Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games
Social Interaction and forming relationships is a vital part of growing and learning to function in society. Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing games or MMORPG’s, is a form of online gaming that has advanced the gaming world socially and economically. The creation of MMORPG’s were influenced by earlier online adventure games called multi-user dungeons or MUD’s (Peterson 57). These games have given people the opportunity to connect with others online from across the globe, either talking through a headset or in a chat group. Someone may be struggling to communicate and make friends in school, but feel more comfortable in their online presence, making friends through MMORPG’s. Just like joining clubs and sports teams, MMORPG’s give people the opportunity to meet others with a common interest and make connections.
One popular MMORPG today is World of Warcraft, where players create their own individualized character, customizing their skills and physical appearance. This game is extremely well known, and played across the globe where players can interact, form relationships and learn from the vast diversity within the players of this MMORPG (Blizzard Entertainment). In a study done on “Digitial Culture and Education”, Mark Peterson explores the learning possibilites associated with MMORPG’s like World of Warcraft. He states, “These aspects of game play in MMORPG’s, coupled to the sense of ownership and immersion provided by personal avatars, are perceived as supporting the motivation necessary for successful learning” (58). Not only can MMORPG’s provide an environment for social interaction, but also for teaching and learning. From a linguistic point of view, the online social interaction setting can “reduce the influence of affective factors such as negative attitudes and types of language anxiety that may restrict cognitive processing in face-to-face communication” (Peterson 58).
Below is a popular YouTube vlogger explaining the benefits of joining a guild, or society in World of Warcraft. Since joining a guild and communicating with others, he expresses that the game has become much more enjoyable. There are also parts in the video where one can hear him communicating with the other players in the guild which is one of the most beneficial aspects of gaming today.
A study conducted by Yu-Ling Lin and Hong-Wen Lin evaluated what players value the most about MMORPG’s. One of their results concluded that participants’ favorite aspect of the game was the social interaction (Lin 2154). The participants even expressed that their online MMORPG friends were “comparable or better than their real-life friends” (2154).
Although one may argue that we learn all of our writing and rhetorical skills in a classroom, the online gaming world has changed that along with a few other things. As Casey Boyle states in his blog, “What is Rhetoric”, he collects many different defitnitions of rhetoric and at the end states, “No definition is too small or too obscure, nor is any definition too large or obvious”. He thinks rhetoric has many different meanings, and MMORPG’s use rhetoric as much as any text book. Players must read and analyze text to understand the rules of the game, or to communicate with other players. In Tania Smith’s blog, “What is Rhetoric?”, she expresses that we change our rhetorical strategies in different situations without knowing it. A player’s rhetorical strategies while communicating in World of Warcraft are different than their rhetorical strategies they use at work or in the classroom. Although it may be an unconscious act, playing games and practicing these many different rhetorical strategies is a learning experience that can bring the same benefits to someone that a classroom can.
The online gaming world has opened many doors for all different types of personalities. Although we know that forming relationships and having good communication skills are vital in a work place setting, these skills are difficult for some people. MMORPG’s like World of Warcraft give these people the opportunity to better these skills, thus bettering their future in the long run.
