Welfare Epics? The Rhetoric of Rewards in World of Warcraft
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 2409428 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Christopher A Paul, Christopher Paul (0000-0001-7913-2257, Seattle University, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2010 |
| Volume | 5 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 158-176 |
| Publication date | 2010-04-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Games and Culture (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1555-4120 • E-ISSN: 1555-4139 |
| Publisher | SAGE Publications Inc (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1177/1555412009354729 |
| OpenAlex | W2132816870 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 6 |
| References cited | 11 |
After the Lead Content Designer of World of Warcraft (WoW), Tigole, deemed a new set of rewards ''welfare'' epics, the WoW player community responded in a multitude of fascinating ways. Using rhetorical analysis, gaming studies literature, and a critical analysis of welfare discourse, four rhetorical strategies can be seen in the discourse produced by the playing community. From directly confronting Tigole's statements to lamenting a loss of avatar capital and analyzing the role the changes have on the multiplayer aspects of the game, the rhetoric of ''welfare'' epics offers unique insights into the importance of balance and scarcity in the normative structures of WoW, how players accept and perpetuate the belief that rewards in online games should be ''earned,'' and how WoW's system of rewards has been fundamentally altered since the game's launch
Art · Avatar · Balance (ability · Economics · Linguistics · Literature · Multitude · Normative · Political science · Public relations · Rhetoric · Rhetorical question · Scarcity · Set (abstract data type · Sociology · Welfare · Computer Science · Digital Games and Media · Gender, Feminism, and Media · Law · Psychology · Social Media and Politics · Social Psychology
On viewing rhetoric as epistemic
Language Is Sermonic
Motivations for Play in Online Games
Play Between Worlds
The Demographics, Motivations, and Derived Experiences of Users of Massively Multi-User Online Graphical Environments
The rhetoric of nukespeak
From Tree House to Barracks
Building an MMO With Mass Appeal
In Bed with the Enemy
| Unique citing works | 6 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 0,43 |
| Citation span | 2012 - 2023 (12) |
| Citation velocity | historical |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 6 |