5
Art as Experience (Dewey), 41
artistry in visual design: awards for, 12; described, 54, 168; of druids, 52, 53, 86, 87, 89, 169; encoded rules and, 74, 76; of gear, 87, 89, 169, 170, 208n20; gear and, 87, 208n20; medium as artistic production and, 80, 198; nostalgia runs due to, 83–84, 208n18; participatory design activity versus, 79–80, 83; resource role of rules and, 83–84, 208nn17–18
Ashby, R., 71
Auctioneer (mod), 147–48
autonomy, and performance, 7, 101, 205–6n1
Bainbridge, W., 8, 21, 134, 186, 196, 200, 208n16
Bakhtin, M., 161
Bandura, A., 121
Barab, S., 5
Bardzell, S., 43, 56–57, 165, 209n1
Beavis, C. H., 179
Begole, B., 148
Bell, M., 22
Blizzard Entertainment: on Chinese WoW culture, 176; community, and role of, 83, 149–50, 210n6; design changes by, 62, 80, 206n5, 206–7n6; encoded rules in digital entities, and preoccupation of, 35, 199; ethnographic research, and culture of, 35; feedback and, 62, 80, 206n5, 206–7n6; masculinist video games by, 211n13; mods and, 149–50, 210n4, 210n6; TBC, and software design alterations by, 62–68, 83–84, 208nn17–18; time-consuming activities to slow down game and, 112
BlizzCon, 6, 18, 21, 35, 80, 117, 150
Blomberg, J., 83
Blood Elves, 16, 159, 169, 170, 208n22
Boellstorff, T., 28, 35, 77, 102
Bohannon, J., 200
boredom and monotony: game play, and respite from RL, 12–13, 48, 115–16; in RL, 97, 104–5, 104–6, 113, 120, 200
boyd, d., 165
Brown, B., 22
buffs and debuffs, 5, 9–11, 115, 149, 210
Burning Crusade, The (TBC), 62–68, 83–84, 208nn17–18
business practices, and applications for video games, 5–6, 109–10, 200
Butler, J., 54
Cacioppo, A., 39
Callon, M., 62
Castronova, E., 108
Cefkin, M., S., 5
CGAlliance, 26
character leveling, 12, 15, 39–40, 45–46, 55, 184, 205n1, 206–7n6
Chen, M., 203
Cherny, L., 93
Chinese WoW culture: cross-cultural encounters in, 202–3; demographic data on players of, 190; fraud in, 182–83, 184; gender-bending and, 189–90, 196; gendered practice in, 187–92; gold farming and, 106–7, 176; gold raiding and, 176–77, 183; guilds, and sociality in, 194; heterosexual flirtation and, 190; hybrid physical-digital spaces and, 181–82, 194, 201; Internet cafes and, 7, 26, 177–82, 178, 211n1; ladyboy characters, and male players playing female characters in, 187–89; men, and gendered interactions in, 187–90, 191–92; mods and, 179, 179; participatory aesthetic experience in, 194–96, 195; PK in, 191–92, 211n2; players’ introduction into, 192; point cards in, 183–85; political realities and, 185–86; PvE play in, 190–91, 192; PvP play in, 190–91; raiding as social experience in, 193–94; real money/game transactions in, 106; real money transactions and, 184–85; small living spaces and, 180, 180; sociality and, 21, 179, 180, 193–94, 212n3; summary, 196; TBC release and, 62; women’s introduction into, 192; women’s mastery of performance in, 190–92; worklike activities in game play and, 99
Chmeil, M., 141–42
Choi, H., 179
classes: players’ social, 19, 24–25; in WoW, 15, 210n5. See also healing class
CNNIC, 179
Cohen, S., 124
collaboration, and sociality, 5, 21, 55, 193, 212n3
collective order. See encoded rules in digital entities; resource role of rules
community, in context of encoded rules, 83, 149–50, 210n6. See also sociality
Consalvo, M., 61, 69, 166, 207n11
contingency element, in games and game play, 103, 104, 142, 155
Comeliussen, H., 156, 159, 166, 168, 171, 172, 199, 212n1
corpse camping, 17
Counter-Strike (video game), 143, 210n1
Crabtree, A., 181
critical thinking skills, and theorycraft, 139–42
cross-cultural encounters, 194–96, 195, 202–3
Csikszentmihalyi, M., 47
cultural logics of WoW. See addiction; Chinese WoW culture; gendered practice; modding and mods; theorycraft
Deadly Boss Mods (DBM), 81–82
debuffs and buffs, 5, 9–11, 115, 149, 210n5
Decursive (mod), 149
Delwiche, A., 6
De Meyer, G., 93
Derelict (pseud.) guild, 31, 67, 109
design. See encoded rules in digital entities; resource role of rules
Dewey, J., 41, 44. See also aesthetic experience theory
Dibbell, J., 106–7
Dicki, M., 185
DKP (Dragon Kill Points), 177, 207n10
druids: artistry in visual design of, 52, 53, 86, 87, 89, 169; critical thinking skills, and customizing, 141–42; cross-cultural encounters and, 202–3; described, 15, 52, 53
Ducheneaut, N., 14–15, 16, 21, 39, 166, 208n19, 209n8
Duncan, S., 142
dungeons: described, 15–16; instances and, 119; nostalgia runs and, 208n18; raiding, 58–60, 209n10; TBC and, 62–67, 83–84. See also specific dungeons
Dutton, W., 109
Ellis, J., 70
Ellul, J., 62
encoded rules in digital entities: activity theory and, 62; aesthetic experience and, 45, 54; artistry in visual design and, 74, 76; community in context of, 83, 149–50, 210n6; constitution of technology and, 72–73; corporate preoccupations reflected in, 35, 199; feedback, and discourse about, 62, 80, 206n5, 206–7n6; game play and, 117–18, 137, 210n1; gear and, 75, 209n5; hackers and, 69–70, 73, 198; human activities in video games, and impact on, 7, 18, 46–47, 61; life online shaped by, 61; magic circle and, 118; mangle notion and, 70–73, 207n8; mods and, 70–72, 80–83, 149, 210n6; participatory aesthetic experience and, 198; Second Life and, 77–79, 207n13; TBC, and changes to, 62–68, 83–84, 208nn17–18; video games and, 61–62, 206n5, 206–7n6; in WoW, 61, 62–68, 80–82, 83–84, 208nn17–18. See also resource role of rules
Engeström, Y., 65
enterprise resource planning systems, 68–69, 72, 207n7
ethnographic research, 4–7, 27–35, 56, 177; activity theory and, 30; author’s introduction to WoW and, 4–5; Blizzard culture and, 35; dates for, 6; described, 27–29; invitations to guilds and, 32–33; mastery of performance and, 34, 56; methodology in, 28, 29–30, 34, 177; participant-engagement in, 35; participant-observation in, 28, 30–31, 34–35; participant researchers’ identification and, 35; perturbance in, 32; sites for, 7, 29–30; sources for information and, 33–34
European WoW culture: Corneliussen and, 156, 159, 166, 168, 171, 172, 199, 212n1; gold farming and, 176; guilds and, 59, 99–100, 163–64; hybrid physical-digital spaces and, 182, 201; TBC release and, 62, 66
Everquest (video game), 4, 13–14, 57, 166, 171
family: guilds and, 25, 26, 31, 154; masculine rhetoric and, 155; self-regulation and, 100, 101, 107, 109, 124, 125, 135; video games, and play with, 21, 26, 179, 182, 192
farming: as capitalist labor, 112–13; defined, 59, 110; gold, 106–7, 176; RL, and links with, 110–16, 114, 209nn4–7; as time-consuming activity to slow down game, 112; worklike activities in game play and, 98–99, 102
Fawcett, B., 12
feedback on changes in design, 62, 80, 206n5, 206–7n6, 209n5
Fields, D., 5
Final Fantasy (video game), 4, 187
Flanagan, M., 174
Freire, P., 156
Fron, J., 61, 73, 159, 166, 173, 207n9
Fujimoto, T., 88
Fullerton, T., 19, 166, 167–68, 172, 173, 174, 211n12
game geography coordinates, 146
game mechanics, and encoded rules, 137, 210n1
game play: as aesthetic experience, 104; apart together feelings in, 116; boredom and monotony, and respite in world of, 12–13, 48, 115–16; business practices and, 6, 109–10, 200; contingency element in, 103, 104, 142, 155; encoded rules in digital entities and, 117–18, 137, 210n1; in Korea, 8, 19, 107–8, 176, 179, 203; mastery of performance valued in, 55, 57; not-play and, 108–16, 120; professional gaming and, 106–8; RL, and links with, 108–16, 120; Skinnerian dynamics and, 55, 133; subjective dispositions toward activity and, 104, 199; summary, 94, 103, 120, 199–200; violence and, 14, 205nn3–4; worklike activities in, 95, 98–99, 98–100, 102, 106–8, 110, 111, 200. See also activity theory; magic circle; mastery of performance; play
games, 4, 7, 73, 94, 103–4, 142, 199, 207n9. See also game play; play
Games, I., 5
gear: arena play and, 206n2; artistry in visual design of, 87, 89, 169, 170, 208n20; encoded rules and, 75, 209n5; feedback on changes in design of, 209n5; fraud and, 184; metrics and, 61; mods for organization of, 146; performance, and impact of, 58, 65–66, 113–14, 177; raiding and, 63–66; sociality and, 65–66, 74; TBC and, 83–84; theorycraft, and analysis of, 139–41; worklike activities, and materials for, 100, 110, 200
Gee, J., 5
Geertz, C., 199
gendered practice: Chinese, 187–92; cross-gendered activities and, 169, 171–72; dampened heterosexual interactive and, 160–61; demographic data on players and, 19–20; dominant plane of gendered interaction, 158–61, 166, 173, 211nn9–10; emotes and, 9, 160, 164–65; female character design and, 159, 166–75, 170; female players playing male characters and, 172–73; female-unfriendly practices and, 163–64; feminine design of and, 167–69, 211n12; gender-bending and, 160, 189–90, 196; gender dynamics and, 161, 172; gendered language, 20, 153–56; heterosexual flirtation and, 158, 162, 164–66, 190, 211n8, 211n11; homophobic language, 20, 153, 154, 156, 157; ladyboy characters and, 187–89; magic circle and, 157, 173; male character design and, 168, 169, 170, 171, 211n14; masculine adjectives for vernacular names, 15; mastery of performance and, 57, 190–92; NPCs and, 168–69; secondary plane of gendered interaction, 158, 162–66, 164–66, 211n8, 211n11; sexual fun in chat and, 190; summary, 152, 173–75, 199; unaccountablity for rhetoric and, 155. See also men players; women players
gendered sensibilities, and design of video games, 167–68, 172, 174
gold, game, 46, 106–7, 176–77, 183. See also money transactions, real
Golub, A.: citations, 28, 56, 59, 124, 185; on homophobic language, 156; on men’s rhetoric, 157; on mods, 81–82; on performative demands of raiding, 56; on sexualized language, 153–54, 156; on worklike activities, 209n5
Greenberg, S., 148
grinding, 99, 110. See also farming
Grohol, J. M., 125
Groleau, C., 65
guilds: Chinese, 194; described, 9, 14–15; family and, 25, 26, 31, 154; hierarchy, 202; Hoodoos, 31, 32; invitations to, 32–33; shared characteristics of players in, 25–26; sociality and, 25–26, 194; TBC, and software change effects on, 63–66; Terror Nova, 31, 163; website postings for, 33–34. See also Scarlet Raven (pseud.) guild; specific guilds
Gutwin, C., 148
hackers, and encoded rules, 69–70, 73, 198
Hansen, S., 77
Hayes, E., 103, 159, 161, 166, 173, 174
healing class: alchemy profession and, 9, 12, 112, 209n7; decursing and, 149, 210n5; described, 15; metrics, 58, 81, 206n3, 207n15
Heath, C., 148
hierarchy, 41–42, 42, 85, 102, 202
Hook, S., 43
Horde races, 16
Huhtamo, E., 93
Huisman, J.-W., 84–85
Huizinga, J.: on apart together feelings, 116; on game play, 103; on moral principles, 101; on play, 95, 97, 102, 116, 118, 200, 208–9n2
human activities: aesthetic experience theory and, 43; and impact in video games, 7, 18, 61; in video games, and impact on encoded rules in digital entities, 7, 18, 61; in visual-performative media, 7, 8
hybrid physical-digital spaces, 181–82, 194, 196, 201
Innikka (pseud.): emotes used by, 160, 165; game play and, 9–12; gendered practice and, 154–55; gold raiding by, 177; as healer, 81, 207nn14–15; mastery of performance by, 34, 56; mods and, 82, 207n14; Night Elf race and, 5, 16, 159; participant-observation ethnographic research, 30; participant-observation in ethnographic research and, 28, 30–31, 34–35; screenshot of, 13
instances (instanced play): magic circle and, 118–20
Internet cafes (wang ba): access to digital technologies and, 179, 211n1; Chinese WoW culture and, 7, 26, 177–82, 178, 211n1; as hybrid physical-digital spaces, 181; sociality and, 180, 181, 193
Isenberg, Karl, 143–44
Jackson, P., 43
Jenkins, H., 92, 137, 166, 174
Jha, P., 19
Juul, J., 88, 94, 102, 103, 110, 118
Kallinikos, J., 61, 62, 68–70, 72–73, 207n7
Karazhan (Kara) dungeon, 63, 67, 68, 71, 76, 90, 168
Kelty, C., 145
Kendall, L., 137
Kennedy, H., 57, 103, 166, 172, 192
Kensing, F., 83
Korea, game play in, 8, 19, 107–8, 176, 179, 203
Kow, Y. M., 30, 146, 150, 183, 210n2
Kraut, R., 123, 125, 128, 129, 130
Kuutti, K., 85
LambdaMoo (video game), 76, 93
Lampe, C., 182
Latour, B., 62
leveling, 12, 15, 39–40, 45–46, 55, 184, 205n1, 206–7n6
Li, Z., 6
Lin, H., 45
Linden Lab, 35, 77–79. See also Second Life
Lindtner, S., 21, 29, 179, 181
Lineage (video game), 71–75, 120, 211n12
Liuning, Z., 180
lonely player stereotype, 20–21, 29, 127
Lowood, H., 137
Luff, P., 148
Ly, S., 202
Lyotard, J.-F., 73
magic circle: encoded rules and, 118; gendered practice and, 157, 173; instances and, 118–20, 209nn9–11; not-play and, 116; play and, 102, 108, 116, 117; RL and, 108; summary, 123; WoW and, 118–20, 157, 173, 209nn9–11
Magtheridon’s Lair, 56
Malaby, T., 28, 35, 77, 78–79, 102–3, 108, 199
Malliet, S., 93
Malone, K.-L., 33
Mankekar, P., 92
Marckmann, H., 84–85
mastery of performance: described, 59; flow and, 85–86; game play, and valued quality of, 55, 57; metrics of, 57–58; performative challenges and, 52, 55; play, and valued quality of, 14, 40; valued quality of, 14, 40, 55, 57–58; in video games, 52, 55; women and, 57, 190–92; in WoW, 15, 34, 55–56
medium, visual-performative media. See visual-performative media
men players: about, 187–92; female characters played by, 158–61, 173, 187–89, 211nn9–10; female-unfriendly practices by, 163–64; gender-bending and, 160, 189–90, 196; gender dynamics and, 161, 172; gendered rhetoric and, 20, 153–56, 210nn1–4; heterosexual flirtation and, 158, 162, 164–66, 190, 211n8, 211n11; homophobic rhetoric by, 20, 153, 154, 156, 157; ladyboy characters and, 187–89; men’s disputes with, 162–63; rhetorical practices of, 20, 153, 156–57, 210nn1–2, 210n4, 210–11n7. See also players
metrics: combat log and, 57–58, 206n3; damage meters mods for, 58, 59, 207n15; gear and, 61; healing class and, 58, 81, 206n3, 207n15
Miller, D., 28
Miller, S., 101, 103, 115, 116
Mnookin, J., 93
mobs (monster/mobile), 10, 56, 80, 82, 84, 90, 110, 153
modding and mods: as aesthetic experience, 151; Blizzard and, 149–50, 210n4, 210n6; Chinese, 179, 179; community, and role of, 149–50, 210n6; creation of, 70–72, 80–83, 143–47, 199; damage meters and, 58, 59, 207n15; data on, 143, 210n2; distribution of, 58, 143; empowerment and, 148; encodes rules and, 70–72, 80–83, 149, 210n6; fame and, 145; function of, 146–48; game geography coordinates, 146; gear organization and, 146; history of, 143; participatory design activity and, 70–72, 80–83, 199; resource role of rules, and effects of, 81–82, 207n14; sociality and, 148, 150–51; updates, and care for, 143, 145, 146
money transactions, real, 106, 184–85. See also gold, game
monster/mobile (mobs), 10, 56, 80, 82, 84, 90, 110, 153
Moore, R., 21
moral principles, 101, 124, 129–30, 186–87
Mortensen, T., 166
Mulvey, L., 159
Mumford, L., 62
Murray, J., 88
Nakamura, L., 176
Nardi, B.: on business applications for video games, 6; citations, 40–41, 43; on fraud, 183; on male players playing female characters, 158; on mods, 146, 148, 150, 210n2; on power of technology, 62; productive play seminar and, 70; on sociality, 21, 22
Nihilum (pseud.) guild, 59, 99–100, 163–64
Nissenbaum, H., 174
Noël, S., 16
nonplayer characters (NPCs), 17, 90, 116, 143, 159, 168
nostalgia runs, 83–84, 208nn17–18
not-play, 95–98, 97, 104–5, 104–6, 108–16, 120
NPCs (nonplayer characters), 17, 90, 116, 143, 159, 168
Odom, W., 209n1
Orlikowski, W., 69
participant-engagement, 35
participant-observation, 28, 30–31, 34–35
participant researchers, identification of, 35
participatory aesthetic experience: aesthetic experience theory and, 41, 48, 68, 70, 79–80, 82–85, 92–93, 197; in Chinese WoW culture, 194–96, 195; common core of, 194, 195; encoded rules and, 198; performance and, 57, 84–86, 93; resource role of rules, and nurtured, 76, 198; in WoW, 85, 92, 137, 194
participatory design activity, 70–72, 79–83, 199. See also modding and mods; theorycraft
Pearce, C., 28, 35, 70, 95, 137, 156, 210n6
performance: arena play and, 55, 206nn2–3; autonomy and, 7, 101, 205–6n1; described, 54; gear, and impact on, 58, 65–66, 113–14, 177; humor, and salience of, 60–61, 67; metrics of, 57–58, 206n3; participatory aesthetic experience and, 57, 84–86, 93; progression and, 58–60, 66, 72, 74, 86; raiding and, 55–56; sociality, and effects on, 64–65; subjectivity and, 56–57; video games and, 55–61. See also raiding
Perkins, C., 39
Peterson, L., 28
Pickering, A., 70–71
pickup groups (pugs), 18, 46, 74–75, 160, 184, 211n10
PK (player kill), 191–92, 211n2
play: as aesthetic experience, 6–7, 41, 48; aesthetic experience theory and, 151; arena, 55, 206nn2–3; autonomy and, 101; characteristics of, 14, 102–3; group, 74–75, 207n10; heterosexual flirtation and, 162, 190; hierarchy of activities and, 102; instanced, 118–20, 209nn9–11; magic circle and, 102, 108, 116, 117; meaningfulness of, 116; professional gaming and, 106–7; progress as motivation in, 39, 40; rewards as motivation in, 39–40; RL, and links with, 108, 113, 120; Skinnerian dynamics and, 39, 40; summary, 94, 120; value of, 95, 97, 200, 208–9n2; of video games with family, 21, 26, 179, 182, 192; in visual-performative media, 203–4; voluntariness of, 97–98, 101, 106, 208–9n2; work, and subjective separation from, 95, 97–98, 100, 102, 209n3; worklike elements in, 102. See also activity theory; aesthetic experience theory
player kill (PK), 191–92, 211n2
players: “alone together” feelings of, 209n8; demographic data on, 18–19, 19–20, 26, 83, 190, 208n16; diversity of, 20–21; introduction into WoW and, 4–5, 152–53, 192; shared characteristics of, 25–26; social classes of, 19, 24–25. See also men players; women players
point cards, 183–85
Polin, L., 5
political realities and WoW, 185–86
Powell, A., 179
power leveling services, 46, 184
problematic use of video games. See addiction to video games
professional gaming, 106–8
progression, 58–60, 66, 72, 74, 86
pugs (pickup groups), 18, 46, 74–75, 160, 184, 211n10
pwning opponents, 16, 71, 171, 173
Qiu, J., 180
races, 16, 203. See also specific races
raiding and raiding guilds: about, 9, 31; causal, 11; damage meters and, 58, 59, 207n15; gear and, 63–66; gendered rhetoric, 154; gold, 176–77, 183; mastery of performance and, 34, 55–56; performance and, 55–56; performative demands of, 56; pickup groups and, 18, 46, 74–75, 160, 184, 211n10; raiding described, 9, 15; sociality, 65, 193–94; worklike activities and, 100. See also Scarlet Raven (pseud.) guild
real life (RL): aggro and, 109, 116–17, 161, 162; farming, and links with, 110–16, 114, 209nn4–7; game play, and links with, 108–16, 120; hybrid physical-digital spaces and, 181–82, 194, 196, 201; magic circle and, 108; play, and links with, 113, 120; power leveling services and, 46, 184; self-regulation and, 130–33; third space and, 120, 127, 209n11; WoW, and links with, 108–16, 120
Recount (mod), 58, 59, 81, 207n15
Reeves, B., 6
remaking of material of experience, 47–48, 79, 139, 151, 204
resource role of rules: artistry in visual design of and, 83–84, 208nn17–18; group play and, 74–75, 207n10; loot distribution as example of, 75–76, 207nn11–12; mods, and effects on, 81–82, 207n14; participatory aesthetic experience of being nurtured and, 76, 198
Rettberg, S., 95, 111, 113, 124, 209n6
Rheingold, H., 93
rhetoric: gendered, 20, 153–54, 210nn1–4; HAWT descriptor and, 87, 208n20; homophobic, 20, 153, 154, 156, 157, 210n1; negotiated, 20, 26; school, and gendered, 155–56, 157; sexualized, 20, 153–54, 156, 157; unaccountablity for, 155; unequal position of women, and men’s, 154–55, 210n5; video games, and gendered, 20, 153, 210n1; video games, and role in travel of, 203; women players and, 153, 156, 157, 210n2, 210–11n7; work, and gendered, 155–56, 157
Rodden, T., 181
rules. See encoded rules in digital entities; resource role of rules
Ryan, P., 69
Salen, K., 117
Scacchi, W., 145
Scarlet Raven (pseud.) guild: damage meters and, 58; demographic data, 31, 33; described, 11; dissolution of, 67; ethos, 33; as family, 25; fraud in, 184; gender data, 31; members described, 30–31; participant-observation ethnographic research, 30; TBC, and software change effects on, 63–65
Schechner, R., 118
school: boredom, and monotony at, 97, 104–5, 113, 120, 200; gendered rhetoric and, 155–56, 157; as not-play, 97, 104–5; rhetorical practice to deploy unequal position of women in, 155; self-regulation and, 129–30, 133; vacancy in student’s life and, 133; video games, and applications in, 141–42; WoW addiction and, 124, 125, 127–28, 132
Schoolcraft, H., 27
Schramm, M., 110
Seay, F., 123, 125, 128, 129, 130
Second Life: adult-themed activity reputation of, 134, 209n1; citation, 134; described, 6, 17, 77, 78–79; design, and impact on, 79; encoded rules in, 77–79, 207n13; gamelike environments for business and, 6, 200; Linden Lab and, 35, 77–79; participant researchers in, 35; as virtual world, 17–18
Seed, P., 142
self-regulation: addiction to video games, 125, 129–33; family and, 100, 101, 107, 124, 125, 135; moral principles and, 129–30; work and, 100, 101
Serpentshrine Cavern (SSC), 9–12, 58, 99, 119
Sharritt, M., 5
Sicart, M., 210n1
Slater, D., 28
Smith, R., 124
sociality: “alone together” feelings and, 209n8; boys’ tree house metaphor for, 153, 210n3; in Chinese culture, 21, 179, 180, 193–94, 212n3; collaboration and, 5, 21, 55, 193, 212n3; diversity of players and, 20–21; gear and, 65–66, 74; guilds and, 25–26, 194; performance, and effects of, 64–65; problematic use and, 129–30; raiding, and contradiction to, 65; self-regulation and, 129–30; sociable chats, 3–4, 15, 22–23; social classes of players of, 19, 24–25
software modifications: participatory design activity and, 70–72, 79–83, 199; TBC and, 62–68, 83–84, 208nn17–18. See also modding and mods; theorycraft
spectacle of images in visual design, 86–92, 91, 198, 208nn19–22
Spinuzzi, C., 43
Squire, K., 5
SSC (Serpentshrine Cavern), 9–12, 58, 99, 119
Starcraft (video game), 211n13
Steinkuehler, C., 200; citations, 5, 21, 48, 106, 127; on interactive stabilization, 70–71, 72; on pedagogical value of video game activities, 141–42; on WoW as third space, 120
stereotypic lonely player, 20–21, 29, 127
Stewart, K., 179
Strathern, M., 28
subjective separation from: work, 95, 97–98, 100, 102, 209n3
subjectivity: activity theory and, 56–57; dispositions toward activity and, 43, 46, 104, 199; performance and, 56–57; work and play separation and, 95, 97–98, 100, 102, 209n3
Sudden Attack (video game), 203
Sun, C., 45
Sutton-Smith, B., 109, 113, 147
Takhteyev, Y., 210n4
Tang, J., 148
Taylor, T. L.: citations, 15, 21, 33, 73, 81, 103, 159, 174; on design of female characters, 166, 171; on encoded rules in digital entities shaping online life, 61; on EverQuest, 14, 57; on females playing male characters, 173; on females’ sense of safety, 211n11; on instancing, 120; on metrics of mastery of performance, 57–58; on mods, 82; on participatory design activity, 79–80, 82; on violence in video games, 14
TBC (The Burning Crusade ), 62–68, 83–84, 208nn17–18
television, 92, 134, 136, 197, 202–3, 208n23
text-based role-playing games, 88–89, 92–93
Thottbot.com, 60–62, 137, 177, 205–6n1, 206–7n6
Toma, C., 165
Tschang, F., 12
Turner, V., 14, 95, 110, 113, 120, 209n3
Ultima Online (video game), 14
Upper Black Rock Spire (UBRS) dungeon, 66, 67
Vandenberg, B., 101, 155, 156, 162
Victorian memes, 13–14
video games: critical thinking skills and, 141–42; culture, and applications for, 5–6, 109–10, 141–42, 200; described, 197; encoded rules and, 61–62, 206n5, 206–7n6; gendered rhetoric in, 20, 153, 210n1; gendered sensibilities, and design of, 167–68, 172, 174; impact of human activities in, 7, 18, 61; language travel, and role of, 203; masculinist, 167, 168, 172, 211n13; mastery of performance in, 52, 55; performance contours in, 55–61; play in, 7; vacancy in student’s life and, 133. See also addiction to video games; visual-performative media; specific video games
violence, and game play, 14, 205nn3–4
virtual world/experience, 8, 13–14, 17–18
visual design, and spectacle of images in, 86–92, 91, 198, 208nn19–22
visual-performative activity, 85, 181–82, 194, 196, 198, 201
visual-performative media: accessibility of, 54; autonomy and, 7; complexity in, 7, 9, 54; described, 7, 8; design of female characters off-putting to women and, 166; educators on, 5; engagement in RL activities and, 197–98; as global artifact alternative to traditional media, 196, 202–3; human activity in stimulating visual environment and, 7, 8; hybrid physical-digital spaces and, 182, 196, 201; interactive stabilization in, 70–72; MMORPG and, 17–18, 202; moral principles and, 124, 129–30, 186–87; performative described, 52, 54; play in, 14, 40, 203–4; real world visual-performative activities and, 54; rewards and, 7, 39–40, 55, 72, 113, 116, 197; as spectacle of images, 86–92, 91, 208nn19–22; texts and narrative in, 88–89; third space in, 120, 127, 209n11
voluntariness of play, 97–98, 101, 106, 208–9n2
von Bertalanffy, L., 71
Vu, T., 29
Wakeford, N., 179
wang ba (Internet cafes). See Internet cafes (wang ba)
whispers, 9–10
Whitehead J., 143
Williams, D., 21, 48, 120, 127, 210n3
Williams, M., 28
Willis, P., 143
Wilson, S., 28
Wine, C., 57, 82, 199, 207n15, 210n4
women players: acceptance into for, 153, 173–75; heterosexual flirtation and, 158, 162, 164–66, 190, 211n8, 211n11; introduction into for, 152–53, 192; male characters played by, 172–73; mastery of performance and, 57, 190–92; men’s rhetorical practice to deploy unequal position of, 154–55, 210n5; place in dominant plane of gendered interaction for, 160–61; rhetorical practices of, 153, 156, 157, 210n2, 210–11n7. See also players
work: aesthetic experience versus, 44, 49, 94–95, 198; boredom, and monotony at, 97, 104–6, 113, 120, 200; gamelike environments for work and, 5–6, 147, 200; gendered rhetoric and, 155–56, 157; hierarchy of activities and, 102; moral principles and, 101; as play, 85; play versus, 95, 97, 106–8, 200, 208–9n2; professional gaming and, 106–8; RL, and links with, 110–16, 114, 209nn4–7; self-regulation and, 130–31; subjective separation from, 95, 97–98, 100, 102, 209n3; unequal position of women, and rhetoric at, 155; visual-performative media, and role in global, 202
worklike activities: Chinese WoW Culture, 99; complaints about, 209n5; farming and, 98–99, 102; feedback about, 209n5; in game play, 95, 98–99, 98–100, 102, 106–8, 110, 111, 200; gear materials and, 100, 110, 200; as not-play, 95–98, 104–6; in play, 102; raiding and, 100
World of Warcraft (WoW): accessibility and appeal of, 8, 54; active aesthetic experience and, 85, 198; activities pursued while playing, 134–35; as aesthetic experience, 54; demographic data on players of, 18–19, 26, 83, 190, 208n16; described, 12, 16, 197, 205n1, 206n4; multiple characters in, 14, 146; players’ introduction into, 4–5, 152–53, 192; servers in, 16–17, 192, 193; texts and narrative in, 88, 89
worldofwarcraft.com, 163, 210n6, 222
Wright, T., 210n1
Yee, N.: citations, 6, 95, 137; on demographic data on players, 19–20; on farming, 209n6; on game play, 99, 111, 112; on gendered practice, 160
Zaphiris, P., 5
Zimmerman, E., 117