Last year, I saw a South Park episode based on a popular computer game, World of Warcraft. It was hilarious, but I didn’t think too much of the episode until this blog came up. I though that this would be the perfect opportunity to explore World of Warcraft for myself. I have never been into computer games, but I figured I would give it a try.
I approached one of my fraternity brothers who I suspected might play this game, and I was pleased to discover that my assumption had been correct. He logged on as his character, a warlock who was both an “enchanter” and a tailor. I was skeptical of this game, but I decided to give it a chance. What I discovered over the next half hour of playing is mind-boggling. In fact, World of Warcraft actually, in its own right, is its own, separate world. Its complexity astounded me. There were so many things to take into account that I found my head spinning. Even with a play-by-play explanation of what was going on in front of me by my friend didn’t completely help the situation.
After the brief tutorial my friend gave me, I decided to engage in my first interaction. My friend was on a very high level in the game, so I decided to talk with a lower level player who, like my friend, was also a warlock. His user name was Avaleen while his real name was not revealed, leaving some sense of anonymity in the game. He was only on Level 7, so we began discussing what specification my character was. In other words, what my character specialized in. Avaleen was trying to decide was specification he wanted to pursue, so he was grateful for the advice my friend and I gave him.
Avaleen’s character was a warlock, but a female one with purple hair. If I was going to create a character online, I certainly would not want to be a female with some weird hair color. In addition, the language Avaleen used completely confused me. He used endless amounts of mysterious abbreviations and acronyms. To my surprise, my friend knew exactly what he was saying. Apparently, the game even had its own language! I was quick to judge Avaleen, as I pictured a huge nerd with glasses and a pocket protector, sitting at his computer all day, speaking his magical language, trying to rise to the elite rankings of World of Warcraft. I pictured him staying home on the weekends, avoiding parties and other large social gatherings. In other words, I pictured Avaleen to be a huge dork who I would not really want to associate with. I made all these judgments based on the way he looked in a computer game and on the way he talked to other fictional characters.
I think that my experience was most in line with the Cues Filtered Out theory. Because of the nature of the communication, my impression formation was obviously only based on verbal cues. While I could see their character and interact, it is not the same as face-to-face communication with nonverbal and vocal cues. Therefore, I made hasty, harsh judgments about Avaleen based solely on what he was saying and how his character looked. In face-to-face communication, we base our judgments on many things, not just verbal cues. I realize that people probably think of my friend in the same manner I thought of Avaleen. Yet in my mind, my friend is a completely normal person. It is very possible that Avaleen is very similar to my friend. Therefore, this type of computer mediated technology caused me to make negative, underdeveloped judgments, which is in line with the CFO Theory.
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6 comments:
Interesting post, Jacob. That South Park episode is what made me realize how huge World of Warcraft has become!
I wonder if there is any value in considering your experience from the non-CFO perspective. Your assessment of Avaleen in stereotypical and exaggerated terms makes me think about over-attribution in the Hyperpersonal Model. Whether or not the attributions were correct, they certainly seem intense.
Do you suppose that your friend who had experience in the game was able to generate broader impressions? Perhaps in time you would better adapt to the environment and be able to make more accurate and extensive judgments. This SIP-based concept would also support a Hyperpersonal Model approach.
Another facet of this interaction to consider is the task-oriented nature of the game. If you are playing the roles of characters with a common goal of succeeding in a game, maybe this becomes a barrier for forming interpersonal impressions?
Hey Jacob,
I saw that episode of South Park as well and thought it was hilarious too. They portrayed the uber-stereotype of a WoW player and what becomes of people who start playing. I have a few friends who play that game and they don't really fit the stereotype besides the fact that when they're in game mode, they're unapproachable.
I believe, since you went in with the image of the stereotypical WoW player in mind, maybe you had a hyperpersonal impression. Since, you made judgments based on the virtual character's appearance and labeled it as an abnormal choice. As Professor Hancock mentioned in class, the overdeveloped impression may fall on the intensity scale.
Anyway, great post.
Hey Jacob the Warlock- That is really cool that you decided to enter into the crazy world that is WOW, or World of Warcraft for the laymen. It didn’t cross my mind to choose that psychological space for this assignment. Maybe I subconsciously blocked it out as an option in the fear of interacting with the stereotypical WOW player: nerdy and un-athletic with a deviated septum—don’t act like you don’t know exactly what I am saying, those WOW types always stereotypically breathe heavily. I too, saw the South Park episode, and absolutely loved it. WOW has definitely become a societal phenomenon and South Park seized and successfully addressed the issue. I feel like in addition to the CFO, the hyper-personal model also can apply in your situation, specifically in the model’s behavioral confirmation process. You had these preconceived notions about the individuals who play WOW and therefore, you probably would treat them differently while interacting in CMC. In turn, the individuals would feed off on the special treatment and act accordingly—almost like a “self-fulfilling” prophecy. Good luck in your future WOW endeavors and if you truly apply yourself, you too one day can be a level 90 Mage with spell and enchanting capabilities.
I find it interesting when people play computer games like “World of Warcraft” because it is really like entering a completely different world where people might swap genders, and create bizarre description for them. Sometimes it is very difficult to distinguish if someone you are talking to is speaking as themselves in real life or still playing the role that they have in the computer game. The language can be different and, as you expressed, sometime even almost impossible to understand. Also, the way you portray yourself visually can be warped and very deceptive. It is interesting that one can use nonverbal cues in video games (such as choosing the way your character looks) and make judgments about other people based on the way he/she looks in a computer game. I disagree with your point of saying that your impression formation was obviously only based on verbal cues because you expressed earlier in the conversation how you initially judged the person you were talking to based on the way the character looked. In the internet world, it is very hard to avoid making harsh, negative, and underdeveloped judgments about other people.
I think it was interesting how you characterized your interaction as being in line with the CFO perspective. I can see why you considered your impression underdeveloped because your lack of cues forced you to make snap judgments that were most likely unrepresentative of your target as a whole. However, there are certainly aspects of your experience that conform to the hyperpersonal model as well. The lack of certain nonverbal cues in the multi-player game you were participating in caused you to rely heavily on the cues you did have, namely you subject’s avatar and use of jargon, to form a stereotyped, hyperpersonal impression of him. Avaleen’s interaction towards your friend’s character was probably influenced by his inferior position in the game and thus, behavioral confirmation might have come into play when he asked your friend mostly deferential questions. If you had interacted with Avaleen over a longer period of time, the developmental aspect could have come into play and you may have discovered that he was not unlike you WoW playing frat brother.
The south park episode you reference certainly has captured the stereotype that most of us picture when we think of World of Warcraft players. I find it interesting that this stereotyping allowed you to pick out a member of your fraternity who plays. I guess those stereotypes are pretty accurate.
I have only come across World of Warcraft in a similar way. I tried it out for a little while on a friend's computer, and, like you, was really surprised at the depth and complexity of the game. For anyone who has yet to try out it for an hour or so, I recommend it. The game is certainly an "experience."
The CFO point of view is perhaps a possibility for this particular interaction. However, my immediate reaction was to qualify this more as adhering to the Hyperpersonal model. It seemed to me that you took a few small clues and some stereotypes to create an intense caricature of Avaleena.
Another interesting dynamic that I think is worth noting, is you went into a foreign space as, essentially, a newbie. However, because of your friend's strong character you were in a position of dominance, dispensing advice to others. Very interesting... and certainly something that could only happen in an online space.
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