WoW: Cataclysm still on target for a 2010 release
"My Life as a Night Elf Priest"
by Mike Schramm 
Apr 1st 2009 at 4:00PM
A University of California Irvine anthropologist named Bonnie Nardi has been studying one of the strangest cultures known to man lately, and she's going to be presenting her findings in a book called "My life as a Night Elf Priest" -- that's right, she's been taking notes on the weird sociological experiment known as Azeroth. It sounds pretty interesting -- she's been examining the way Chinese and American players play the game (and of course the differences between them), and she's also looking into how games like WoW can bring us closer together rather than isolating us socially. It's funny -- as a genre and a technology, MMO games are actually in the absolute earliest phases of their history. Socoiologists and psychologists have been studying real humans for thousands of years, and yet it's only in the past few decades that they've gotten access to MMO games, like little petri dishes of condensed human behavior. Nardi may be one of the first to try and scientifically examine how players use (and are affected by) this technology, but she'll definitely be far from the last.
Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Virtual selves, Odds and ends
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
monk Apr 1st 2009 4:11PM
ive been playing wow for 2 and a half years and my one and only toon has been a night elf priest. i learned all about wow from him. kind of a noob background but ill share it anyway. i never wanted to do anything "unholy" so as i leveled i stayed away from quests that i didnt agree with, i didnt learn any shadow spells or put points into any shadow talents...it wasnt untill i was level 58 before bc came out that a few guildies told me how benificial shadow spells could be..i was on a pvp server and my buddies had a good laugh. to this day i wont roll shadow and i try to do the good thing while im traveling in azeroth. ill stop and heal someone in need. i avoid ganking and pretty much try to live to the make believe standards that us NE have. Especially the holy priest ones.
ps. Starshards-RIP
Decrusher Apr 1st 2009 4:21PM
i feel bad now. iv played a pally for almost 3 years, but compared to you, he might as well be a DK. i gank people mercilessley, steal nodes, and generally reek havoc. btw im holy spec. i feel bad now lol
Yeng Apr 1st 2009 4:30PM
You feel so bad that you lawl at the end :D
Kryxx Apr 1st 2009 4:49PM
I feel bad for punctuation and capitalization...
Demidru Apr 1st 2009 8:10PM
I find it hysterical that he "reeks" havoc. I understand wreaking havoc, but if you reek, just take a damn shower.
SINisterWyvern Apr 2nd 2009 1:11PM
You earned the achievment - Douchebag!
congratulations
Strahl Apr 1st 2009 4:26PM
"Absolute earliest phases of their history"? You do know they've been around for well over 10 years right?
Hoboken Apr 1st 2009 4:32PM
You do know that humans have been around for well over tens of thousands of years right?
Reuben Apr 1st 2009 4:51PM
He means in the grand scheme of things. 10 years is nothing when compared to the vast history of human existence.
Strahl Apr 1st 2009 5:05PM
Hoboken seems a little confused so I'll extend the quote:
"It's funny -- as a genre and a technology, MMO games are actually in the absolute earliest phases of their history."
He's saying 'as a genre and a technology' not comparing the existance of MMOs to the rest of human history. That's what I had issue with. MMOs as a genre have been around for quite a long time in gaming history.
Graham Apr 1st 2009 5:16PM
Strahl is wrong. Here is the extended quote:
"Socoiologists and psychologists have been studying real humans for thousands of years, and yet it's only in the past few decades that they've gotten access to MMO games..."
So he is indeed comparing the meager existence of MMOs to the existence of humans.
monk Apr 1st 2009 4:30PM
its never too late to change decrusher. can i get a "halleluya!"
and 10 years compared to 1000 years does equate to early stages...
Decrusher Apr 1st 2009 4:31PM
Amen
Grimortam Apr 1st 2009 4:35PM
I think this is really interesting and I would like to read her full report, does anyone know if she will also be publishing it? I'd love to buy it.
Marious Apr 1st 2009 4:38PM
There was a huge experiment done by a student in UCSD concerning Second Life similar to this. And probably there has been others done with similar MMO's. I saw an article in the local free publication in San Diego that covered the experiment done with Second Life.
RetPallyJil Apr 1st 2009 4:49PM
Jil is all RP-ready if anyone bothers to ask.
Most of the time, however, she just happily crushes skulls ... in the name of the Light, of course.
Keyra Apr 1st 2009 6:31PM
That would SO make for an awesome T-shirt!
"Happily Crushing Skulls in the Name of the Light!"
RetPallyJil Apr 2nd 2009 3:55PM
I know *I* would buy one :)
Corth Apr 1st 2009 4:53PM
Just to put my two cents in the human race in the history of the world is like a blink of an eye compared to its entire "life span" so to speak.
Gawd Apr 1st 2009 5:11PM
If the entire existence of planet Earth was mapped on a 24 hour clock, the presence of human beings would be the LAST TWO SECONDS.