University of Alberta Serious Research? Exploring the Information Behaviour of Avid Players of a Massively Multiplayer Online Game by Dale Storie © A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts and Master of Library and Information Studies Humanities Computing Library and Information Studies Edmonton, Alberta Fall 2008 Library and Bibliotheque et 1*1 Archives Canada Archives Canada Published Heritage Direction du Branch Patrimoine de I'edition 395 Wellington Street 395, rue Wellington Ottawa ON K1A0N4 Ottawa ON K1A0N4 Canada Canada Your file Votre reference ISBN: 978-0-494-46992-7 Our file Notre reference ISBN: 978-0-494-46992-7 NOTICE: AVIS: The author has granted a non­ L'auteur a accorde une licence non exclusive exclusive license allowing Library permettant a la Bibliotheque et Archives and Archives Canada to reproduce, Canada de reproduire, publier, archiver, publish, archive, preserve, conserve, sauvegarder, conserver, transmettre au public communicate to the public by par telecommunication ou par Plntemet, prefer, telecommunication or on the Internet, distribuer et vendre des theses partout dans loan, distribute and sell theses le monde, a des fins commerciales ou autres, worldwide, for commercial or non­ sur support microforme, papier, electronique commercial purposes, in microform, et/ou autres formats. paper, electronic and/or any other formats. The author retains copyright L'auteur conserve la propriete du droit d'auteur ownership and moral rights in et des droits moraux qui protege cette these. this thesis. Neither the thesis Ni la these ni des extraits substantiels de nor substantial extracts from it celle-ci ne doivent etre imprimes ou autrement may be printed or otherwise reproduits sans son autorisation. reproduced without the author's permission. In compliance with the Canadian Conformement a la loi canadienne Privacy Act some supporting sur la protection de la vie privee, forms may have been removed quelques formulaires secondaires from this thesis. ont ete enleves de cette these. While these forms may be included Bien que ces formulaires in the document page count, aient inclus dans la pagination, their removal does not represent il n'y aura aucun contenu manquant. any loss of content from the thesis. Canada ABSTRACT This study used in-person interviews and observation sessions to explore the information behaviour of four players of the popular Massively Multiplayer Online video game World ofWarcraft. The goal of the study was to present gaming profiles of players, in order to understand how they find, use, and share game-related information to enhance their enjoyment of gameplay and develop their identity as knowledgeable participants within the affinity space of the game. Findings indicate that even though there was a core set of familiar strategies and resources used by all four participants to navigate the game, actual information use varied greatly according to each individual's motivations for play and level of commitment. Furthermore, information behaviour was bounded to enrichment of the gaming experience, complicating the issue of assessing how these practices would transfer over to academic or professional contexts. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to express my gratitude towards the many people have helped me in completing this thesis project. First of all is my supervisor, Dr. Margaret Mackey, who has provided me with wholehearted support over the last three years. She has been a truly gracious guide throughout this process, offering much-needed assistance while still letting me find my own way as a researcher. It has been my pleasure to work with her on several projects, and I suspect my degree program would have been much different experience had I not stepped into her office during my first semester and started discussing video games with her. She has been a source of insight throughout my entire degree. I would also like to acknowledge the other members of my thesis committee. Dr. Stan Ruecker, as the professor of my first course in Humanities Computing course, was extremely supportive in helping me find my bearings in a new discipline, and I have fond memories of our discussions in that class. Dr. Heidi Julien, meanwhile, has played an instrumental role in my development as a professional librarian, giving me an appreciation of information literacy that will carry over into my future work. Thanks also go to all the faculty members and staff at the School of Library and Information Studies and in the Humanities Computing program. The staff members at SLIS have been especially helpful, always ready with a quick and friendly reply to any question I may have. Of course, without the willingness of my participants, this project would have been for naught. I am extremely grateful to the four individuals who freely volunteered several hours of their time to meet with me. It was truly fascinating to hear about your personal experiences with World of Warcraft and watch you play, and it gave me a perspective on the activity that far exceeded anything I had witnessed on my own. Finally, thank you to my family, who may not have really understand what I found so interesting about these video games but nevertheless trusted that something worthwhile would come out of it in the end. In particular, my wife Cari has provided constant support, pushing me to work when my motivation was lagging. TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER 1 - Introduction 1 Study Overview 3 Research Questions and Design 4 The Participants 7 Analysis of Information Use 9 The Role of the Researcher 11 CHAPTER 2 - Review of Theoretical Frameworks and Related Literature 14 Library and Information Science 15 Game Studies 24 Gaming at Large 29 Narratology vs. Ludology 31 Games for Learning 33 MMOs: Motivation and Play in Social Worlds 34 Learning and MMOs: Community Discourse as Distributed Knowledge 40 Three Theoretical Frameworks 43 Sense-Making 43 Serious Leisure Perspective 45 Situated Learning Theory 50 Conclusion 55 CHAPTER 3 - Methodology 56 Research Design 57 Data Collection and Analysis 59 Research Ethics 65 Evaluating the Outcome 66 Conclusion 68 CHAPTER 4 - Four Avid Players 69 Katie 69 Rick 76 Dan 83 Adam 88 Conclusion 94 CHAPTER 5 - Information Use in the Game Context 95 Goal-based Information 96 Strategy 101 Playing Strategy , 102 Character-Building Ill Social Information 120 Cultural Information 125 Conclusion 134 CHAPTER 6 - Analysis 135 Enjoyment 135 Identity 140 Evaluation 143 Apprenticeship 149 Transferable Knowledge and Skills 151 Conclusion 153 CHAPTER 7 - Conclusion 154 Implications of the Findings 156 REFERENCE LIST 161 APPENDIX A: About World of Warcraft 171 APPENDIX B: Consent Letter for Participants 176 APPENDIX C: Sample Interview Questions 177 1 CHAPTER 1 Introduction One increasingly popular genre of video game to emerge over the last few years has been the Massively Multiplayer Online game1 (MMO). The descendents of the text- only Multi-User Dungeons (MUDs) as well as of live action role-playing games like Dungeons & Dragons, MMOs are persistent 3-D virtual worlds in which thousands of players simultaneously interact and play together through the Internet, 24 hours a day. The predominant setting of many MMOs is a Tolkien-esque high fantasy world (although science fiction motifs and real-life simulations have begun to emerge, the most popular games to date have been fantasy). MMOs are often described as being virtual worlds as much as they are games (cf. Castronova 2005). Well-known games in the genre, such as Ultima Online, Everquest, and World of Warcraft, are notable for their immense size, open-ended structure, and emergent culture and economy. In contrast to the classic adventure game structure in which the main character progresses through a linear plot structure to a definable end, MMO players are given relative freedom to explore the game world, complete quests, and interact with other players. Far from offering socially isolated single-player gameplay, most MMOs are specifically designed to require cooperation and social interaction between players; the abilities of different characters complement each other, meaning that the success of one player often depends on the abilities of others, and therefore everyone is encouraged to group together and help out. The game also facilitates socialization by allowing players to create and join long-lasting player Also referred to as Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games (MMORPG). MMOs are commonly abbreviated as MMOG as well. 2 organizations (commonly known as guilds). Guilds often vary according to motivation; some may be focused on achieving goals in the game (taking on a business-like overtone) while others may be devoted to socialization between friends and family. One of the most culturally and socially significant aspects of these games is the high level of engagement and dedication they inspire in their players. Research by Griffiths et al. (2003), Seay et al. (2004), and Yee (2006a, 2006e) has found that players of various MMOs spend an average of between 15-22 hours a week playing their game of choice (with some individuals devoting upwards of 60 hours a week or more). Public perception of MMOs often relegates them to the realm of trivial fun at best (and destructive addiction at worse), but avid players treat them as very serious endeavours and invest a considerable amount of emotional and cognitive energy in them. As players move from the easier zones in the world to more complicated ones, and finally into the 'endgame' where grouping with other players becomes a necessity, players are increasingly reliant on their guild, a social commitment that, in turn, reinforces a continuing level of participation in the game (Seay 2004; Duchenault et al. 2006a, 2007). Involvement with a single MMO often extends over a number of years, with some individuals forming enduring friendships with other players.