Twinking in World of Warcraft René Glas Department of Mediastudies, University of Amsterdam Turfdraagsterpad 9, 1012 XT, Amsterdam [email protected] +31 20 525 7280
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Playing another Game: Twinking in World of Warcraft René Glas Department of Mediastudies, University of Amsterdam Turfdraagsterpad 9, 1012 XT, Amsterdam [email protected] +31 20 525 7280 ABSTRACT not discuss such practices. Instead, it investigates a form of This paper investigates one the more controversial player play often not considered to be part of or even directly practices in MMORPG’s, twinking, not in terms of value opposing social play: twinking. This practice involves using judgment but as a play from negotiating, working against accumulated wealth or power within a MMORPG to create and even transforming a MMORPG’s intended structure situations of unbalanced competition during the early stages and design. Making use of participatory ethnographic of a game character’s life. How twinking functions and why observations of one of World of Warcraft’s particular forms players are prone to indulge in it will be explained in detail of twinking, this devious behavior is discussed as being further on in this paper. Using participatory ethnographic luxury play, dominance play, transformative play and observations within the MMORPG World of Warcraft, in standardized play, each form having its own influence on which I created and played with a twink for several months, the way these virtual worlds are experienced by the player as well studying the many guides and discussion forums community and, notably, twinkers themselves. devoted to (or arguing against) twinking, I have tried to construct a more extensive view on this form of play. My Author Keywords main questions revolve around the influence twinking has MMORPG, World of Warcraft, twinking, individualized on the rules and structures – be it instrumental or social - of group play, player-versus-player, devious play the MMORPG in question. How does twinking compare to ‘normal’ or intended play and how do twinks fit within INTRODUCTION group play? Is twinking purely devious play or does it have After doing research on the sudden popularity of tabletop more fundamental implications on game design? Four role-playing games in the early 1980s, Gary Allen Fine different interpretations are recognized and discussed: noted that the most popular game Dungeons & Dragons twinking as a form of luxury play, twinking as a form of lacked a cohesive social structure: ‘D & D was designed as dominance play, as a form of transformative play and an adventure game, pitting good against evil, and was not finally, twinking as a form of standardized play. designed as a sociological simulation. As such, it has the Throughout the paper I will try to refrain from value largest and the youngest audience’ [5]. Since its dawn, the judgments, instead trying to provide a neutral stance on role-playing game has evolved with leaps and bounds in twinking. If possible, as twinking has long been and many different forms, the most visible being the massively remains a controversial activity within multi-player role- multiplayer online role-playing game or MMORPG. The playing games. most successful of these types of games, Blizzard Entertainment’s World of Warcraft, was once again not TWINKING: A NEVER ENDING CONTROVERSY 1 designed a sociological simulation but as a true game . Like According to the Oxford English Dictionary a twink is, Dungeons & Dragons, this game too gathered the largest among other things, an effeminate young man or, in more audience by far and attracts younger players than its more commonly used terms a sissy, pansy-ass or weenie. sedated, complicated or more socially oriented peers. Twinking as a verb in the meaning of creating a twink has Naturally, within World of Warcraft many unexpected no dictionary entry. Twinking, is nevertheless a notable forms of socially structured practices – like role-playing term in the culture of massively multiplayer online role- communities – came into existence as a supplement to the playing games or MMORPG's. Games of this type have rules and structures offered by the game. This paper does been around for decennia in text based forms (MUD’s and their ilk) but have exploded in popularity in the last few years through games like Everquest, World of Warcraft and 1 One of the game’s lead designers, Jeffrey Kaplan, the Lineage series. In MMORPG’s, a twink is defined emphatically described World of Warcraft as ‘rules- somewhat different. On wikipedia we can read: ‘In its most oriented and goal-oriented’ during a pre-release interview [13]. Situated Play, Proceedings of DiGRA 2007 Conference © 2007 Authors & Digital Games Research Association (DiGRA). Personal and educational classroom use of this paper is allowed, commercial use requires specific permission from the author. 349 basic definition, a twink is a character with better gear than character some better gear you had laying around - totally they could have gotten on their own.2’. A similar definition acceptable ‘social’ behavior - and fully twinking a character comes from an official MMORPG strategy guide; a twink is with the very best gear and running them through otherwise ‘a character that owns items that are normally above their non-reachable game situations with the help of high-level capability of obtaining on their own’ [11]. All hint to the friends? Naturally, not much. fact that these characters - we are talking about game When speaking of a game there usually is a magic circle, characters - are in fact ‘sissies’ in the original dictionary the now widely used term from Huizinga’s Homo Ludens meaning as they do not seem to be able to manage on their (1955) framing a game in time and space. During a game own. In reality, they actually are far removed from a like soccer, when a player decides to go against the rules ‘pansy-ass’ situation. Twinks, sometimes called and structures of the game, he steps outside of the magic powergamers or munchkins 3 , are the strongest amongst circle. This is called cheating or unsportmanshiplike characters of their own level, certainly not the weakest. In behavior and, when discovered, usually stops play for a gamers jargon: they own the place. As a result, twinking while or indefinitely. When a player decides to go against has been an issue under great and largely negative rules and structures in a MMORPG, play does not stop discussion since the days of the textbased MUD. simply because a MMORPG never stops due to its So what is a twink or twinking in laymen's terms? Relating persistent nature. Instead, this behavior is still seen as twinking to our ‘real life’ we can imagine the following. antisocial4 and is discussed as such by its objectors. As the The offspring of a rich and powerful individual might be software itself does not stop twinking from happening like able climb to own successes but, when knowing this will an umpire (or the players) would stop a soccer match when take enormous efforts and time, why not just use this power cheating is going on, only socially negated implicit rules or and influence, financial or otherwise, to make a lot of steps local norms remain which cannot be imposed, only (like choice of school, or getting a good job) much easier. negotiated endlessly. Such conflict has been called extra- Transferring power from high to low has been natural mechanic, as it is not the game rules per se which are the course of events in human society for ages through cause of the conflict (intra-mechanic conflict) but the fact preferential treatment, (hereditary) succession and so on. that multiplayer games are social spaces [15]. The Imagine now that you as a player in a virtual game world ambiguous nature of twinking may leave it outside of are both the benefactor (a rich and powerful high-level ‘intended’ gameplay for some, breaking their magic circle, character) and beneficiary (a newly started low level for others they are simply part of the negotiable character) and you will understand the advantages of consequences of the game [9]. As said, this paper will not twinking. By levering virtual money from an old to a newly indulge in the discussion on twinking as either an started character, this character’s virtual life will have an acceptable or condemnable activity. What it will do is easier start. Like in real life situations of potentially unfair discuss twinking as a form of play reconfiguring the way wealth and power distribution, twinking is not always the game world or game itself can or does function. perceived positively. Is twinking unfair for those without a To be able to do so I created my own twink character, a higher level ‘sugar daddy’, often newcomers to the game? process more accidental than on purpose. As part of Does it even exploit game design? ongoing participatory ethnographic research into World of There is a lot to say for both sides. Yes, twinking could be Warcraft I had started a new character, a sturdy shaman considered unfair as success is suddenly based on who has called Brikk, for other purposes I won't get into here. the greatest resources instead of the best skills, making During the lower levels of Brikk’s life, I arranged he got competition based playing near impossible when twinks are some help from a player with a high-level character of the around. Twinking is not prohibited through design; it does guild I just joined. Without many problems he helped me not alter game code but rather bends it, finds its flaws. As finish up a quest in a dungeon called Shadowfang Keep. such, twinking cannot be called cheating, at least not on a Normally, this dungeon would take a carefully balanced technical level. Instead, twinking makes parts of the game’s group of five characters between levels 20 to 25 to design often considered boring – grinding your way through successfully complete.