tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-55244959384340813232024-03-05T04:29:31.154-08:00StrongsquigKristine Askhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02114404736446380288noreply@blogger.comBlogger20125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5524495938434081323.post-13339873755072494692009-06-24T08:13:00.000-07:002009-06-24T08:14:53.475-07:00Moving on to greener pasturesTurns out that for all my fuzz about emo bloggers, I quite like it. So, I decided to upgrade!<br /><br />Follow the rest of my ramblings at: <a href="http://www.kristineask.com">Ask in game</a><br /><br />www.kristineask.comKristine Askhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02114404736446380288noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5524495938434081323.post-86053565380573351952009-05-01T03:08:00.001-07:002009-06-10T04:17:52.121-07:00The adventures of Martin FuryScene 1: Player1 looses character to a keylogger who hacks the account. Player1 is very sad, and petitiones Blizzard to have it back. Nothing seem to happen.<br />Scene 2: Player1 is in contant with Blizzard about a looting error, and brings up this issue once more. The lost characters are restored with random low level items, including a Martin Fury. <br />ITEM: Martin Fury. A GM only item that will kill all monsters in the area when used.<br />Scene 3: Player1 joines his guild on a few raids, and decides to use it for comedy value and to see if it actually does what's expected.<br />Scene 4: At Blizzard headquarters someone falls off their chair when they see a tiny unknown guild achieve several world firsts within a very short space of time. Time to investigate!<br />Scene 5: Player 1 as well as Player 2- 20 from the same guild, gets banned for beeing part of an activity breaking the EULA. Sad music, and broken hearts. Is this justice?<br />Scene 6: The internet gets on it and starts sharing the news, flaming, supporting and digging out the details. <br />Scene 7: Blizzard gets worried and starts deleting all threads on their official forum regarding this story. Masked people in dark corridors.<br />Scene 8: Silly game researcher decide to also get on the bandwagon... <br /><br />End Scene: <br />So, what is the most engaging here? That a person got a GM item and used it? Clearly realizing that it probably wasnt right? Or that Blizzard decided not ban, not only him but everyone around him as well?<br />Personally I think the best part is how Blizzard is now trying to hush it up, deleting all threads with any mention of it. And that others couldnt care less and getting their <a href="http://www.wowinsider.com/2009/04/30/the-martin-fury-scandal-karatechop-reveals-all/">scoops</a>Kristine Askhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02114404736446380288noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5524495938434081323.post-5598703097136304862009-06-10T03:57:00.000-07:002009-06-10T04:15:20.023-07:00The end of WoW?No game company will tell that they are on the decline, no company will say if players are leaving. So how can we know when a game looses its potency?<br /><br /><a href="http://www.wolfsheadonline.com/?p=2217">Wolfshead </a> has used the tool Alexa to determine the use of the official <a href="http://www.worldofwarcraft.com/">World of Warcraft webpage</a>, and looking over the last 22 months there has been a decline in the use of the webpage. So, does this mean that the peak has been reached? Is the largest MMORPG on the market ready for retirement?<br /><br />The use of this tool is quite fascinating, and good effort on Wolfsheads part on trying to think outside the box. But what has he really found?<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">The use of the american World of Warcraft webpage has declined. </span><br /><br />As <a href="http://tobolds.blogspot.com/2009/06/wolfshead-on-decline-of-wow.html">Tobold commented</a>, thats only one segment of the WoW player base. The European playerbase might be different, and who really knows whats going on in China. <br /><br />All MMORPGs have fluctuations, simply cause very few people limited themselves to one playstyle during their "playing career". Due to change in game design, a change of RL situation or perhaps a wish to explore the game in a different way (or all three) a player will change. It is very possible to spend years beeing a casual gamer, then decide to go hardcore. Just like someone who has never tried RP before decides to give it a shot, and someone who spent all their time playing cuts down to a bare minimum. If it is one thing that is predictable about MMORPGs and their users is that it is not static... <br /> <br /><br />The use of a webpage doesn't tell about the use of a game. Since WoW was launched, a massive quantity of other online foras have emerged. If you want news, sites such as MMO-Champion or WoWInsider will be just as updated. If you have questions about your character, go to the Elitist Jerks forums rather the the official forum. Then there is ofcourse the many bloggers, tweeters etc etc. It is very possible that what Alexis.com is charting, is a change in where players find their information about the game.Kristine Askhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02114404736446380288noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5524495938434081323.post-18838046974228193972009-05-18T07:26:00.001-07:002009-05-18T08:34:08.663-07:00What to study? How your love for games will confuse youGames are captivating, facinating and thrilling - both to play and study. I should know, it's what I do. However, I also know that it can be confusing to study something that engages on so many levels. There is a million things I wish to look into, and another million or two that I have already seen and want to write about. <br /><br />In the last week I have been speaking to two students who are both in the process of formulating a topic for their master thesis, and both of them got directed to me cause they have an interest for games. When talking to them and desperately trying to part with some wisdom, I got confronted with many of the choices I made and the things I wish I knew when I started out. <br /><br />For what they are worth, here it is some of the things I wish someone told me when I started out: <br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">1) If you think something is cool and interesting as a gamer, it will be interesting for an academic audience.</span> All you need to do is make that idea/concept/thing into a research project. That's what your counselor is there for, so bring it to him/her and see what you can make out of it. The Game Studies field is populated with people with a passion for games, so don't be afraid to draw on your gamer experiences. <br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">2) Think about what you would like to write about the most, not what you think makes a "good" master thesis. </span>When writing you will find that your theme will end up relating to the current body of academic work in some way or another, so go for a story you want to tell rather then the one you <span style="font-style:italic;">think </span>the audience (aka your sensor) want to hear. Lots of people, inside and outside academia, want to know more about computer games. Your thesis will have an audience regardless, so focus on having a story you wish to tell them. <br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">3) Write lots of notes.</span> If you want to study a game you are playing, write down things happening in game that you find fascinating. Its not about generating empirical data, but giving yourself a chance to get some distance and have a look at what actually grabs you when you play. Regardless of what data you choose, such notes will help you understand the game better - and can be useful in supporting other data. <br /><br />4) When you find clippings, newpaper articles, blogs etc. that tells stories about games that you think are bad, that tells a story about games you don't think is write, that is ignorant etc etc, but is not related to your topic - don't use your thesis to prove them wrong. If you write about gender in games, and you find an article about kids beeing addicted - don't try to argue against it in your paper. Its off topic, and even though it would be nice to prove such false claims wrong, the thesis is not the place. It cant be about everything related to games, or correct every wrongful myth. <span style="font-weight:bold;">Just get a blog and QQ like the rest of us</span>. <br /><br />5) <span style="font-weight:bold;">Dont be afraid to be an expert</span>. Your topic will interest many people, and you will often find yourself discussing your thesis at parties, family gatherings, lunchbreaks etc. You WILL have unique knowledge about games, even though someone else have played more/longer/at a higher level - and your knowledge is academic even though lots of people can talk about it. <br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">6) Whatever game(s) you choose - play lots</span>. Get involved with the community, try things that you normally wouldn't. Never tried strategygames? Give it a go! Never contacted support? Call them! Never made machinima? Try it! Remember that studying games isnt just about telling your story. Finding out what other gamers experience isnt just useful for your work, its also fun.Kristine Askhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02114404736446380288noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5524495938434081323.post-45526145748521959982009-04-28T05:24:00.000-07:002009-05-01T02:58:03.324-07:00Application: Strongsquig [declined]One central point of raidingguilds is the churn of members. Ofcourse there is a steady core that keeps on going, that keeps the guild together, does the work etc. But there is always some kind of flux when it comes to members. <br />I have always had a facination for this particular aspect of running a guild. Not cause what happens is unique, but because it is a microcosmos of people trying to make the best out of it. <br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Joining guilds </span><br />When I first joined my current guild, I simply chatted for a few minutes with the guildmaster. He didnt seem to think myself and my friends were absolute retards, so we got in no problem and only minutes later we were in on our first raid in Naxxramas. A few months later, the guild has grown steadily and we have weeded out members who are not up to the standard we want. Ulduar has gone well, and we seem to be a wellfunctioning raidingguild. Atleast for the moment. <br />Ofcourse this has massivly effected our recruitmentstrategies and policies. Where before we would take pretty much anyone who could spell their name almost right, and were not walking around naked and drooling (not in game atleast, we still suspect several current members to do that IRL) in on trial - we now only bring on board the ones we really like. Why? Because we have that luxury. Atleast 4-5 people apply to the guild on a weekly basis, and since we are not in dire need of any classes right now we can simply pick and choose from the ones we really like. Even as a casual guild we dont want to bring aboard more fail then we need to. <br /><br />Its quite basic isnt it. <br />A guild does well, and everyone wants to join. You can choose the ones you want, and awesome breeds more awesome. A guild runs badly, and you will get crappy applicants you are forced to take to fill up raids. <br />Like anything else in this game: it works exponentially. <br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Applications</span><br />As most other raidingguilds we get people who want to join to write applications on our forums. And this is quite a study of human nature. Our appliation template is quite standard, its about a dusin questions asking about experience, raidingtimes, references, UI etc. The stuff you would ask anyone you would employ, any stranger that you were going to put some amount of trust in. <br /><br />What people do with these few questions varies greatly. And even though a few get accepted, we declined even more. <br />So, here is a short list of things that is a good idea when applying to a raidingguild. Based on the last few weeks applications, some guidance is needed: <br /><br />- Answer all the questions. If you dont know the answer to things like "What is your experience in game?" you should probably not apply in the first place. <br />- If your UI looks like shit, then we will assume you dont know the basics such as how to install addons. Basic UI with threatmeters slapped in the righthand corner wont impress anyone. <br />- If you used to be a member of the guild you are applying to, its probably a smart thing to mention. You are likely to still get declined, but its common curtesy. <br />- Answering requests in your application thread with snotty rembarks will not make you look any more charming. <br />- Give good reasons for why you left your previous guild. Things like "They sayded i didn raid enuf" wont convince us. Neither will "they were shit". <br /><br /><br />Good luck.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.merchantaccountblog.com/images/declined.gif"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 481px; height: 169px;" src="http://www.merchantaccountblog.com/images/declined.gif" border="0" alt="" /></a>Kristine Askhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02114404736446380288noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5524495938434081323.post-25512674538559038012009-04-30T03:33:00.000-07:002009-04-30T03:45:47.085-07:00Achievements and how they made me care.Sicne the introduction of the <a href="http://www.worldofwarcraft.com/wrath/features/gameplay/achievements.xml">achievementsystem in WoW</a>, I have been rampantly against it. I find no enjoyment in fulfilling random tasks to be awarded points, which in turn can only be used on vanity things such as titles or mounts. <br /><br />Its just not my cup of tea.<br /><br />If we have an instance on farm, I much rather just farm it quickly - so I can return to doing something else. Like making money, lvling alts or grooming my giraffe. Making encounters unnecessary difficult (by f.ex. not killing the adds) just dont sit right with me. <br /><br />Now it turns out I kinda have to care. <br /><br />When ranking guilds achievements are counted. Sites such as http://wow.guildprogress.com/ will rate guilds with more achievements higher then those without. Regardless of who first got the kill. <br /><br />So, to achieve our goal of beeing a top guild on the server - we need to complete achievements. <br />Just like that - a ranking system that I do care about, forces me to care about achievements - a system I dont care about...Kristine Askhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02114404736446380288noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5524495938434081323.post-3618203149143087892009-04-28T05:56:00.000-07:002009-04-28T06:15:10.246-07:00And then you get the boot...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://knzzrants.com/snover/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/trump-youre-fired.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 430px; height: 322px;" src="http://knzzrants.com/snover/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/trump-youre-fired.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />Continuing on the whole process of joining and leaving guilds, I wish to bring up a few examples of different ways I have seen people leave guilds I have been in. I think they exemplify how differently how people seem to think about what a guild is, what commitment is and what the community is expected to do. In many cases it reminds me of bad break-up scenes on TV. <br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">"Nice fooling around, but I got other stuff going on"</span><br />This is the most drama free of all gquits. This is players who realize for some reason or another that they are going to quit the guild, and often quit the game as well. Chance of this happening is greatly increased when a new girlfriend/boyfriend/significant other is put into the equation.<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">"I think we should see other guilds"</span><br />A classic. Trialists who dont say anything during their trial period, weeks pass, shows up steadily to raids, never posts on the forum or say anything wrong. Everything seems fine until one day a brief post states that this is not the guild for him/her. Thanking for the time together, in a few lines he/she explains that we just didnt get along, and he/she will leave the guild to find his/her real soulmates. <br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">"Cpt Emo"</span><br />This is a common one. Often comes from players who are not really that good at the game, and who dont have much experience with either the game or with online communities in general. After beeing told that they don't really belong here, and that perhaps they should find another guild (they dont meet the standards, dont raid enough, dont get the jokes or is simply too weird) they respond with what seems like grief. Often resulting in a forum post stating how they feel injustified, that this has been a huge personal hit and that they feel betrayed. "Why me?" is a likely response, not understanding that none of the readers will sympathise. <br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">"Fuck you BITCH!"</span><br />This is a personal favourite. The people who just get really angry when you tell them that they will have to leave now, very often cause they are behaving inappropriate. Like a drunk guy shouting outside your window, he will blame you for beeing inside listening (thus making you a BITCH) rather then realizing that the drunken, shithead behaviour is the real problem at hand. Extensive use of caps, and will take any opportunity to slag you later on to anyone who is willing to listen. <br />In the desperate attempt to disprove the person removing him/her from the guild, he/she also fails to realize that any possible supporters he/she might have had is now gone. Noone wants a guildie who spams "FU I dotn neeD tis SHIT!!!U dont hav a LAIF"<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">"I am quitting now. Honest."</span><br />In most cases, they end up leaving eventually - but will then fall into one of the above categories when it actually happens. Before that it is simply several long emo posts saying how they dont enjoy the game anymore, and how they might not be around any longer. That they feel unappreciated and that things arent like they used to be. Keeps talking about how things were better in the old days, and dont get that the more they talk about it - the less people will care.Kristine Askhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02114404736446380288noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5524495938434081323.post-34588764239062519532008-12-05T02:36:00.000-08:002009-04-28T05:43:45.505-07:00Big Brother Sees You!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYV4WuQQgw3td5txqQAsB_lIgd8f2qrnldsh-4FRNr4jAwSOlQA_FwXXSGpNe2Xzl0zlYyKp1LPZwlhjBdT6QSU3LOmsN9iswLrDTos9cbfHD3sGNgCe502nHgovIXMPg6UM6RMQNVQiNq/s1600-h/in+your+profile.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 337px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYV4WuQQgw3td5txqQAsB_lIgd8f2qrnldsh-4FRNr4jAwSOlQA_FwXXSGpNe2Xzl0zlYyKp1LPZwlhjBdT6QSU3LOmsN9iswLrDTos9cbfHD3sGNgCe502nHgovIXMPg6UM6RMQNVQiNq/s400/in+your+profile.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5276259418571082946" /></a><br />Riskcalculation is a central part of playing MMOs like WoW: Will the reward be worth the time? Is the cost justified by the reward? And more importantly: Will teaming up with this person be beneficial or dangerous?<br /><br />Even in smaller groups, players depend on each other to fulfill their role. If someone isn't performing at their best, the group is at risk to ALL have to spend more time and money to accomplish something. In guilds this is enhanced as new members are risky; they get a chance to reap the benefits, but you don't know them and how can you trust them not to screw things up or run away after they have gotten their part?<br /><br />A commonplace practice in serious guilds (as well as less serious ones) is to make applications, usually on a forum/website. They are in most aspects similar to a work application with questions like; What are your previous experience? What do you bring to this community? Are you a team player? What are your goals?<br /><br />The problem ofcourse is that this is The Internet (tm) and it's possible to forge this. To claim to have more experience or brush over earlier misgivings. Reputation is a key element for players to ensure success, the name sticks with the character and a rocky reputation will exclude you from many a community (See Taylor 2006: Between Worlds). So, how do you ensure that people are telling the truth? <br />The Armory: a online database which holds a copy of your WoW character with both it's gear and spec (skill specialization) put some pressure on this when introduced about 2 years ago (?). Now everyone could see what gear the character had, and thus what part of the game this toon had explored and overcome. <br /><br />The Armory is now an integrated part of the game, a chance to look up guilds, servers as well as battlegroups to get an impression of what standard and achievements have been done. But, apparently that wasn't enough... With the 3.0 patch the Amory was extended. In game an achievement system appears (will log if you complete instances, do x amount of quests, make x amount of gold, train professions, explore zones, get many pets etc.) similar to that of LOTRO and WAR. In addition a statistics function appears which tells how much money I have made, how many potions I have drunk, how many kills, how many times I have died and more. <br /><br />For some obscure reason, this achievement and statistics system is now also available in the Armory. So - anyone can basically log on and find out fairly intimate details about what I have been up to since last patch. Is this really necessary?<br /><br />Is there <span style="font-style:italic;">really</span> a need for other players to find out how many bandages I have used? Its like your boss keeping track of how many pencils you have used, or your partner wanting a graph over how many sheets of toilet paper... Why is this posted in public?<br /><br />My character isn't excellent by any standards. It's actually an old character I have revived. In early vanilla WoW she kicked some ass, but in WoW terms that's so long ago it might just as well be during the Second World War. <br /><br />Looking at her achievements and statistics, it tells the reader about how much I have done on her since patch 3.0. However, it doesn't tell much about me as a player. It doesn't tell what other characters I have been lvling or playing with. Am I just sulking cause now everyone knows she sucks, or is it still OK to be angered when the illusion of privacy is broken?<br /><br /><br />One good thing is that you can access the in game calender through Armory, so you won't forget what you are raiding tonight.Kristine Askhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02114404736446380288noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5524495938434081323.post-63691967704016170992009-04-01T07:43:00.001-07:002009-04-01T08:02:29.973-07:00When Azeroth is too big.People who have bothered themselves with trying to find out the actual size of Azeroth (the gameworld in WoW fyi), have concluded that is quite small. If you use people and buildings as the items setting the scale, each continent is about the size of Manhattans (Aarseth 2008).<br /><br />Its tiny. <br /><br />So why am I having such a hard time to get to terms with it?<br />Looking forward there seems just too many things I wish to bring forward to the academic limelight, too many people, practices and technologies I wish to discuss. On these small digital islands size does not seem to matter. <br /><br />Perhaps its exactly because of the "small space" that they end up being so closely linked, so hard to untangle and separate. <br /><br />It does sometime feel a bit crowded. <br /><br /><br />Aarseth, Espen (2008): World of Warcraft as Spatial Practice in Rettberg og Corneliussen (ed): "Digital Culture, Play and Identity. The World of Warcraft reader."Kristine Askhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02114404736446380288noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5524495938434081323.post-23701898667657586142009-02-12T14:44:00.000-08:002009-02-14T06:48:11.049-08:00Wrath of the Casual King<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.ripten.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/05/wow-lk-siteupdate-52008.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 480px; height: 406px;" src="http://www.ripten.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/05/wow-lk-siteupdate-52008.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />With the release of WOTLK WoW took at distinct step towards a MMORPG that caters for casual gamers. Where will it go next? Who is the game designed for?<br /><br />As a backdrop for this you find the endless arguing simply referred to as "casual vs hardcore". The grife bewteen <a href="http://www.wowwiki.com/Casual">casual gamers</a> and <a href="http://www.wowwiki.com/Hardcore">hardcore gamers</a> has raged since... well forever. Long story short: Casual gamers complain that too much content is designed so that only no-lifers and social clients gets to enjoy it, it's too hard and too timeconsuming. The Hardcore gamers complain that the game is dumbed down and changes are made that is ruining the game, simply cause people are crap at playing. <br />That these will ever make peace is quite unlikely, you might as well put money down on pigs flying. However, what's getting interesting is that these two groups are getting harder to seperate. In early WoW days someone with an epic item was hardcore, cause that meant that they had either been in a raid (something reserved for the few and brave) - now you can roll through 5 man heroic dungeons withtout any issue and there has been a severe inflation of the value epic items from rare to standard. Moreover, a hardcore player used to be the one that knew their way around dugeons, about what specialisations were worthwhile and of the underlying mechanics. Now, this is something expected from everyone. Even the most casual of players is presumed to know about their classes abilities, to know of moneymaking schemes, instance strategies and patch updates. So is this still a valid distinction?<br /><br />There is still arguments raging on most forums about upcoming changes and persistant problems, calls for <a href="http://www.wowwiki.com/Nerf">nerfs</a> or buffs to classes or content. Some say that the current content is too easy, while others are cheering about the chance to finally get access to parts of the game that previously were only avaiable to a minority group and a ceritain playstyle. However, it's not a clear divide between the two groups. It is true that the current content has taken a surprisingly short time to overcome, however as a entry level raiding dungeon: Naxxramas (which comprises most of the current raidingcontent) is alot more advanced then Molten Core (one of the first raid instnaces in early WoW) ever was. The community as a whole is more educated about game mechanics and strategies, regardless of the hardcore/casual distinction.<br />What's been removed is the elements that earlier were central in making the distinction between casual and hardcore: fights were you needed a strange raidcomposition (like 8 tanks on Four Horseman), gearchecks (fights that required the entire raid to be max-geared), resistchecks (fights that required a ceirtain type of gear to give survivability, like fire resist gear in Molten Core). With these timeconsuming and committing elements gone from the game, the focus is now on the fights themselves. <br /><br />A bit of a roundabout way to my point, but I think I am getting there: <br /><br />Our perception of new content is colored by our previous experiences, but we seem to forget the advancement of the player community when making such comparisons. Gameplay isnt just about what is designed, it's also about what the player brings to the table. With the aveage player beeing more knowledgable then before, new content ends up beeing perceived as easier - but in reality it's more complex then ever before.Kristine Askhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02114404736446380288noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5524495938434081323.post-55112632918862452372009-01-29T04:40:00.000-08:002009-01-29T05:37:51.088-08:00Twinking - an introduction"<span style="font-style:italic;">Twinks are player characters who have gained the best powerful gear for their level ... Twinks are mainly used in PvP fighting and Battlegrounds. Twinks obtain their items through rare drops, drops off of bosses in instances, rewards from quests that are difficult to complete at their level, and from the Auction House. Twink items on the Auction House can be expensive. Twink enchantments can only be performed by high-level characters. Therefore, twinking usually requires significant assistance from high-level alts, friends, and/or guild members.</span>" (From Wowwiki.com about <a href="http://www.wowwiki.com/Twink">Twinks</a>) <br /><br />Twinks represent a special type of playstyle. While the majority of players will aim to be the highest level, to get the best possible gear in the game and conquer now content - following the ideal of beeing on the bleeding edge - twinkers decide to be somewhere else. <br />Instead of reaching for the most powerful character in the game, a twinker aim to have the most powerful character at a given level. Since Battlegrounds (zones where you fight other players) are bulked together in level brackets of 10-19, 20-29 etc Twinks will be 19,29,39 etc. <br /><br />So, whats the challenge then? Why not go all the way to 80? Certainly it makes no sense staying at such a low level?<br />For twinkers, evolving the character represents a different kind of challenge. While leveling most people will go for things that are available or doesn't require too much effort to get, as soon you will level on and items will be outclassed fairly soon. Twinkers however put just as much effort into getting their gear as raiders would. Since a twink will stay a ceirtain level (like 19,29,39 etc) with no intention of moving on, its more then anything a game about finding the most suitable items possible for that exact level - even if that item is ridiculously expensive or hard to get. <br /><br />Twinking is an oppositional reading of the games script, where they generate goals and procedures clearly not intended by the designers. They are bordering the line of cheating, always looking for loopholes in the game system - ways to get items or advances through neglect on the programmers side (such as lack of level requirement on items or quests). Since time and money is not an issue, it sometimes leads to slightly absurd projects. <a href="http://www.wowwiki.com/Furbolg_Medicine_Pouch">The Furbolg Pouch</a> is one of these. Basically, you will need a friend (or alternate account) til kill 1157 furbolgs for you while you wait around dead, so that you can buy this item through reputation. 1157 isn't THAT many, but its many enough... <br /><br />Opinions about twinks does differ. Some describe them as cheaters, ruining the game for others as in PvP situations a twink will outperform non-twinks to such an extent it can not be seen as a fair fight. In Battlegroups that have high population of twinks, playing PvP as a non-twink will then mean little chance to impact the fight and a great chance of spending the majority of your time on the graveyard. <br /><br />"<span style="font-style:italic;">Wow, I hate twinks so much. 06/05/2007 11:05:09 AM PDT<br />Seriously, shut up about your leet x9 battle groups. You play a twink because you failed at 70 and everybody knows it. Have fun playing against people with 1/3 your HP/dmg/crit or w/e you stack.<br />Failures, quit plaguing our Battle Group forum</span>."<br />Noxousx on <a href="http://forums.worldofwarcraft.com/thread.html?topicId=108304906&sid=1&pageNo=1">Vindication Battlegroup Forum</a><br /><br />For all the flaming and QQ around twinks (and how they are changing the nature of Battlegrounds), I have deep respect for how they are making the game their own. Twinks is relate to the script in a more proactive way then other playergroups. By choosing to stay at a certain level, they are not prone to constant changes as more content is added - and with a smaller selection of items and talentpoints to choose from: The potential for reaching the ultimate potential of the character is actually achievable. And this is a conscious part of the twinking community: <br /><br />"<span style="font-style:italic;">Re: Wow, I hate twinks so much. 06/05/2007 01:23:16 PM PDT<br />IMO the only way we twinks "fail" at is being mindless drones who run on Blizzard's XP treadmill to get progressively better and better gear so that you can go to progressively harder and harder instances to get progressively better and better gear so that you can go to progressively harder and harder instances, etc. etc. etc.<br /><br />If "failure" means that I'm off the levelling treadmill, then I am a failure, yessir! I'm quite happy to be a failure, running around at 19 and 29 having fun; isn't that the point of this exercise? Anyway, at the very least I am no Blizzard sycophant like you seem to be.<br /><br />/hugs</span>"<br />Tamlan in <a href="http://forums.worldofwarcraft.com/thread.html?topicId=108304906&sid=1&pageNo=1">Vindication Battlegroup Forum </a><br /><br />This ended up longer then first intended, but I guess that shows what potential is there. Twinks touch so many aspects of the game; <br />-Ethical: Is everything the game allows ok, or does it go against the "spirit" of the game?<br />-Techosocial relations: Twinks are co-constructing a new arena for developing characters and achievements by making characters outside the mainfocus of the producers. <br />- Production of knowledge: They also gather information and develop theories for areas of the game usually overlooked, as breakdown of parses for level 19 character will be pointless to someone who is going to level beyond 19. <br /><br />Right now level 80 is keeping me more then busy, however I am sure I will be back with a twink in a battleground near you.Kristine Askhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02114404736446380288noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5524495938434081323.post-19308418489309772102009-01-29T04:12:00.000-08:002009-01-29T04:39:05.656-08:00Fail and Meme's: About politically uncorrect visual humour<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi92uz3UH_RM4zQJa_zhvqzOrXfap4SA7zAGYRleL6i4TcNEje5KreulEkjtveeU2XcqF6WNH_Qyf5D2gQe5Ux-Pc7zhMMeEcSfF8i0t4kPsSMgSEBqlV4kJiQN6VvGz4a2Yo9Efv2FhO1D/s1600-h/120605860550.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 256px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi92uz3UH_RM4zQJa_zhvqzOrXfap4SA7zAGYRleL6i4TcNEje5KreulEkjtveeU2XcqF6WNH_Qyf5D2gQe5Ux-Pc7zhMMeEcSfF8i0t4kPsSMgSEBqlV4kJiQN6VvGz4a2Yo9Efv2FhO1D/s320/120605860550.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5296691880051546354" /></a><br />One of the views that STS provides (when putting on the STS-glasses, hats or any other suitable pedagogical headgear-metaphors) is how technology enables or disables certain actions. Lately I have been fascinated by how imaging and visual representations have become modifiable and spreadable by pretty much everyone. In the development of better internet connections, as well as better PC processing power; You don't need fancy or expensive websites in order to hold the space that images takes, sending emails with large attachements wont slow down your working day and lots of sites are now providing <a href="http://photobucket.com/">free hosting</a> of your pictures. In addition programmes such as Photoshop have opened up the image to modifications, for play and making images your own - adding comments or morphing pictures to tell other stories. <br /><br />One trend in particular is the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meme">meme's </a> in the form of running jokes, through images - on the internet. A particular feature of these is the need for them to be completely politically incorrect. <br /><br />Whether this is a sign of increased discrimination, racism, lack of tolerance - or simply a "We don't care" statement I am not so sure, though I lean towards the latter. Either way it shows a new area where the layman can tell stories (and in this case jokes) through a visual medium. No need to be a great artist, or even a master of cameras or Photoshop. In many cases all that is needed, is helping the spread and recycling of these images - ensuring their place on different forums, boards and websites. <br /><br />I guess I now will do my part. Here is a small sample.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_dX6_06AfA9jx4QfbPBN1ypZ9uyrAGUJgpHGlgq5lt1LRkbGga_zyuQ_yD7zln3ZLpuTp4JSxgzgQSKqM4LVAKkBoiSthNfSJ3nVUPJm2nXSeCcRDqSbpfa0AB30aXOD87vrxmtSfR3Mw/s1600-h/Planes.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_dX6_06AfA9jx4QfbPBN1ypZ9uyrAGUJgpHGlgq5lt1LRkbGga_zyuQ_yD7zln3ZLpuTp4JSxgzgQSKqM4LVAKkBoiSthNfSJ3nVUPJm2nXSeCcRDqSbpfa0AB30aXOD87vrxmtSfR3Mw/s400/Planes.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5296693985466309714" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPlpyBkK57xByrUNfGDpbAbLympiOP9xtjNnuCC6X2WEUHOfn3nqR_d3Aqn1IykaZFxfGWTsFjElX9HVFv4KcEEbm7U6lYsACHEv3fXficuhO7T6PDZOoqUUQnlVfjaSb81xZ1-0bhVcex/s1600-h/Photoshop+for+Fat+Chicks.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPlpyBkK57xByrUNfGDpbAbLympiOP9xtjNnuCC6X2WEUHOfn3nqR_d3Aqn1IykaZFxfGWTsFjElX9HVFv4KcEEbm7U6lYsACHEv3fXficuhO7T6PDZOoqUUQnlVfjaSb81xZ1-0bhVcex/s400/Photoshop+for+Fat+Chicks.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5296693973924014306" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVKP1Rom2TPhc8UimZKofQOJ4Ob6vbA2YMJThykjrXz4HFjEBDS-W0N5qDPihzpXcREwuCaC4p4VfqfZ_FjPul1crYIolhEa7_qhDdLXWgJU6JACgXQy5ZSKgDKp0p71fsNyXsInyL8cLd/s1600-h/jesus.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVKP1Rom2TPhc8UimZKofQOJ4Ob6vbA2YMJThykjrXz4HFjEBDS-W0N5qDPihzpXcREwuCaC4p4VfqfZ_FjPul1crYIolhEa7_qhDdLXWgJU6JACgXQy5ZSKgDKp0p71fsNyXsInyL8cLd/s400/jesus.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5296693975905115458" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK_cBQ94JDNbyFIGHrqIhTC0I5RFm54uV_ru0m3d7ib9GGjsgQmH0EUl5JWfVCYbz84weDf2HeEHRPE3NfUS0mvpI8UJ0UpoG6tZ0jyKuzUscTxs1N7N75l195QcVyEIj1Nm5tDpjMmu48/s1600-h/Faggots.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 354px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK_cBQ94JDNbyFIGHrqIhTC0I5RFm54uV_ru0m3d7ib9GGjsgQmH0EUl5JWfVCYbz84weDf2HeEHRPE3NfUS0mvpI8UJ0UpoG6tZ0jyKuzUscTxs1N7N75l195QcVyEIj1Nm5tDpjMmu48/s400/Faggots.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5296693973168365522" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSzVgZg0nJeag2CuRC_tIBedNszmVsKh53sPa6ffcGdb_TckwO4IPfgi0k4lsLlQm0UdKgtJ-9MhjIVtSrjC5cJfiXq3hMTGq76Ijaztwujwze5j7jt92qHLeX0jtxoL60k9MfCCAVEPsu/s1600-h/GayTest.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSzVgZg0nJeag2CuRC_tIBedNszmVsKh53sPa6ffcGdb_TckwO4IPfgi0k4lsLlQm0UdKgtJ-9MhjIVtSrjC5cJfiXq3hMTGq76Ijaztwujwze5j7jt92qHLeX0jtxoL60k9MfCCAVEPsu/s400/GayTest.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5296693969852687026" /></a>Kristine Askhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02114404736446380288noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5524495938434081323.post-33247022463605668042008-12-04T02:27:00.000-08:002008-12-04T02:44:33.691-08:00Misconceptions about gaming and gamers - More addiction...A highly <a href="http://www.dagbladet.no/2008/11/30/nyheter/spillavhengighet/nettpoker/3878355/">misinformed article</a> in Dagbladet told us on 30th of November, that WoW now had a netpoker function that could be linked to virtual gold, but also real net poker sites. Reading the article it was clear that this was actually a crazy cooked up story about an old addon (player programmed software addition) that allowed players to play poker in game. <br />Fortunately today <a href="http://www.dagbladet.no/2008/12/04/kultur/world_of_warcraft/pc-spill/spillavhengighet/onlinespill/3925128/">Martin Eide put the facts right</a>: this has nothing to do with Blizzard, gambling is NOT encouraged and kids are NOT the majority player base. <br /><br />Reading both reactions to these articles on Dagbladets commentary field, as well as related blogs - I am constantly shocked over the misconceptions around. Statements like "the biggest problem we are currently facing" and "we all know this is a danger to society". What? Who? Where?<br />So a bunch of kids and young adults who cant manage their time is the biggest threat to society? Did I miss a memo? <br /><br />When portraying game addiction there are several key elements: excessive time use, conflict with family, neglecting other responsibilities such as work/school and aggression. Also, this seems to concern primarely young boys. Going by this standard there are several things I have issues with. <br />Firstly, there has been no studies linking gaming as the cause for any of this, and when there are - you will find equally as many stating the opposite. A scientific community is dissent holds no "truth". <br />Secondly, that a teenage boy is not enthused about school, is in conflict with his parents, don't go to bed at time and can be agressive - might have very little to do with World of Warcraft of any other game. In fact it sounds very much like the state most teenagers are in. And to be honest, is it really THAT bad having your teenage son at home on a saturday night? <br /><br />Ofcourse, there is always a minority that has severe problems linked to gaming. However, it is not necessarily addiction and its not necessarily something the game hsa caused.Kristine Askhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02114404736446380288noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5524495938434081323.post-35328022775024840002008-11-11T05:56:00.001-08:002008-11-11T06:01:09.096-08:00Computer Game Addiction <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJqtTnkNlMRy98R7ydmXDhqm9Mq6zU8Z5M5iDHiUhxzrliFv7d9ZpjNSKjy7EXaM0DBQUaY2nr-9LCISowXfNphU6HoHb9451nuAWau-aPZ7bO_MGWEdlvW6-dFtAvSRh_yNFsIhP_inH3/s1600-h/MMORPG.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJqtTnkNlMRy98R7ydmXDhqm9Mq6zU8Z5M5iDHiUhxzrliFv7d9ZpjNSKjy7EXaM0DBQUaY2nr-9LCISowXfNphU6HoHb9451nuAWau-aPZ7bO_MGWEdlvW6-dFtAvSRh_yNFsIhP_inH3/s400/MMORPG.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5267399646970374930" border="0" /></a>
<br />This was published in <a href="https://www.klassekampen.no/">Klassekampen </a>28th of October
<br />Sadly they dont give out a full version of their newspaper so I whack it in here. Its in Norwegian, if you dont understand norwegian... Well... too bad for you... Atleast I have posted an image to explain the moral of the story.
<br />
<br /><meta equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><meta name="ProgId" content="Word.Document"><meta name="Generator" content="Microsoft Word 11"><meta name="Originator" content="Microsoft Word 11"><link rel="File-List" href="file:///C:%5CDOCUME%7E1%5Ckristias%5CLOCALS%7E1%5CTemp%5Cmsohtml1%5C01%5Cclip_filelist.xml"><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:hyphenationzone>21</w:HyphenationZone> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:snaptogridincell/> <w:wraptextwithpunct/> <w:useasianbreakrules/> <w:dontgrowautofit/> </w:Compatibility> <w:browserlevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:latentstyles deflockedstate="false" latentstylecount="156"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><style> <!-- /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; margin:0cm; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";} @page Section1 {size:612.0pt 792.0pt; margin:70.85pt 70.85pt 70.85pt 70.85pt; mso-header-margin:35.4pt; mso-footer-margin:35.4pt; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --> </style><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Vanlig tabell"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} </style> <![endif]--> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 35.4pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: -35.4pt;"><b style=""><span style="font-size:18;">Bruk eller misbruk i online rollespill? <span style=""> </span><o:p></o:p></span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Kristine Ask, stipendiat, NTNU, Institutt for tverrfaglige kulturstudier<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b style="">Avhengighet er en enkel måte å forklare hvorfor noen velger å bruke store deler av livet sitt foran en skjerm, men det er ikke nødvendigvis en riktig forklaring. Er vi så redde for kompleksitet at vi unngår den virtuelle virkeligheten?<o:p></o:p></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b style=""><o:p> </o:p></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">”Spillavhengighet” har fått mye spalteplass i norske aviser de siste månedene. Både familie, spillere og helsepersonell har fortalt om hvordan ungdom blir ”fanget” i en virtuell verden. World of Warcraft (WoW) har ofte blitt trukket fram som et særlig risikofylt online rollespill der spillere forføres til et stadig større tidssluk på bekostning av skole, jobb, familie og kjærlighet. <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">At WoW har fått mye oppmerksomhet er kanskje ikke rart, siden det på mange måter brakte online rollespill til det store publikum. WoW spilles i dag av millioner på verdensbasis og det det er videre anslått at et sted mellom 70 000 og 100 000 av disse er nordmenn. Som det har blitt fokusert mye på i det siste, tar spillingen overhånd for noen av disse. Hjelpelinjen for Spillavhengighet (en hjelpelinje sponset av Lotteritilsynet) forteller at de får stadig flere henvendelser angående dataspill, hovedsakelig fra bekymrede foreldre som føler at tenårings sønner og døtre forsvinner ut av familielivet.<span style=""> </span><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b style="">Bruk eller misbruk?<o:p></o:p></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">I en kronikk om spillavhengighet ’Fanget av den virtuelle verden’ (Aftenposten 03.09.08) beskriver Espen Idås og Hilde Tafjord beskriver seg selv som et del av hjelpeapparatet for spillavhengige og er med på å sette søkelys<span style=""> </span>på problematisk bruk. Her avviser de spillforskeres krav om kjennskap til dataspill for å kunne uttale seg, diagnostisere og behandle ”dataspillavhengighet”. Siden de gjennom sin bakgrunn som henholdsvis psykolog og lege har kunnskap om andre former for avhengighet, hevder de at spesifikk kjennskap til dataspill ikke er nødvendig for å behandle spillavhengighet. I motsetning til dette valgte The American Medical Association senest i 2007 å <i style="">ikke</i> inkludere dataspillavhengighet som en klinisk diagnose nettopp på bakgrunn av mangelfull forskning på feltet. Argumentet for dette var at de manglet både datamateriale og gode teorier som kunne forklare slike fenomener. Istedenfor å anta at spillavhengighet arter seg på samme måte som andre avhengigheter, og slik kan forstås og behandles på samme måte, burde et gryende hjelpeapparat kreve <i style="">mer</i> forskning og viten på dette feltet - ikke avvise det. Uten særlig kjennskap til hva bruk av dataspill faktisk innbefatter, bør man ikke gjøre vurderinger om hva som er misbruk og hvordan det arter seg. <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Som forsker på online dataspill som World of Warcraft vet jeg at dette ikke et enhetlig fenomen (eller problem for den saks skyld), nettopp fordi det er et mangfold av spillertyper og aktiviteter som foregår side om side. Selve spillets design og målsetninger kan for så vidt fortone seg enkelt nok; gjennom en digital avatar (den figuren som spilleren styrer) skal man i samarbeid med andre spillere drepe virtuelle monster eller andres avatarer. Gjennom å overvinne utfordringer som er satt (hovedsakelig datagenererte monster), blir avataren mektigere. Ser man på hva spillere <i style="">faktisk </i>gjør når de logger seg på finner vi en rekke aktiviteter, og disse aktivitetene gir et mye mer komplekst bilde av hva spillet handler om. Der noen holder seg for seg selv og utforsker verden i eget tempo, blir andre del av store grupper som stiller krav til aktivitet og deltakelse. For noen er det et par timer i uken, for andre er det mange. Noen fokuserer på å drepe monstre, andre foretrekker å rollespille eller kanskje prøve seg som digital finansmekler på auksjonshuset. Noen møter venner online, andre tar med seg vennene online. Det finnes mange spillestiler og aktiviteter koblet til spill som WoW, og før vi beskriver dem som ”avhengighetsskapende” eller farlig bør vi se nærmere på hva det er som egentlig skjer. <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Det stemmer at noen av disse aktivitetene er tidskrevende. En av de mest tidsintensive aktivitetene er ”End Game” eller ”Raiding”. Slike aktiviteter blir aktuelle på et tidspunkt der enkelt-spillere ikke lenger kan utvikle karakteren på egenhånd. ”End game” refererer til de største og farligste utfordringene som spillet kan tilby, oppgaver så krevende at de kan kun løses om man går sammen i større grupper og samarbeider. Gruppen må så trene kveld etter kveld, uke etter uke for å vinne. For å lykkes krever det stor grad av koordinering og presisjon av gruppen som en helhet. Grupper som driver med ”End Game”, er tidkrevende og kan være en belastning i forhold til kjæreste, studier eller jobb. Men, når ble det farlig å engasjere seg i et fellesskap for å oppnå et felles mål? Hva er galt med å trene dag etter dag, uke etter uke for å bli bedre, og stille opp når man er litt trøtt fordi ”laget” trenger det? <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b style="">Dataspill må forstås, ikke fordømmes!<o:p></o:p></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Problemene med å forstå onlinerollespill ligger ikke bare i <i style="">hva</i> som skjer, men <i style="">hvor</i> det skjer. Det skjer ikke på en stadion eller på det lokale samfunnshuset. Det skjer via internett, og fordi det skjer et sted som ikke alle kjenner og forstår, framstår mange hverdagslige aktiviteter som farlige. Men er opplevelsene til en dataspiller mindre verdifulle enn til en fotballsupporter, bare fordi aktivitetene foregår i cyberspace? Poenget er at i denne digitale verden er det <i style="">ekte mennesker</i> som legger inn tid, arbeid og engasjement for å nå sine mål, og ekte mennesker gir ekte opplevelser. Hvis det bare er samhandling ansikt-til-ansikt som er ”ekte”, er det vel bare kunstig når vi ringer hjem til foreldre eller kjærester? <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p> </o:p></p> <span style=";font-family:";font-size:12;" >Det ideelle ville selvsagt være at det ikke finnes noen problematisk bruk av dataspill, at alt bare gir positive og berikende opplevelser. Dessverre er det ikke slik, og for noen ytterst få oppleves dataspill som problematiske. I denne situasjonen er det viktig at det eksisterende hjelpeapparatet faktisk forstår situasjonen og kan gi relevant veiledning. Det krever mindre moralsk panikk, mindre profesjonspreget interesse i å lage nye diagnoser, og mer aksept for nye måter å leve på. <span style=""> </span></span>
<br />Kristine Askhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02114404736446380288noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5524495938434081323.post-60865569608848173432008-11-02T10:41:00.000-08:002008-11-11T05:50:37.635-08:00Talking about games to non-gamers<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTi-S97sJ_y9kPMjUI2C3lFXFCMnvOcxw5CV9Y7kEWzSM27acrcWPR02ASN1jE6Asib3WBTUc6iYq5c9AQoHUG2VPDVs-kpcpVN5HEIAXIv2PbI6cmZpmNsn7nkGS9zEN5OambqCevNCR2/s1600-h/gamers.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 256px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTi-S97sJ_y9kPMjUI2C3lFXFCMnvOcxw5CV9Y7kEWzSM27acrcWPR02ASN1jE6Asib3WBTUc6iYq5c9AQoHUG2VPDVs-kpcpVN5HEIAXIv2PbI6cmZpmNsn7nkGS9zEN5OambqCevNCR2/s320/gamers.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5267396991149008690" border="0" /></a><br />We have all been there. A questioning parent, uncle or grandparent trying to find out what you do in your spare time. With great enthusiasm I try to share my exitement about an upcoming game, the latest develpement in my character or a planned drink-and-play evening. The reaction is mostly the same; a polite but worried smile.<br /><br />Of all the things I share with family, talking about gaming is the only time I never get follow up questions. Even the times when I am able to rein in my enthusiasm and give short and brief accounts of my gaming existance.<br /><br />Am I telling it wrong? Or is it just that boring to listen to?<br /><br />One obvious answer is the lack of respect and understanding that still surrounds gaming as a activity, however is that all there is to it? Can it all be blamed on The Damn Fascists (tm)? I am trying to look at other possible answers to why noone seem to want to listen to the glorious virtual exploits of the gamer.<br /><br />Perhaps it is boring. I am fully aware that I "went native" into (especially) the MMO community and still have a hard time differantiating between words that are and aren't explainable for people with no epics. And to be honest I have never really found the narrative of a single game session something of great estethic value. The times I enjoy talking about games, is when I am talking to people who play the same (or similar) games. A chance to explain and compare, where the small stories created within the game (like when you find that OH MY GOD AMAZING SWORD OF DEATH) are used as examples - not as stand alone account of events. Without that common background, it would make little sense and its entertainment value would be even lower.<br /><br />Its a moment of self reflection when I realize that this probably works more then one way. I would have to agree that I dont ask follow up questions (unless I am in a extremely good mood) about my sisters new shoes. Neither about how things are going for my dads fotball team. Cause honestly, even though I love them to bits, I dont care. Them telling me feels like wasted time, like pollution of my brainwaves.<br /><br />So perhaps I shouldnt be so surprised when they dont bounce up and down to hear more about my latest epic item, an upcoming con or where I am planning to take my character next.<br /><br />Another part of me also want to keep it to myself. To let gaming preserve its somewhat mythical and unknown qualities. The more its described, populerized and publisized - the more magic disappears.<br /><br />Perhaps its ok that people dont want to listen....<br /><br /><br /><br /><br />EDIT 11/11/08 :<br /><br />A comment was made to me today during lunch about this topic: that the lack of followup questions, or <span style="font-style: italic;">show </span>of interest - might simply be a lack of knowing. Cause its hard to ask about something you know nothing about. Noone likes looking like a fool, and if you barely know what computergames are - it can be hard to know what to ask about. The point is: This is not necessarely a lack of interest in the topic, or the experiences of a gamer. It can simply be that its so different from one's own known world that one doesnt know where to start.Kristine Askhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02114404736446380288noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5524495938434081323.post-31155965575059950702008-10-08T05:34:00.000-07:002008-10-26T14:59:38.333-07:00Fans and gaming<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.steveschofield.co.uk/images/galleries/scifi/scifi006.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 416px; height: 520px;" src="http://www.steveschofield.co.uk/images/galleries/scifi/scifi006.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />One of the main issues that makes studying games and gaming culture so fascinating, is that the basics are still not quite there. In other words: What <span style="font-style: italic;">is </span>a gamer? The individual gamer is easy enough to identify: its someone who plays computergames and has computergames as an interest. However, if you think of a gamer as apart of a gamer community it becomes harder. How are we to understand gaming communities? What framework can we give gamers to gound their practices? How are gamers different to others?<br /><br />One angle I have been working lately is through looking at fandom.<br /><br />Henry Jenkins became the spokesperson for fanculture with his book "Textual Poachers: Television Fans and Participatory Culture" (1992). He described fans as poachers who takes text (in this case tv-shows) and makes them their own through their readings and rewritings. Fans bring out subtexts and make them explicit, as the (largely female) writer uses the characters to fulfill own curiosities and needs.<br /><br />Going by this early conceptualizing of fandom, how can fandom help us understand gaming? Are gamers fans?<br />Several acitivites within the gaming community are almost identical to those of fans. Take the many webcomics or machinima that is made, creating new and exiting stories in a already existing world. On forums debates flurish with rumours of future patches or new releases, and there are speculations of what these would be. Collecting information and making databases are also practices that resonnates with fanculture. In many cases fandom helps explain the massive cultural work that happens outside the game. By reworking and rewriting the text at hand, fans find new types of enjoyment and involvement. Just cause gamers dont write slash about Super Mario and Luigi (I am sure it exist, but you wont convince me its common practice) or create work of fiction, doesnt mean that what they do are not a form of rewriting. Showing "l33t skillZ" (tm) in a short videoclip is not going to get you a job as Spielbergs' assistant (not that you would want to be his assistant..), but it is a way of using the existing text to create something grounded in yourself - a personal reading of the story.<br /><br />So, <span style="font-style: italic;">are </span>gamers fans? I dont know. So much of what gamers do seem similar to that of fans, however where is the battle of the gamer fans? What subtexts are we highlighting? Especially early fandom was largely written by and for a female audience. Slashfiction brough homosexuality into a heteronormative text. What issues are we raising? Are we raising any at all?Kristine Askhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02114404736446380288noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5524495938434081323.post-68983244531253336402008-10-26T12:42:00.000-07:002008-10-26T14:50:50.575-07:00To study or to game?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.play-girlz.com/wp-content/uploads/2006/12/grind.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 500px;" src="http://www.play-girlz.com/wp-content/uploads/2006/12/grind.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />Studying games through participation is quite common. The logic is simple: In order to analyse games you need to play them - just like studying literature means reading books, or studying films necessitates seeing a few. Its not rocket surgery... Really...<br /><br />So, what do you do when studying a game and playing the game - becomes interchangable?<br /><br />I have been fighting for and arguing to my councillors as to why I should be able to utilize my own experiences. It just didnt seem right that after more then 3 years as a WoW fangirl that I shuold disregard all that I have seen, done and heard in game. I wanted to use all the things that got me exited about gamestudies in the first place. And it was agreed that indeed, I should bring in my own perspective and story in my work.<br /><br />First I saw it as a victory. Now, I see that the victory was not quite mine... It's more likely a strike of brilliance on my councellors part. To be able to use my own experiences, they need to be formalized, noted down methodically and continually. In other words, every time I log into WoW I need to make fieldnotes about what happened, what I did, said and saw.<br /><br />Its been argued several times that the gameplay of games such as WoW resembles work more then play in many instances. That its largely about going through monotenous, repetative tasks in order to achieve higher goals. So far, I hadnt minded that "blending" of work and play. Now however, play is becoming work. Largely enjoyable work, but still work.<br /><br />So, why a streak of brilliance on my councellors part?<br />Well, what better way to keep me from slothing away all my time in game? Every time I consider logging on, I think about my studies. And suddenly I care that much more if its worth playing, if I actually want to game - or if I am simply too lazy to think of something else to do.<br /><br />Damn brilliance.Kristine Askhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02114404736446380288noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5524495938434081323.post-20609361879734686312008-10-08T06:59:00.000-07:002008-10-08T07:00:52.814-07:00StrongSquig is?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS2UKO-a_zAf9zND01UQIA1dmQxY5sQgKdIb-wbumiS-QPNB1Y2f39ZKYMYiOC-pxhRg1XqY-ZwKUDncc2nGpW1BqtQGLmdAF_fgnBSaHUAS_3VPt2fAJgpjC-05WkAmJe7ChnNvPQrtAF/s1600-h/StrongSquig1.bmp"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS2UKO-a_zAf9zND01UQIA1dmQxY5sQgKdIb-wbumiS-QPNB1Y2f39ZKYMYiOC-pxhRg1XqY-ZwKUDncc2nGpW1BqtQGLmdAF_fgnBSaHUAS_3VPt2fAJgpjC-05WkAmJe7ChnNvPQrtAF/s320/StrongSquig1.bmp" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5254782681545510178" border="0" /></a>Kristine Askhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02114404736446380288noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5524495938434081323.post-32282398159970605042008-10-08T04:52:00.000-07:002008-10-08T05:29:53.886-07:00Fighting the WAR alone?Warhammer Online (WAR) has become the latest obsession, and for good reasons. It truly feels like an innovate game with its PQs (Public Quests where the group is defined as "everyone in the same area") and the ability to progress your character through Realm vs Realm (RvR) combat at any level.<br /><br />However, the game has no charm, no soul, no heart. The design is not flawless, but for a newly released game it feels well made. It's polished, thought through and in many cases seamless in its character progression as you can advance in so many ways. But, there is something missing: people.<br />Everywhere I go its quiet. No banter, no questions, no interaction. There are general channels present, but for some reason they are not used. Having tried several servers and starting zones, I have yet to find a place where the public chat is active. Even though the infamous "Barrens Chat" makes you wonder if evolution left someone behind, it was still an important part of the world. The sense of beeing in a MMORPG (weighting the Massive Multiplayer part) came from the scrolling of banter throughout zones: from a helpful tips to meaningless epeen declamtions.<br /><br />So why dont people talk in WAR?<br /><br />Perhaps its due to the games good design of open parties (you click a button and automatically join an open party in the area) or the ability to sign up to scenarios from anywhere in the world (no need to lounge around in a keep or barracks while waiting for scenarios). Maybe its the fact that all questpoints are marked on your map, or that you cant link items in chats? In many ways the <span style="font-style: italic;">need</span> for communication with fellow players are gone. Still, players have not been known to always do what was intented. Perhaps we are just shy in the beginning. Or perhaps WAR is just so serious business that we dont have time to fool around.Kristine Askhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02114404736446380288noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5524495938434081323.post-19936803169149987212008-09-26T05:13:00.000-07:002008-09-26T05:16:49.941-07:00No moral highgound anymoreAfter resisting the blogoshpere for such a long time, it has finally dawned on me that my resistance is futile.<br /><br />Someone on the internet IS wrong, and now that person can be me.Kristine Askhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02114404736446380288noreply@blogger.com0