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Christine Naranjo Kevin Gould WRTG 1150 Assignment 4 First Draft Why is World of Warcraft so Addicting? Introduction: A massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) is a genre of games where players create an avatar, a character that represents the player, and controls it within a virtual fantasy world. Blizzard Entertainment is the creator of one of the most popular MMORPGs, World of Warcraft. World of Warcraft (WoW) was introduced in 2004 and has over 11 million subscribers. (Hotz, 2012) World of Warcraft is set in the mythical world of Azeroth, where players create avatars that interact with thousands of other players, fighting monsters and completing quests. The game has received a bad reputation for being extremely addicting and for its ability to consume the social lives of its subscribers. Since the release 9 years ago, its estimated that the total number of hours of World of Warcraft gameplay is 50 billion, which is roughly 5.9 million years. (Hotz 2012; Mcgonigal, 2011) WoW has been recognized and partially blamed for deaths involving suicides, child neglect and excessive gaming resulting in death. With all the negative attention the game receives, many wonder what makes this particular game so addicting and popular. By studying World of Warcrafts mechanics, players, and human psychology, many studies have shown that players game to satisfy basic psychological drives and receive intrinsic rewards.

Gameplay:

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To understand World of Warcrafts popularity, its important to be familiar with the mechanics of the game. The physical CD-ROM disc itself if about $20, with a monthly subscription fee of $15 per month. There are also optional expansion upgrades which cost extra that allow players to explore new areas and reach higher levels. The game is set in the fantasy world of Azeroth and although its considered to be an action based game, World of Warcraft has minimal violent content. To get started in the game, a player has a lot of decisions to make in the creation of their avatar. The first choice is picking a realm. The WoW world is broken up into different realms to avoid crashes, since there are millions of active players. Each realm is one of four categories: normal, PvP, normal-RP and PvP-RP. Normal gameplay is the standard, where players battle computer monsters, and have the option of participating in consensual battles. PvP stands for player versus player, where players can battle against other opposing players at anytime. RP stands for role-playing, and is optional for normal and pvp players. RP realms are for players who want to role-play as if they are their character. Once the type of gameplay is established, a player must choose a race. There are eight races to choose from, including: human, dwarfs, goblin, orc and other fantasy creatures. The race determines what the players avatar looks like and different races have different skills. The chosen race puts the player into either the horde or alliance faction. Players can only communicate and team up with other players within their faction. In PvP players in opposing factions can challenge each other. The last major decision is choosing a class. Certain races can only play as certain classes. Classes perform different roles, the three main being tanks, healers, and damage dealers. Tanks fight to outlast their enemy and can take the most damage out of the three roles. Healers have the ability to regenerate their own and team members health. Damage dealers try to defeat the other team by

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inflicting a lot of damage. Each role plays an important part in a successful team. (http://us.battle.net/wow) Once a character is established, it can then be controlled by the player to advance within the realm. Blizzard Entertainments primary design mantra of World of Warcraft is, its easy to learn, but difficult to master. The main actions of the game are completing quests, and challenging monsters and players. The ways in which characters go about this depends on the characters class. Characters develop as they gain new talents and skills to maximise their potential abilities. Gameplay often involves completing quests. Once quests, or missions, are completed, the player is rewarded with experience points, inventory items, and game money, which can be used to access new skills and new areas to explore. The main goals in the game are to reach a maximum level of 90. Once a player reaches the maximum level however, the game is far from over. Finishing all quests, collecting gear and earning a good reputation are the main reasons World of Warcraft is never ending. Also, since there are so many character options, crafters often make alternate characters to experience WoW from different perspectives outside their main characters eyes. (http://us.battle.net/wow)

Studies: Taking a step back from World of Warcraft, a more general question must be answered. Why do people play video games? Contrary to the common belief that only adolescent boys spend the most time with their controllers, the number of adults and women gamers has increased in the past decade. (Thorens, 2013) Video games have become a common way to spend leisure time. Advancements in new technology in computers and game consoles attract bored people looking to fulfil their time. Video

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games provide entertainment with visually appealing graphics, sound effects, music, and storylines, while challenging the mind. People play video games to cure boredom and occupy free time, but what gets people hooked on video games? There are various different opinions on the factors that make gamers satisfied, however, its unanimous that different types of gamers are motivated by different factors of games. In Jane Mcgonigals article featured in the Wall Street Journal titled, Be a Gamer, Save the World, she makes a few points about what players can get from video games that they cant always get in reality. Games provide us with four ingredients that make for a happy and meaningful life: satisfying work, real hope for success, strong social connections, and the chance to become a part of something bigger than ourselves. (Mcgonigal, 2011) Mcgonigal mentions the personal benefits a person gets from gaming, which are types of psychological intrinsic rewards. Intrinsic and extrinsic rewards are two categories of motivation. Extrinsic motivation comes from external factors that motivate people to perform an activity to achieve an outcome; an example would be money. Gaming deals more with intrinsic rewards, which come from enjoyment of an activity. Gamers who are intrinsically motivated are usually interested in mastering the game, not just finishing it. The intrinsic rewards from playing games like World of Warcraft are feelings of being productive, having a heroic purpose, optimistic perspective, and creating social bonds. Video games give players the chance to maximize abilities that they dont have in the real world. (Mcgonigal, 2011) One mans research on video games has sheds light on motivation to play MMORPGs. Richard Bartle, a British game researcher, writer, and professor, classified four different types of gamers: achievers, explorers, socializers, and killers. Achievers set game related goals and work to achieve them. Explorers try to see and find out as much

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about the game as possible. Socializers focus on communication and making relationships with players in the game. Killers are motivated to beat other players and cause distress to them. Different types of players play for different reasons. (Bartle, 2004; Thorens 2013) Another MMORPG researcher, Nick Lee, developed a motivation to play in online games questionnaire. The test is composed of 40 statements in which participants answer a five-point likert scale of how much they agree with the statement. Players were evaluated using factor analysis, which scored them in each of the factors that motivates them most to play online games. The five factors were relationship, manipulation, escapism, achievement, and immersion. The relationship factor measures the desire to communicate and interact with other players on a social level. Manipulation factor measures a players desire for objectifying other players for personal gain. Escapism measures a players desire to forget real world problems by escaping in an online world. Achievement relates to the players willingness to advance within the game to attain power and superiority. Immersion measures a players desire to role-play and be a different character within a virtual reality. Different variables such as age, gender, and hours per week of gameplay were responsible for players being scored differently. Through Lees study, it was found that women are more motivated by relationship, escapism and immersion, whereas men scored higher in achievement and manipulation factors. Lee believes that MMORPGs are played because of three broad aspects: socialization, achievement and immersion which satisfy heterogeneous psychological needs. Lees study concludes that not all players engage an online environment for the same reasons, diversifying the MMORPG community. (Yee, 2006; Thorens 2013) The relationship between online game behaviors and psychological motivators has

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been linked in Bartle and Yees studies, but other studies suggest other factors, such as personality traits, are related to motivators as well. A new study by Graham and Gosling (2013) found that people high in different personality traits, using the big five (extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, neuroticism, and openness) fall into Yees different motivational dimensions. Some results from Graham and Goslings study were socially motivated players tended to be highly extroverted. Individuals who play for the roleplaying aspect and immersion into the game were high in the openness trait. Personality is one of the multiple factors that deals with why people play MMORPGs like World of Warcraft. (Graham, L. T., & Gosling, S. D., 2013)

World of Warcraft: MMORPGs are such a popular form of gaming because of their ability to fulfil psychological needs and provide entertainment. World of Warcraft is the most popular MMORPG in particular because of various aspects of the game. Firstly, the complexity of the game makes it more realistic. The virtual world of Azeroth is enormous and would take practically a lifetime to explore the entire map. The detail put into creating such a complex world keeps players engaged and curious to explore. The customizability is another factor that sets it apart from other MMORPGs. If a player gets tired of their avatar, they can create a new one with an entirely different look and new set of skills. With options to play different classes and races, in different realms, explore role-playing, and interact with new people, the options are endless in World of Warcraft. Although most MMORPGs are fantasy themed, the fantasy element of World of Warcraft attracts gamers. Since the real world doesnt have dragons, magic, and castles, players can see what it would be like to live in a world that does. World of Warcraft

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allows normal people to simulate characters with extraordinary powers. It also gives people the ability to experiment and take risks within the game without having to deal with real life consequences. Bartle emphasizes the importance of freedom in his MMORPG studies. Ultimately, the player is responsible for most outcomes in the game, and there are an infinite amount of ways of achieving goals. Game makers have less control of MMORPGs compared to traditional action video games, where the player completes a series of missions in a chronological order. World of Warcraft is a strategy based game and teamwork is a huge factor in success. Players can make new friends and team up and make new relationships can be made. Existing relationships can also strengthened through gaming. Parents and children game together, spouses and relationships play together and friends play together to learn new things about each other and spend time together. Certain traits like patience, cleverness and maturity can be emphasized in gameplay. Perhaps the biggest factor of why World of Warcraft players continue playing for long periods of time and get addicted to advancing further in the world of Azeroth, is the fact the game never really ends. There is no such thing as beating the game. Players are constantly seeking higher reputations and setting and accomplished self-made goals. The release of expansion packs are also a clever business strategy to keep users engaged and excited for new things in the game. Expansion packs can be purchased after a player reaches a certain point in the previous game. The endless possibilities and opportunities in World of Warcraft contribute to its success.

Conclusion:

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Its clear that there are many different reasons as to why MMORPGs like World of Warcraft are so popular worldwide, and can have take up a lot of time in a players life. The simple reasons are, video games are fun, entertaining, and they make players feel good. Going deeper into the psychology of MMORPGs, researchers and authors such as Jane Mcgonigal, Richard Bartle, Nick Yee, Graham and Gosling have found factors such as types of gamers, demographics and personalities all play a role in why different people play World of Warcraft. Yees three broad motivations, immersion, socialization and advancement summarize the main drives. Contrary to the belief that video games such as World of Warcraft are mindless, unproductive, and unhealthy, in moderation, there are many valid reasons why so many gamers spend a large portion of their lives in front of a computer. Bibliography 1. Hotz,R.L.(2012,March5).Whengamingisgoodforyou.WallStreetJournal.Retrievedfrom http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203458604577263273943183932.html 2. Mcgonigal,J.(2011,January22).Beagamer,savetheworld.WallStreetJournal.Retrievedfrom http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704590704576092460302990884.html?mod=WSJ _newsreel_lifeStyle 3. Whatisworldofwarcraft?:Gameguide.(n.d.).Retrievedfrom http://us.battle.net/wow/en/game/guide/ 4. Thorens,G.,Zullino,D.,Paraskevopoulos,L.,Khazaal,Y.,Achab,S.,VanderLinden,M.,& Billieux,J.(2013).Whydoyouplayworldofwarcraft?anindepthexplorationofselfreported motivationstoplayonlineandingamebehavioursinthevirtualworldofazeroth,computersinhuman behavior.29(1),103109.Retrievedfrom http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0747563212002245 5. Bartle, R. A. (2004). VIRTUAL WORLDLINESS: WHAT THE IMAGINARY ASKS OF THE REAL. New York Law School Law Review, 49(1), 19-44. Retrieved from http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=02961862-2531-49e4-a12

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8-3a680c30e639%40sessionmgr114&vid=4&hid=112 6. Graham, L. T., & Gosling, S. D. (2013). Personality Profiles Associated with Different Motivations for Playing World of Warcraft.Cyberpsychology, Behavior & Social Networking, 16(3), 189-193. doi:10.1089/cyber.2012.0090 Retrieved from http://online.liebertpub.com/doi/pdf/10.1089/cyber.2012.0090 7. Yee, N. (2006). The Psychology of MMORPGs: Emotional Investment, Motivations, Relationship Formation, and Problematic Usage. In R. Schroeder & A. Axelsson (Eds.), Avatars at Work and Play: Collaboration and Interaction in Shared Virtual Environments (pp. 187-207). London: Springer-Verlag. Retrieved from http://www.hci.iastate.edu/REU09/pub/Main/723/yee-psychology-mmorpg.pdf