My Life as a Night Elf Priest - Chapters One and Two

I could definitely beat Mr. T.

The first thing that I noticed about Bonnie Nardi’s My Life as a Night Elf Priest was the structure of how the game is actually explained to the reader.  Throughout the first two chapters, I enjoyed being exposed to some of the terminology and then having it explained.  It was never to the point where I felt lost, but she used terms intertwined with the definitions tied to them just enough to keep me interested.  I also enjoyed the different sides of the game that she explored and the methods that she used to do it.  When I began reading I wasn’t sure that I would be able to follow the text since I have never played, but she structured it in such a way that I feel acquainted with the game even thought I have not yet created a character.

She began the first chapter relating WoW to a blend between a movie and playing a sport, which I found interesting.  The game definitely has the cinematic appeal of a movie, along with the competition of a sport.  I really enjoyed reading about the process players go through to form guilds and must work together to accomplish things.  Before this class, I assumed the game was more like Halo, in that it is basically the same whether you are playing alone or with others.  After reading this, I would have actually incorporated WoW or something similar into our company training program.  Many companies hire most of their salaried employees at set times during the year.  Bringing all of the trainees together from different areas to play a game like this could help develop a strong bond to the company.

I thought the rest of the chapter did a nice job explaining the culture of the game.  Many general myths can be dispelled by taking into account all of the different aspects the game has.  Not only does the game expand into different age groups and social classes, but it has a lot of social appeal.  BlizzCon, as well as guild parties and forums, connect the players to each other past the game.  BlizzCon itself is an interesting event because it is a social gathering attended by people with an “anti-social” stereotype. 

I also liked the limitations of her study that she noted.  The amount of languages and how widespread the players are make it difficult to discern the factual information, but Nardi does a great job of pointing out the areas that are probably accurate.  Certain areas of information can be related from other studies that have established relationships between social classes.  The amount you can be absorbed into the game is interesting as well.  I have always related the game to being extreme; either you are completely involved or you just don’t play it.  Different guilds have different expectations and social norms that can allow anyone to play regardless of what they have going on personally.

Establishing the guidelines of her anthropological approach is very important in a study like this.  It doesn’t have the usual limitations that participatory research has, and she was also a part of the culture without having to be labeled as the one conducting the research.  She played in nearly each extreme of the game as well.  Overall, the first two chapters made me feel more comfortable about playing the game as a beginner.  It dispelled several stereotypes that I had associated with this game and ones similar to it.