The possibility of co-creation exists for all media, but game design has developed a culture that is unusually open to co-creation. This dissertation investigates significant cases of co-creation in mainstream games in order to explore how games can be co-created as alternative or critical media by their players. The core argument in the dissertation is that players co-create the design of a game only if certain conditions are met, namely: (1) player creation of a text or communication infrastructure that modifies the properties of the game and from which play emerges; (2) that this is done for a considerable group of players who share a particular practice of play; (3) that this is done not only by playing the game but by changing how others play it in a distinct creative activity, and (4), with the potential to subvert or contest the original design of the game. This situation where player creators have influence over the design of the game (but little power to enforce their interests) is problematic from the perspective of alternative or critical media, as alternative, local, production is seen as one reason for why a medium can have an alternative message. The industrial production of games as cultural commodities does limit the potential of co-creative game design for subversion because it reduces the level of participation in the creation process, thus keeping player creators relatively disempowered. Player creators do have influence on the design of the game, while at the same time having very little power to enforce their interests and design visions. The influence of player creators comes from the consumer power of millions of players who use co-created assets and who want to them to continue exiting, and this creates a mutually dependent relationship (and even partnership), between co-creators and commercial owners. The dissertation concludes that co-creative game design, despite limitations related to the industrial production of games as cultural commodities, is already happening, and shows a potential for turning games into alternative media.

<p>Purpose/Aim: The aim of this paper is to study how guild leaders in World of Warcraft (WOW) and leaders of real life organizations compare in terms of tasks, every-day experiences, environment, responsibilities and motivation. This comparison is used to build a new theory describing leadership in Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games (MMORPGs).</p><p>Material/Method: The paper uses the grounded theory approach to build a new theory. 12 interviews were conducted, six with WOW guild leaders and six with leaders of real life organizations. The Four Capacities Framework and the Leadership Grid were used to analyze and compare the results of the interviews.</p><p>Main results: Leadership in MMORPGs is as complex and challenging as real life leadership with the difference that it stresses the internal relationships of the organization very much while neglecting outside relations to a big extend. Guild leadership is in many ways similar to real life leadership as both require long term political decisions, policy setting and good work in the field of human resources. However, it stresses the ability to build working social relationships and to motivate using only digital communication. Some aspects of real life leadership like customer orientation and an organizational instance over the leader like an owner or share holders that the leader is responsible to are not existent.</p>

The significance of technology and technological devices in the modern western society is steadily expanding, and affecting how the consumers of these products interact with one another. Both through these devices, but also how they interact without them the importance of studying these forms of interaction is therefore of rising significance. This thesis explores the world of online-gaming in order to map out how the players use, and are affected by the virtual aspects of the platform they use to create and reproduce their social bonds with one another. By analysing the relationship between the virtual and the actual it is possible to shed light on the potentials as well as the limits of online communication. The thesis purpose is to add to a deeper understanding within the anthropological discipline for interpersonal interaction within the frames of virtual spaces. The research has been conducted through a qualitative ethnographic field study with a guild of players who interact through the game World of Warcraft. This thesis will show that there is a strong interaction between the virtual worlds and the actual world. Thus it is possible for events that occurred in either space to affect the player.

Submitted by Filipe dos Santos (fsantos@pucsp.br) on 2018-08-17T13:20:08Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Bruno Ayres Razera.pdf: 1685514 bytes, checksum: 0f3c94e0ba6321b9ab0ecec435acdf70 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-17T13:20:08Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Bruno Ayres Razera.pdf: 1685514 bytes, checksum: 0f3c94e0ba6321b9ab0ecec435acdf70 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2018-06-26 / Conselho Nacional de Pesquisa e Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico - CNPq / The research investigates how the game mode Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game (MMORPG), by strategic concomitance, directs the player to operate by the visibility, to build the meaning of their simulacra identity. Concomitance, according to linguistics, is the designation of one or more actions, things or facts that occur simultaneously; coexistence or simultaneity. In this study the strategic concomitance has the coexistence as the relation of a strategist sender with the subject that provides his own tactic in simultaneity, working values in a same logical line. The most popular game of the genre, World of Warcraft (WOW), is taken as an object, as the immersion of its players is sanctioned by its great geographic reach and number of users who remain, year after year, faithful to the product, generating a movement large volume financial instrument, as well as employing new electronic technology tools and practices. The act of playing keeps the subject in interaction with other subjects and in the operation of this visibility that they construct identity simulations, shaped by the enunciative choices to make-see. In the analysis of the game, the use of the device called "transmog" was used to transform the appearance of the player's equipment. Syntagmatic operations call the device in its placement in discourse and thus build the axiology that makes the subject have to be, a simulacrum of socialized doing that establishes visibility as its main value. The theoretical-methodological support for the analysis is given by the discursive semiotic theory of Greimas (2014, 2007, 2002), which structures the generative path of meaning, the basis of the construction of meaning. It is also supported by Landowski's (1992, 1997, 2013, 2014a, 2014b) socio-demographic concept that, through the regimes of meaning and interaction, as well as through the regimes of visibility, allows to elucidate lived practices of the participants and their simulacrums built in the game. The theories of other semioticians are also bases for the elaboration of the axiological taxonomy of transmog. The bibliographical references also include a review of the history of the games and the survey of works with this theme. To carry out the study, there are analyzes of the transmog phenomenon, highlighting the dynamics of the interactions of the audience of World of Warcraft; in short, the study of the discursive practices of this device in the game, surrounded by the regimes of visibility, meaning and interaction. It was possible, with this, to verify the hypothesis that the visibility values in the game allow to maintain and extend the immersion of the players in a continuity, corresponding to the social practices: transmog, this device in game, does not determine the values in game, as facilitator and computer of an axiological exchange shared to the player. In addition, this work contributed to the theoretical basis for the area of communication that deals with the strategies of the gaming industry / A pesquisa investiga como a modalidade de game Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game (MMORPG), por concomitância estratégica, direciona o jogador a operar pela visibilidade, para a construção do sentido de seus simulacros identitários. Concomitância, de acordo com a linguística, é a designação de uma ou mais ações, coisas ou fatos que ocorrem em simultâneo; coexistência ou simultaneidade. Neste estudo a concomitância estratégica tem como coexistência a relação de um destinador estrategista com o sujeito que provê própria tática em simultaneidade, trabalhando valores em uma mesma linha lógica. O game World of Warcraft (WOW), mais popular do gênero, é tomado como objeto, pois a imersão de seus jogadores é sancionada por seu grande alcance geográfico e número de usuários que permanecem, ano após ano, fiéis ao produto, gerando uma movimentação financeira de grande volume, além de empregar instrumentos e práticas novas de tecnologias eletrônicas. O ato de jogar coloca o sujeito em interação com outros sujeitos e é na operação dessa visibilidade que são construídos simulacros identitários, moldados pelas escolhas enunciativas para fazer-ver. Recortou-se, na análise do game, o uso do dispositivo denominado como “transmog”, que consiste em permitir transformar esteticamente a aparência dos equipamentos do jogador. As operações sintagmáticas convocam o dispositivo na sua colocação em discurso e assim constroem a axiologia que faz o sujeito ter para ser, simulacro do fazer socializado que instaura a visibilidade como seu principal valor. O suporte teórico-metodológico para a análise é dado pela teoria semiótica discursiva de Greimas (2014; 2007; 2002), que estrutura o percurso gerativo de sentido, a base da construção da significação. Apoia-se também na sociossemiótica de Landowski (1992; 1997; 2013; 2014a; 2014b) que, pelos regimes de sentido e de interação, assim como pelos regimes de visibilidade, permite elucidar práticas vividas dos partícipes e do seu fazer em sociedade, pelos simulacros construídos no game. As teorias de outros semioticistas são também bases para a elaboração da taxonomia axiológica do transmog. Os referenciais bibliográficos incluem ainda uma revisão da história dos games e do levantamento de trabalhos com esta temática. Para realizar o estudo, há análises do fenômeno do transmog, destacando a dinâmica das interações do público de World of Warcraft; em minudência, a do estudo das práticas discursivas desse dispositivo no game, nos envoltos dos regimes de visibilidade, de sentido e de interação. Foi possível, com isso, verificar a hipótese de que os valores de visibilidade no game possibilitam manter e ampliar a imersão dos jogadores em uma continuidade, correspondente às práticas sociais: o transmog, este dispositivo in game, não determina os valores em jogo, funcionando como facilitador e ordenador de um câmbio axiológico partilhado ao jogador. Além disso, este trabalho contribuiu para o embasamento teórico para a área da comunicação que trata das estratégias da indústria dos games

<p>In this essay, I have investigated whether players of World of Warcraft change their language to suit the gender of the character they play. I have researched if there are gender differences that correspond to what is defined as male and female language in mixed-sex conversations. Chat-logs, collected during four participant observations, were used for making an analysis based primarily on research by Coates (1993) and Yale (2007). Seven features were selected for analysis: amount of participation, hedges, questions, directives and commands, taboo language, compliments and grammar. It was possible to discover gender differences, but these were not consistent in all areas of research. For example, female characters had a higher contribution than males, as well as a higher use of hedges and tag-questions among males, which contradicts previous research. The lack of consistency might be due to the fact that the participants do not specifically consider all areas as typically female or male, or their unawareness of these tendencies. We also need to consider disagreement in previous gender studies as well as folklinguistic belief. The explanation of the lack of consistent differences may be a more equal relationship between males and females in this context, or due to thepossibility that the participants, who are usually male, make use of their normal male language.</p>

<p>Abstract</p><p>Title: Interactivity and participation - a qualitative study about the making of machinima with</p><p>World of Warcraft (Interaktivitet och och deltagande – en kvalitativ studie kring skapandet av</p><p>machinima med World of Warcraft)</p><p>Number of pages: 68 total, 50 without appendix</p><p>Author: Peter Brandberg</p><p>Tutor: Else Nygren</p><p>Period: Autumn 2006</p><p>Course: Media and Communication Studies C</p><p>University: Division of Media and Communication, Department of Information Science, Uppsala University</p><p>Purpose/Aim: The aim of this study is to take a closer look at the phenomenon machinima by analysing a number of specific movies from the site worldcraftmovies.com. This analyse is focusing on how the content of these movies relate to the wider game culture of the MMORPG World of Warcraft, what specific elements in the movies is referring to and if there is differences or similarities between different genres (or categories).</p><p>Material/Method: The method used in analysing the movies is a combined method inspired by hermeneutic, semiotics and discourse analysis.</p><p>Main results: Instead of answers this study raises many questions about the diverse content of the movies. A general division can be seen between movies focusing on the games rules and movies that are trying to present a fictive world. But the study also shows how there are many movies moving between these two points. The study also suggests that further studies need to focus on the emotional investment players put into the game.</p><p>Keywords: cultural studies, participatory culture, convergence culture, fan culture, new media, game studies, machinima, MMORPG, World of Warcraft</p>

Purpose/Aim: The aim of this paper is to study how guild leaders in World of Warcraft (WOW) and leaders of real life organizations compare in terms of tasks, every-day experiences, environment, responsibilities and motivation. This comparison is used to build a new theory describing leadership in Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games (MMORPGs). Material/Method: The paper uses the grounded theory approach to build a new theory. 12 interviews were conducted, six with WOW guild leaders and six with leaders of real life organizations. The Four Capacities Framework and the Leadership Grid were used to analyze and compare the results of the interviews. Main results: Leadership in MMORPGs is as complex and challenging as real life leadership with the difference that it stresses the internal relationships of the organization very much while neglecting outside relations to a big extend. Guild leadership is in many ways similar to real life leadership as both require long term political decisions, policy setting and good work in the field of human resources. However, it stresses the ability to build working social relationships and to motivate using only digital communication. Some aspects of real life leadership like customer orientation and an organizational instance over the leader like an owner or share holders that the leader is responsible to are not existent.

Abstract Title: Interactivity and participation - a qualitative study about the making of machinima with World of Warcraft (Interaktivitet och och deltagande – en kvalitativ studie kring skapandet av machinima med World of Warcraft) Number of pages: 68 total, 50 without appendix Author: Peter Brandberg Tutor: Else Nygren Period: Autumn 2006 Course: Media and Communication Studies C University: Division of Media and Communication, Department of Information Science, Uppsala University Purpose/Aim: The aim of this study is to take a closer look at the phenomenon machinima by analysing a number of specific movies from the site worldcraftmovies.com. This analyse is focusing on how the content of these movies relate to the wider game culture of the MMORPG World of Warcraft, what specific elements in the movies is referring to and if there is differences or similarities between different genres (or categories). Material/Method: The method used in analysing the movies is a combined method inspired by hermeneutic, semiotics and discourse analysis. Main results: Instead of answers this study raises many questions about the diverse content of the movies. A general division can be seen between movies focusing on the games rules and movies that are trying to present a fictive world. But the study also shows how there are many movies moving between these two points. The study also suggests that further studies need to focus on the emotional investment players put into the game. Keywords: cultural studies, participatory culture, convergence culture, fan culture, new media, game studies, machinima, MMORPG, World of Warcraft

Massively multiplayer online games (MMOGs) present fantastic, persistent worlds and narratives for a community of players to experience through pre-defined rules, roles, and environments. To be able to offer the opportunity for every player to try the same experiences, many game developers have opted to create elaborate virtual theme parks: scripted experiences within static worlds that cannot be affected or changed through player actions. Within these games, some players have turned to role-playing to establish meaningful connections to these worlds by expanding upon and subverting the game's expectations to assume a limited sense of agency within the world. The interaction between role-players and the locations they occupy within these worlds is a notable marker of this narrative layering; specific locations inform social codes of conduct, designed by developers, and then repurposed by players for their characters and stories. Through a qualitative case study in World of Warcraft on public role-playing events, this thesis considers how the design of in-game locations inform their use for role-playing, and how locations are altered through storytelling as a result.

Die vorliegende Dissertation untersucht am Beispiel von Online-Rollenspielen, wie sich prosoziales Verhalten in virtuellen Umgebungen im Vergleich zu dem in realen Umgebungen unterscheidet. Ausgangspunkt für die Untersuchungen sind die Modelle zum und Einflussgrößen auf das prosoziale Verhalten, die als Ergebnisse der einschlägigen Forschung realer Hilfesituationen vorliegen. Unter Berücksichtigung der Charakteristika und Besonderheiten von Online-Rollenspielen werden verschiedene Variablen wie Attraktivität des Hilfeempfängers, Ähnlichkeit zwischen Helfer und Hilfeempfänger, die Schwere der Notsituation und Gruppenzugehörigkeit auf ihre Auswirkung auf das prosoziale Verhalten in virtuellen Szenarien getestet. Um ein maximales Maß an externer Validität zu gewährleisten, kommt dabei die Methode der In-situ-Untersuchung zum Einsatz, bei der das Verhalten der Probanden in natürlichen Spielsituationen erfasst wird. Die Ergebnisse zeigen bei weiblichen Avataren einen signifikanten Einfluss der Attraktivität bei männlichen Helfern, wohingegen es bei fehlender Verfügbarkeit von Attraktivitätsmerkmalen keine Geschlechtsunterschiede gibt. Kein Einfluss auf prosoziales Verhalten kann bei den Variablen Schwere der Notsituation und perzeptueller Ähnlichkeit nachgewiesen werden. Darüber hinaus wird mittels einer Fragebogenstudie der Einfluss dispositionaler Merkmale, die unter dem Begriff prosoziale Persönlichkeit zusammengefasst werden, auf prosoziales Verhalten untersucht. Dabei zeigt sich, dass die positiven Prädiktoren empathic concern, other-oriented moral reasoning und der negative Prädiktor personal distress einen signifikanten Einfluss auf das Auftreten prosozialen Verhaltens in realen und in virtuellen Szenarien haben. Allerdings unterscheidet sich die Höhe des Einflusses dieser Variablen in Abhängigkeit der Zielpersonen des prosozialen Verhaltens (Ingroup vs. Outgroup) sowie des Umgebung (real vs. virtuell).