research-article

How players value their characters in world of warcraft

Authors:

Ian J. Livingston,

Regan L. Mandryk,

Max BirkAuthors Info & Claims

CSCW '14: Proceedings of the 17th ACM conference on Computer supported cooperative work & social computing

Pages 1333 - 1343

https://doi.org/10.1145/2531602.2531661

Published: 15 February 2014 Publication History

Abstract

Characters in games such as World of Warcraft allow players to act in the game world and to interact with others. Game characters and avatars are a mediated form of self-representation for the player, but some research suggests that players also view characters in other ways that have to do with the kinds of value that the characters provide. To better understand the ways that players value their characters in an online environment, we carried out a semi-structured interview study of twenty World of Warcraft players. From our data we identify ten kinds of value that characters can provide -- including utility, investment, communication, memory, enjoyment, and representations of relationships, as well as value as an opportunity for experience, creativity, sociability, and self-expression. The analytical lens of value provides a new understanding of the ways that players appreciate characters in online multi-user worlds. Our results can help developers understand and enhance an element of multi-player games that contributes greatly to player experience and satisfaction.

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Cited By

Morris MBernstein MBigham JBruckman AMonroy-Hernández AFarzan RLópez CCardoso Llach DQuercia DMustafa MNiu SWong-Villacrés M(2024)Is Human-AI Interaction CSCW?Companion Publication of the 2024 Conference on Computer-Supported Cooperative Work and Social Computing10.1145/3678884.3689134(95-97)Online publication date: 11-Nov-2024
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3678884.3689134
Poeller SDechant MMandryk R(2024)Playing with Prejudice: Do Colour Scheme and Hypersexualization of Women In Games Influence Player Decisions, Perceptions, and Avatar Appeal?Proceedings of the 19th International Conference on the Foundations of Digital Games10.1145/3649921.3650006(1-14)Online publication date: 21-May-2024
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3649921.3650006
Cmentowski SKaraosmanoglu SKievelitz FSteinicke FKrüger J(2023)A Matter of Perspective: Designing Immersive Character Transitions for Virtual Reality GamesProceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction10.1145/36110237:CHI PLAY(73-103)Online publication date: 4-Oct-2023
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Index Terms

How players value their characters in world of warcraft
1. Human-centered computing
  1. Collaborative and social computing

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cover image ACM Conferences

CSCW '14: Proceedings of the 17th ACM conference on Computer supported cooperative work & social computing

February 2014

1600 pages

ISBN:9781450325400

DOI:10.1145/2531602

General Chairs:
Susan Fussell
Cornell University
,
Wayne Lutters
University of Maryland, Baltimore County
,
Program Chairs:
Meredith Ringel Morris
Microsoft Research
,
Madhu Reddy
Penn State University

Copyright © 2014 ACM.

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Published: 15 February 2014

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CSCW '14 Paper Acceptance Rate 134 of 497 submissions, 27%;

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Cited By

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https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3678884.3689134
Poeller SDechant MMandryk R(2024)Playing with Prejudice: Do Colour Scheme and Hypersexualization of Women In Games Influence Player Decisions, Perceptions, and Avatar Appeal?Proceedings of the 19th International Conference on the Foundations of Digital Games10.1145/3649921.3650006(1-14)Online publication date: 21-May-2024
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3649921.3650006
Cmentowski SKaraosmanoglu SKievelitz FSteinicke FKrüger J(2023)A Matter of Perspective: Designing Immersive Character Transitions for Virtual Reality GamesProceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction10.1145/36110237:CHI PLAY(73-103)Online publication date: 4-Oct-2023
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3611023
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