Journal of Gaming & Virtual Worlds - Volume 1, Issue 1, 2009

This article examines the construction, representation and commingling of gender identity in the online role-playing game (RPG) World of Warcraft. I show how players on German-speaking non-RPG servers blend gender by using linguistic markers of gender (like specific articles and suffixes) in an interchangeable way. Subsequent to this analysis, possible consequences for the online world as an opposition to offline reality and as a space for negotiation of gender identity are discussed. Focusing on different modes of communication while playing, I develop a more differentiated view on communication, sex and gender in online communities a view that goes beyond an assumption of simplistic, one-dimensional gender bending.

The ability of computers to produce presence the visceral feeling of actually being there is typically associated with the presentation of intensive graphical effects. But studies on presence indicate that what players are able to do in fact contributes more to their sense of presence than graphical realism. Keeping this in mind, I explore possibilities for performing presence in digital narratives, particularly through the non-graphical digital medium of interactive fiction. I draw from critical theorists (Barthes, Iser and especially Gumbrecht) as well as theorists of new media (Aarseth, Ryan, Montfort) to frame an investigation into two major aspects of presence production in interactive fiction, namely: 1) how interactive fiction generates presence through the exclusive use of verbal signifiers rather than graphical images, and 2) how it allows users to generate presence themselves through their own actions. I conclude by examining three works of interactive fiction: Adventure, All Roads and Luminous Horizon (Crowther and Woods 19756; Ingold 2006; O'Brian 2004).

This empirical study focuses on explaining the utilization of three video game genres first person shooters, strategy games and role-playing games and on whether different explanatory models can be established for the three genres. A model comprising the three explanatory components, gratifications sought (GS), gratifications obtained (GO) and subjective restrictions or capacities, operationalized by the skills that players have to have for the specific genres, serves as a theoretical basis.

Data was collected by way of an online survey (N = 5,257). The results show that GO and the capacities are particularly suited to explaining the use of video games. While GO generally seem to offer a basis for explaining the use of video games, since the dimensions power and competition and thrill of adventure do influence the use of all three genres, there were considerable differences between the individual genres in terms of capacities. Gamers who have a high stress threshold and quick reactions, as well as a good sense of direction, tend to prefer first person shooters. The use of strategy games may be explained in terms of skills like logic and strategic thought. On the other hand, patient gamers prefer role-playing games. The explanatory power of GS, however, proves to be extremely low. Based on these results, approaches are discussed for further research in this field.

Vicarious play: a jaunt through computer role-playing game historyDungeons & Desktops: The History of Computer Role-Playing Games, Matt Barton (2008), First Edition Wellesley, MA: A K Peters, Ltd, 451pp., ISBN 978-1-56881-411-7, Hardback, $39.00 (USD).

What else can I be? A critical evaluation of World of Warcraft

It's not real until you can tax it: how gaming, yet again, changes realityExodus to the Virtual World: How Online Fun is Changing Reality, Edward Castronova (2007), First Edition New York: Palgrave MacMillan, 256pp., ISBN 1-4039-8412-3, Hardback, $24.95 (USD).

Computer. Computer. Hello ComputerThe keyboard. How quaint. Montgomery Scott, Star Trek: The Voyage Home (Nimoy et al. 1986).