World of Warcraft

This article is about the PC-Game "World of Warcraft". It is build around the Research-relevant Contents or Elements of the Game.

About the Game

World of Warcraft is a subscription based Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game ( MMORPG ), created by Blizzard Entertainment and published in 2004.
Seven addons have been released for WoW to date:

The Burning Crusade ( 2007 )
Wrath of the Lich King ( 2008 )
Cataclysm ( 2010 )
Mists of Pandaria ( 2012 )
Warlords of Draenor ( 2014 )
Legion ( 2016 )
Battle for Azeroth ( 2018 )
Shadowlands ( presumably 2020 )

In 2019 WoW Classic was released as an official version of the original game at the time of its release in 2004.

World of Warcraft changed a lot throughout the years. Therefore WoW is a good research object for many scientific disciplines and theories in the Computer Games Research.

Research-relevant Contents of the Game

A big success factor, but at the same time also a point of criticism, for WoW is the strong immersion on the player. Various elements that cause this immersion are of scientific importance.

These are:

Narrative Elements

The typical role-playing experience of an epic story. The narration revolves around the history of two alliances and their conflicts. In addition, WoW contains many references to real events. These don't disturb the immersion, they are even demanded by the community. But the strong focus on narration is at the same time a factor that can disturb immersion. If there are gaps in the story or if it doesn't seem conclusive, this can contribute to a negative gaming experience.

Spatial immersion

The player repeatedly arrives at places that remain in his memory afterwards. In addition, emotions are increasingly linked to what has been experienced. This creates an identification with the game world.

Social experience

The player joins groups, plays with friends, works with other players in a guild, or regularly meets other players, already known to him, in the capitals.

Competitive play

Whether it's through the integrated achievement system, gaining rare items, or defeating strong bosses in dungeons and other players in arena battles, WoW has many factors that challenge the ambition of the player.

Player driven economy

that is present everywhere in the game. The virtually acquired ownership of a player and his avatar can be converted into real currencies. This not only makes a player famous in the game, it also makes it difficult for him to simply let this property rest.

These are just a few important factors. A complete listing is certainly not possible, because the game experience is always perceived subjectively differently.

Related Research Approaches

Competitive Gaming

WoW is separated into PvP ( Player versus Player ) and PvE ( Player versus Environment ).

Progress Guilds are known to be the first to reach the goal to master the final boss encounter as soon as new PvE Content is released to the game.

There are also Player versus Player Matches in the so called Arena. The best Player for each Arena Season is determined live on stage at a major event, the Blizzcon ( Blizzards in-house exhibition ).

Serious Games

The game is often used to explore the effect of the game on the player, because it is good for observing the player while playing. The right approach to researching the effect of a game is a much discussed point in Game Studies.

Workification

This player driven economy contains also elements of workification. Many players are forced to farm for gold or "grind" the late game content to get better equipment. It is also quite common to outsource this work to other players. There are professionell players, mainly in China, who will grind these items or level your character for Real-Life-Currency. On a smaller scale, Players share their tasks with friends and other members inside their guild to progress faster as a group.