WoWing Alone

The Evolution of “Multiplayer” in World of Warcraft

Bibliographic Data

ID12804397
AuthorsAndrea Braithwaite (0000-0002-7945-2223, Ontario Tech University, corresponding author)
Year2015
Volume13
Issue2
Pages119-135
Publication date2015-10-08
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueGames and Culture (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1555-4120 • E-ISSN: 1555-4139
PublisherSAGE Publishing (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1177/1555412015610246
OpenAlexW2369695132
LanguageEN
Citations received4
References cited22

World of Warcraft ( WoW ) is one of the most successful and longest running multiplayer online games in gaming. Over time, Blizzard Entertainment’s approach to multiplayer activities in WoW has changed. During the past decade, in-game world events, group matchmaking systems, and phasing technologies have been used to increasingly emphasize individual achievement rather than collaborative effort. The game is shifting away from sociable activities in favor of ones that situate players as powerful, atomized characters. WoW ’s governmentality now encourages players to see each other as obstacles to success and to see themselves as entrepreneurial subjects. These neoliberal strategies have the potential to impact our ability to collectively imagine and create alternative forms of social interaction and organization

Art · Entertainment · Governmentality · Media studies · Multimedia · Political science · Sociology · Video game · Visual arts · Computer Science · Digital Games and Media · Gender, Feminism, and Media · Psychology · Social Media and Politics

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