Social Praxis Within and Around Online Gaming: The Case of World of Warcraft

Abstract

Games change their form as technology changes its forms: from early single player or multiplayer co-located games, many games are now online, real-time, massively multi-player experiences. A current research challenge is to understand gamers’ persistent involvement with games by considering their social practices within and around the game. This is important as it may have an impact on how we design successful technology-enhanced learning experiences. A Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game (MMORPG), World of Warcraft was investigated. Data were collected from a large-scale online survey (1051 responses) as well as in-depth interviews. Findings revealed a range of collaborative and competitive relationships developed during gameplay. What motivates ongoing long-term participation was found to be social praxis along with significant others i.e., online and real-life friends as well as family members. Gaming becomes habitual when overcoming the boundaries of virtuality to become blurred with reality.