It’s always about WHO you know

May 17, 2007

World of Warcraft has been so successful because it replaces real life in so many ways, but the fact remains that you’re actually not progressing anywhere or really helping anyone out - so it’s an entertaining leech on life. Nevertheless it’s successful because it emulates life in such a clever way that “knowing the right people” will get you everything and everywhere. To have a great World of Warcraft character that can tear the opposition to pieces, it’s usually about WHO you know and not necessarily about HOW good you are. Your game skill does matter, but someone who is quite average in the game (who makes a lot of mistakes) can collect powerful gear (items) if they are associated with the right people who can “carry” them through the game. It’s a major part of the game dynamic and the communities formed within the larger WoW community. To be successful at World of Warcraft you need to build a network and preferably be able to move in various different circles while strengthening an inner circle you can rely on to help you progress through the game content.

Here are some things to consider in my project (analysis of the World of Warcraft community) and comparisons to the real world:

·         What is a documentary?
·         Realm
o   Location
o   Faction balance
o   Realm age
·         Identity
o   Reputation
o   Game play
o   Friends
o   Gear
o   Mounts
o   Experience
o   Expression
o   Guild
o   Affiliations
o   Sociability
o   Gender
o   Location
o   Nationality
o   Kindness
o   Charity
o   Alts (alternate characters)
o   Online profiles
o   Forum personality
o   Personality and backbone
o   Character talent build
o   Class choice
o   Race choice
o   Friends list
o   Age
·         Guild
o   Guild status (i.e. how good is the guild?)
o   Hierarchy
o   Website
o   Forums
o   Invitations
o   Friends
o   Connections
o   Leadership
o   Ownership
o   Commitment
o   Familiarity
·         Economy
o   Auction house
o   Private selling
·         Gold
o   In-game value
o   Real-life dollar value
·         Faction
o   Prejudice
o   Rivalry
·         Professions
o   As compared to jobs in society
o   Levels of achievement
o   Connections
o   Monopolies
o   Mates-rates
·         Player versus player
o   “For people without friends”
o   Group play
o   Individual play
o   leadership
·         Dungeons and group dynamics
o   Progression
o   People who continue playing lower level dungeons
o   PUGS (pick up groups)
·         Raids
o   Team speak or Ventrilo
o   Items
o   Connections needed for gearing up
o   Progression
o   Reputation
o   Leadership
o   Guild
o   Consistency
o   PUGS