World of Warcraft Culture

Culture can be defined in many ways but personally I believe culture is a group of individuals working together for a common goal who share commonalities such as goals, values, attitudes and beliefs. Games such as World of Warcraft (WOW) and Second Life use the internet as a way of connecting socially with other people of similar interests. Gamers have formed their own culture through the internet with other players while playing this virtual game.

Firstly, WOW has developed their own language that refers to different parts of their virtual world. Players use a variety of terminology they use in order to communicate amongst each other. For example, the word “guild” refers to a team. Language and the manner in which individuals communicate together is very important to WOW culture as it helps a community understand each other better.

Second, World of Warcraft has set goals for different team members. For instance, in one aspect of the game players can choose to work as a team and defeat bosses. The players must communicate with each other either by a chat window or by an audio device called “Ventrillo.” Players have set strategies to complete the task of defeating the boss. Each player in a team or guild has a different role. For example some players are hunters while others play a role like a doctor to save other players from dying.

In conclusion World of Warcraft is an online community that has developed its own culture over a period of time, and the way in which players interact plays a big part in how the game is played.

Here is a video that shows different players playing WOW and what the game looks like while being played:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lRevrAUjHnM&feature=related

By: Amanda Burns