Heather Tracy

Gaming Journal Day 1--Warhammer

Q1. What does your Avatar look like? Race, Name, Gender, colors, details etc.

A1. My Avatar is a High Elf Swordmaster named Bardot. She has very long light blond hair and green eyes, and is very skilled with a longsword. She wears a white and pale blue Viking--esque robe that is suited to the medieval setting.

Q2. What do you believe motivated your choices?

A2. I chose the features used for my Avatar because of some exaggerated or idealized similarities to my own, although some traits, such as the Avatar’s significant height, were chosen because of a lack of such a trait in real life.

Q3. What other choices were available that did not appeal to you?

A3. There were many starting characters from which to choose, but it was easily narrowed down as I specifically preferred to play with a character similar to myself. If one would be so inclined, one could become a dwarf or an animal if one wishes. Even after choosing your Avatar, you are given many options, from nose shape to eye color to hair style. There was also the option of joining the evil side, known as Chaos, which one may assume would offer an entire different set of choices for the Avatar.

Q4. . If there are professions or classes available what was your choice? Why?

A4. I did eventually make use of some sparring partners that were available to increase y fighting skills.

Q5. How do you feel other players will perceive your Avatar?

A5. I initially felt that other players would think she was grace full but dangerous looking, but I ended up feeling like I might look silly to other players as I ran around seeming aimlessly while I attempted to learn how to control my Avatar and fulfill my quests.

Q6. How much of your decision do you think was based on those perceptions?

A6. I did choose attributes that were romanticized versions of my own, probably very much in part because I did want to have an attractive appearance when interacting with other players.

Q7. Did cultural norms regarding beauty inform your decisions?

A7. Cultural norms did have an effect on the appearance of my avatar, partially on my own part, but also in the form of what the game offered: for instance, of all of the human-like women available for use on the game as an Avatar, they all resemble Victoria’s Secret models, which is certainly not at all representative of the average woman.

Q8. Does your avatar represent aspects of your personality that you see as strengths or does your avatar represent areas of your own personality that may be weaker?

A8. I did choose certain traits that I am proud of, and I also chose traits I envy in other people, such as height.

Gaming Journal Day 2 –WarHammer

Q1. How large is the geographical world you are in?

A1. The world in which WarHammer is set seems to be very large, although considering my inept control of my avatar’s movements, (which is inexcusable since I have logged a ridiculous number of hours playing this game) I could just be going in circles. The map is very large, and there are sections that I haven’t even been granted entrance to that extend even further beyond the map.

Q2. 2. What does the geography resemble? Is the game world completely fantasy or do the regions resemble real world regions?

A2. The section of Warhammer that I have spent most of my time resembles a medieval northern European country village. It is fairly realistic, and could be anywhere in any number of colder European countries, although the names of certain objects, characters, myths, and places strongly suggest a Scandinavian connection.

Q3. What is the tone (mood) of the game?

A3. The tone of the game is definitely that of a medieval Scandinavian village at war with another.

Q4. . Is music present? Does it enhance the tone?

A4. There is no music present.

Q5. To what extent are you able to interact with the game world?

A5. Much of the interaction with the game world is through a quest. Objects become interactive as needed to perform certain tasks. When they are enabled, it can be difficult for a rookie player to figure out exactly how to use them, but trial and error solves that issue.

Q6. To what extent are you able to interact with other players?

A6. I had a difficult time communicating with other players, not understanding many of the terms used, but my eleven year old son, playing Everquest, did make some friends that he engaged in quests with. This makes me wonder if my predispositions about communicating in this way affected my experience of the game’s social aspect.

Q7. Do you feel “at home” in the game world or like an outsider?

A7. Again, like the above question, a lot of the game and terminology confuses me, which made me feel like I was not able to participate fully. My son caught on quickly, however, and enjoyed the experience immensely, so much so that he is using birthday money to purchase a subscription.

Q8. Has this affected your experience so far?

A8. This has affected my experience, in that I get embarrassed at my inexperience and decide to stop playing.

Gaming Journal Day 3--WarHammer

Q1. 1. How much information did you have regarding this game before you began to play?

A1. I had a general idea about what the game might be like minus the social component, having played games such as Sims, Black and White, and Age of Empires, just not with other players. The addition of the social component changes the game as the players are then able to collaborate and plot, adding a new depth to the role playing game.

Q2. What are the primary tasks you have in the game? What do you spend your time doing?

A2. Most of the quests I have fulfilled involve killing marauders, (low level bad guys) in order to free the innocent country residents. I have had a very difficult time learning to maneuver my avatar smoothly about the map, so I actually really do spend a great deal of my time running past my destination and trying to position myself face to face with other characters and avatars, both for fighting and speaking.

Q3. Are the tasks fun, engaging, confusing and do they posit you in a larger story?

A3. After struggling to navigate the game it is very enjoyable, even rewarding, to complete the quests and (slowly) increase in rank. Although I have not made very much progress in the game, it is very clear that the player is increasingly part of a large story as they become more skilled in their achievements.

Q4. Are the tasks collaborative or do they have you in competition with other players?

A4. I have not been assigned any collaborative quests or assignments as of yet, but from what I understand, that does become a part of the game as the player advances. Likewise, I have not noticed any other players trying to achieve the same exact goals as I am, or competing in any other way. This could also be a result of my low experience level.

Q5. . Is there a larger premise to the game or not? Story? Conflict? Final Purpose?

A5. The game is about warring medieval and mythological groups, the purpose, I believe, to re—create the human experience that was to be had during the earliest part of civilization which reinforced certain principles of community, chivalry, honor and strength that players value and may find some aspects of society lacking in.

Q6. Are there tangential tasks to engage in which allow player interaction?

A6. As in the earlier question regarding the collaborative tasks, I have not yet encountered such a quest, but I do believe it may exist.

Q7. Do you feel your personality affects the way you accomplish tasks in the game world?

A7. I definitely see my offline personality reflection in my online behavior, which reinforces the theory that our gaming experiences can certainly be considered real experiences of sorts.

Gaming Journal Day 4, WarHammer

Q1. What social interaction have you experienced thus far?

A1. Some players have said hello to me, but generally I do not understand much of the dialogue that runs through the chat box. I also think that the area I’m in is specifically for beginners, which may explain for a lower level of communication.

Q2. Does the appearance of other player avatars affect the way you interact with them?

A2. I am having a hard time communicating all that much, but when I have, I chose to greet an avatar with a similar manner of clothing to my own, because I felt like they were the safest people to communicate. My son, however, made some friends close to his age, and they all enjoyed showing off their various intimidating avatars to each other.

Q3. Do you think you could “summarize” the player base of the game you are playing in terms of age, background, education level, race, religion etc?

A3. I don’t think you could entirely categorize the player base of WarHammer; I think it might be surprising to find the diversity of most of these game’s players. I do think that a similar need to belong among other things may be a bond between many players.

Q4. Is there a perceptible player culture and how would you describe it?

A4. Although I have not as of yet physically seen evidence of a player culture within WarHammer, I have read evidence of it on the text chat box. Many of the players, especially the more advanced, use a WarHammer—text language that is almost impossible to decode without some serious time, coffee and research.

Q5. Have met any people you think you would particularly like or dislike outside of the game?

A5. As mentioned earlier, I have not successfully engaged in a great deal of conversation with anyone, but I have watched my son interact with some of his friends, which he enjoys. I do believe he would like to meet them if the family internet safety rules did not soundly prevent against such a thing. I think that these games often breed friendship because of the bond of the common interests and likes. I think that I might have more confidence in a game based on subjects I might be more knowledgeable about.

Q6. Is there a possibility for larger communities developing in-game or are players “on their own”.

A6. I think both the game setting and the nature of activity certainly supports players become parts of larger cooperative groups, but can be played alone if the player wishes.

Q7. What benefits do the player communities offer?

A7. With yet another example of gaming becoming its own reality, the large-group player is able to hone their ability and perform to a higher level of ability and simultaneously reap the benefits when another player does the same. Once again, the large group helps provide a social base full of people with similar interests.

Q8. Do these in game player communities extend to places outside of the game?

A8. I do believe that players that have invested a good deal of time and effort in their gamin experience may indeed form groups and have meetings and events based on the game they have in common, particularly in more heavily populated areas.

Gaming Journal, Day 5 WarHammer

Q1. Record some examples of ethical and unethical behavior you have observed.

And Q2. How do these actions reflect the attitudes of this particular game community?

A1&2. For the first question, I was going to say that I noticed that when I was fighting, people would come and assist me, which I thought was good, but my son pointed out that they may be trying to “steal my kill” as he put it, so I became a bit cloudy on what was what. It does seem to me, however, that much of the premise of this game, and ones similar, is based on honor and chivalry, which seems to me, would discourage unethical behavior. Even participating in a war means that you are fighting for a cause you presumably believe in enough to kill or be killed, which could be argued to be an ethical to do.

Q3. Do these actions represent a larger aspect of gaming culture or are they isolated?

A3. I believe that these particular attributes are part of the story of this and several other games, making honor and chivalry isolated to these particular games. I think that whatever it is that the game teaches and reinforces can clearly become a reality to the player. So if the player is carjacking, the players as a group may not display ethical interaction and behavior.

Q4. What kind of learning experiences did you have in game? Tutorials, other players etc?

A4. I did not participate in any tutorials or classes besides engaging with the sparring partners mentioned earlier.

Q5. Do you think the game you played could be used as a teaching tool?

A5. I absolutely believe that this game and others similar could be used as a learning tool. In addition to the applications that we have learned about that are being developed and tested, the interest such gaming sparks in a variety of subjects ranging from history to math to computer graphics undoubtedly classifies this kind of gaming as having educational potential.

Q6. What are your overall impressions of the game you played and the community?

A6. I think that the people who dedicate enough time and energy into their gaming receive a rewarding social life in return, and their interaction can lead to many more improvements in their life. I think that the game is difficult to play, however, and the community hard to break into, until one has invested enough time.