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My name is Brendan McNamara. Danger is my middle name, and I’m pretty sure that I’m going to die this semester. You see, dear readers, last year I had a choice to make. Either I could be spend this semester with you, and see all of your sexy faces, or take an alternate path. I decided to take the alternate route, and I’m quickly discovering that it’s a path laden with land mines. Maybe I should back up a bit…
This semester I am going to travel around the world to fourteen different countries in a ship with 700 college students. The countries I’m going to are exotic, the people I’m going with are batshit insane, and I am on lady luck’s hit list. The program I’m doing is Semester at Sea. Basically they take a bunch of students, put them on a cruise ship and sail us to Spain, Morocco, Namibia, South Africa, Mauritius, India, Thailand, Vietnam (apparently you could have gone there for free 30 years ago), Laos, China, Japan, Guatemala, and Panama. I’m pretty pumped. These are crazy places where current events are born. Unfortunately, our ship will have to change routes because the waters we are traveling in are infested by blood thirsty Somali pirates. These pirates have been capturing boats and have even attacked passenger ships. Fortunately our ship, the MV Explorer, is the fastest cruise ship in the world, so I guess that makes us like the Millennium Falcon of the sea. Hope your boats have tractor beams… pirates!
Some of the people I’m going with, though, are examples of what is wrong with State Schools. And I mean this objectively and without snobbery. Let me give you an example of what I mean. The Semester at Sea Facebook group suffers more trolling than MyTigerTalk, or dare I say, 4chan. Just the other day a girl posted a thread about how she was excited to go to
This is the caliber of people I’m going to be living with. And if they are this terrible at interacting with fellow Americans on Facebook, imagine the shenanigans they are going to get themselves in overseas. Best part is, I’m going to be there recording it all.
Now to be fair, I shouldn’t criticize anyone for getting involved with shenanigans. I went to
So, dear readers, before me lies adventure. And my hands tremble in excitement at the thought of documenting it for you. Join me as we travel around the world with some of the world’s craziest people. Humor, excitement, and awkward situations await us. Who knows, maybe we will actually learn something. Regardless, either this will be a ballin column for you to read, or I’ll unknowingly be getting a head start on my obituary.
APPENDIX C. SAMPLE CONSENT FORM
Researcher:Brendan McNamara, Department of Communication,
Supervisor: Dr.
Researcher’s statement
PURPOSE AND BENEFITS
This interview is being conducted as part of a course titled "Ethnography of Massively Multiplayer Online Games." In this class, we are studying the behaviors and attitudes of gamers who enjoy virtual worlds such as Vanguard and World of Warcraft. Our research will benefit game developers, scholars, and broader player community by increasing our understanding of this emerging medium. The results of my study might also be interesting to you. At the end of the semester (December 15, 2008), I will share my findings with Vanguard players and with the broader community of gamers. My paper will be linked to the course web site and made available to anyone with an Internet connection.
PROCEDURES
In this section, students will elaborate their research methods. There are two likely scenarios. The first scenario is some sort of computer-based interview. This might be a real-time conversation via instant messaging and in-world chat channels, or it might take the form of an asynchronous e-mail interview. The second scenario is an on-line questionnaire using a system such as Survey Monkey.
RISK, STRESS OR DISCOMFORT
No risk, stress or discomfort is anticipated as a result of this study. I will do everything that I can to make sure that your responses are both private and anonymous. If at any time you feel uncomfortable or stressed, you may terminate the interview immediately.
OTHER INFORMATION
You must be 18 years or older in order to participate in this study. This interview is voluntary. You may refuse to answer any questions that I ask. You may terminate the session at any time.
This data will be used as a basis for my academic research. My professor and I are the only people who will have access to the transcripts and survey data.
If your comments appear in my research, a pseudonym will be used to protect the anonymity of your real-life identity and your game character. You may refuse to participate or may withdraw from this study at any time without penalty.
This study has been approved by the Institutional Review Board (IRB) at
Brendan McNamara_____________________________________12/2/0
Signature of Researcher
Participant's statement:
The study described above has been explained to me. I voluntarily consent to participate in this activity. I have had an opportunity to ask questions. I understand that future questions I may have about the research or about my rights as a subject will be answered by one of the researchers listed above.
________________________________________
Signature of Participant
[As noted above, because collecting signatures is not practical in virtual worlds, students will instead post this form on a publicly available web page. Before conducting any interviews, they will ask the participants to confirm that they have read the consent materials and agree to participate. On-line surveys will be prefaced with a statement which reads "By completing this survey, you are indicating that you have read the consent materials and agree to participate."]
Cool stuff right? Here is a list of places where I have posted recruitment notices:
http://council.earthsprite.com/viewtopic.p
http://rolandin.livejournal.com/651.html
In the game you are math blaster, and things are going well. You've got a buddy named Spot, and the two of you patrol the galaxies like straight up gangstas. Problems arise however when Spot gets kidnapped by the evil Trash Alien. Blaster then has to go on a journey through Space in pursuit of the trash alien. He is presented with four scenarios that he has to use his cunning wit (and a healthy dose of math) in order to continue his pursuit to rescue his alien friend.
I'm coming for you Spot!
So why was I so addicted to this game? The story is linear, and it requires math. I hate math! There are two factors. The first one, which I have to acknowledge is that I was a dumb kid. I liked pogs. I could be distracted easily. But why this? I think the reason was because the game didn't seem to be an educational game, instead it seemed more like a puzzle game. Sure there was math. But I had to control Math Blaster and dodge a swarm of trash in order to rescue my buddy. Orgeon Trail was similar, kids were given a compelling game, and unintentionally learned a lot of history. I find that when I play Rome Total War or Medieval Total War, I inadvertently learn so much about history, society, and geography in time periods that I wouldn't have normally. If an educational game can mask itself well, it has potential to do its job quite nicely.
What do players cite as their primary motivation for engaging in roleplaying in virtual worlds?
Now that that's out of the way... I vote for Grayson's Zombies and Pat's Psychiatrist. Zombie seems like it would be an action based game that would be a lot of fun and get the adrenalin going. Psychologist could prove to be really funny, and based on the class, I think it would deliever.
I am thinking of my research question being: What are the factors that lead to players roleplaying in virtual worlds.
1. If I was assigned to take an unbiased look at Furries the first thing I would do would be to isolate myself from my internet buddies who mock furries, and my real life friends who do the same. If I am going to try to create a mindset of a furry, the last thing I need is these people "keeping it real" and taking me back to my previous mindset. I would have to look at the current Brendan and say, "Wow. You play roleplaying games every Sunday where you pretend to be a Vampire Hunter. That's pretty weird. So how is that weirder than dressing up in an animal costume and combining people and humans. Cartoons and sports mascots do that all the time. If anything, they are more mainstream then you!"
2. Next I would try to get into the culture. Lot's of people really enjoy their subculture (they wouldn't be in it otherwise) and I'm sure that they would be more than happy to try to let me in. I would have to give it my all too. I would create a costume. I like Pandas, so maybe something that had to do with that. Next I'd write some fiction, make a couple drawings, and go to a convention. If I did this enough, and hung out with enough furries, to the point where I thought that they were all that is normal, then I think I will have made it.
This could be me!
3. In my twenty years of living and traveling I've figured out that at the end of the day, people are for the most part, the same. Some things just happen, and they push us down a certain path, but at its core, we can see how one of us might go down that said path. I think if I could talk to the people of the subculture long enough to figure out, in basic terms, why they like to do what they do (whether it reminds them of being a kid, escapism, or freedom) that I could start to relate to them more.
Anyway, these are just some thoughts, hopefully they have some merit to them.
The next post was by Mark Wallace in which he wrote about the game Nation States and how players that want to pass legistlation in the UN have to undergo. In there players would start roleplaying countries and lobby hard to try to get their desired legistlation passed. They would try to win people over while trying to maintain good terms with people for swing votes. People started roleplaying for in game benefits. It then went on to talk about how cool it would be if games set up a system that rewarded roleplaying. I agree with this notion, but i cant think of a way how they would do it. Perhaps if a game was heavily monitored by GM's, then they could observe the roleplaying activities that are taking place, and reward players with special items. Unfortunatly this system has the potential for a lot of errors. I think it would be a good idea if each server in a game had a lore master GM who could create events on a certain server. That would make each server more unique, and give players more options, and would make the world feel more alive. Private MMO servers have accomplished a system like this, and I think its time that game companys look into this idea.
Another post talked about how the game world should change with the real world. The game might have a preconcieved notion about how society works in a game world, but at the end of the day, it is the players who make that society work. Players change the rules and make the setting, all the game can do is try to guide them. So let's put this another way. In World of Warcraft the Forsaken are suppose to be a sinister lot who are so evil and depraved that they joined the Horde out of convinence to block the Alliance. The Forsaken care little for the Horde, and see them more as tools. However, Horde players rarely play like this. Forsaken and other Horde races get along just fine, therefore, the setting, despite the lore, has changed.
All around me on Trinity people are rushing into fraternities and sororities where they will get to hang out with like minded people as they experience the game of college together. I'm rushing too! Only I'm joining a bunch of nerds in the quest to slay digital dragons to get magic items. Oh yeah. I'm joining a guild.
Deciding what to do in the game made me revisit my priorities. What do I want to do in Vanguard. Honestly, I just want to roleplay with people, have some people i can chat with, and make friends who are willing to do quests with me. Sounds reasonable enough. Right now there are three guilds that have caught my attention:
1. Seradon Role Playing Community. This guild stood out immeditly because of its name. I once took a test in which the participant had a list of name and had to figure out which on the list where Iraqi insurgent groups, and which were guild names. I didn't do well on it. So with a name that sounds like a legitimate organization, it draws a certain amount of attention. Essentially these guys are all role players (act and talk in the same way their characters do) which is something I am into. Now I am a little concerned about the status of the group because there seems to be little activity, but I hear that it's because people are too busy playing to update the website. I hope this is true.
2. The Platnium Order. These guys are the largest guild on the server boasting 538 mains and 634 alts, making them a strong candidate for my social needs. I decided to investigate their website and what I read in their description made me happy. They are a large social guild that are about cooperative play, and have no set speciality. They also promise that there is a lot of joking around in guild chat which scores major points with me. Also I find it pretty cool that they are a cross-game guild and have set up guilds in many different MMOs. These guys seem laid back and have a large player base. I might just have to join them.
3. Planar Inanely. These guys seem... interesting. These guys want to be hardcore players as well as roleplayers at the same time. Ambitious. I've read through their posts, and their mission statement, and I'll be honest: I have no idea what they are talking about. Let's take their Guild Charter. What does this mean? I have no idea. But it sounds like there is potential for a really cool role playing story behind this guild. I love a mystery, and I definitly want to see what this guild is all about. If not as a member, then from one roleplaying member to another.
I’m a sucker for online quizzes. From finding your inner animal to discovering what kind of kisser you are, there is no question the internet can’t answer. Thus I sought out the knowledge of the internet once again to discover what kind of gamer I was. After analyzing the results, I have to say, I am not surprised with the findings.
I took the Bartle Test of Gamer Psychology located at gamerdna.com. After answering 26 questions, while being humored by the gamer DNA robot, it was revealed to me that I am a socializer. Or to be more specific, I am 87% socializer, 60% killer, 47% explorer, and 7% achiever. The game thinks that I would like World of Warcraft, Final Fantasy XI, Maple Story, Everquest, and Dark Age of Camelot. Bartle’s test is on point as I have played World of Warcraft and with the exception of Maple Story, I have seriously considered playing the other games.
At the end of the day I am a socializer. I see no point in killing monsters to get items just so I can kill monsters easier. I see it as a never ending, and quite frankly, boring cycle. I couldn’t stand in. While my friends in World of Warcraft went out raiding, I was organizing events in the capital cities. I once organized a 15 player game of hide and seek where one player would hide, and the first person to open a trade window with him would get one gold. Not only that but I played on role playing servers, a lot. I created a character named Maevin, who worked for the Scarlet Crusade (the religious extremists on the alliance side) and pretended to be my character in the way I talked and acted. The beauty of the role playing server I was on was that hundreds of other players did the same thing. There were player run bars, a player run police force, and a seasonal ball that would attract the entire server. It was a fun server, and players would work together to craft stories, as World of Warcraft essentially lacked engaging stories for players. It was some fantastic player created content.
In second place, I am ranked as a killer. I guess I have to agree with that. I love gathering groups of players and going out to fight other players. Killing another player takes more skill than destroying a monster, and even though there is little tangible reward, the feeling of satisfaction makes it worth it. Overall I think this quiz makes sense in comparison to my games of choice. I love RPGs by Bioware where I socialize with NPCs and having engaging conversations. I also love shooting games like the Battlefield series, combining player vs. player combat with teamwork is a combination that can distract me for hours.
Alright so let’s step back and ask, what’s the point? Why should we care about the types of players in MMOs? The reason is that this information, assuming it representing the entire gaming population (unverifiable, but bear with me) reveals that there is a hunger for different MMO’s than what is currently being created. With 39% of players being explorers and 13.6% being socializers, we are looking at a majority of the gaming population that is more interested in story and community rather than fighting and advancing. What games are there to support this? I’ll tell you upfront, it’s not Second Life (sure it has both elements, but I can’t stand by the notion that it is a game). Some may say that it is EVE online. However, since the learning curve of that game is steeper than Everest, it’s unlikely that it will become popular in the near future.
So we have a gap. But it will be filled. And it’s going to be Bioware that fills it. Those folks are an hour north of me up in Austin, and I’ve talked to them. They are schemers. And they are scheming on a huge project. It’s not announced yet, but trust me on this when I say I have done my research, it is Star Wars: The Old Republic (takes place in the Knights of the Old Republic Universe). Bioware realizes that MMO’s have not been expanded far enough. Sure a good system has been established for killing, and achieving, but there is still stuff left to be desired in socializing and exploring. Bioware Austin keeps telling us that this new game they are making is going to focus on story and trying to recreate the single player experience. Honestly, I think they might just pull it off, and if the results we got are true, there is a chance that they can be making bank on this game.
I think the typology for this game is pretty on point and doesn’t need revision. Reason I say this is that I feel that these are the four parts of the MMO. The only thing that might be worth adding is something about an ‘economist’ of sorts, however that may be an achiever. Hard to say. If a large effort was put forth to identify how gamers play games, companies could use this to help create for us a game that would be enjoyable and profitable. Overall this was an interesting test, and I am curious if the results change when more people take it.
Thing is though, I'm right. Let me explain why. There are many reasons I play game. For the story. For the immersion. For the fun. Something I love about video games is being able to kill "noobs". Why kill noobs? Because they are noobs, therefore, they deserve to be owned. Its cyber darwinism and I love it. I don't want to be the prey so I will work hard to be the predator. The thing I love about killing someone online is knowing that there is no consequences for killing someone. I can kill someone and not feel guilty about it. Video Games are the only thing that allow this scenario. And the moment people from the real world come in to try to make their livelyhood off it, and turn things from a game into an alternate reality, well then my nice little world is about to get a whole lot more complicated. The moment people throw their lives into the game, killing someone has real moral consequences. I dont want to live in that world. So I have to make sure it never emerges. If I know that someone is going to be forcing their moral code upon us by making a distinction between who we can and can not kill, they have to be stopped. These online worlds are about freedom, and freedom is something I will fight for. Sorry farmer, you are no more special than anyone else.
In the interest of fairness I think it should be noted that you can 100 gold for only five bucks! That's awesome! For minimal money, you could get a lot of gold. That is a tempting offer. Benefit yourself or keep freedom. It's your choice.
http://www.world-warcraft-gold.org/worl
Some other helpful Vanguard links I found:
http://www.silkyvenom.com/forums/forumdi
http://vanguard.gameamp.com/forum/showTo
http://www.mmorpg.com/newsroom.cfm
and this one might be helpful for some people
http://www.warcraftrealms.com/census.php
The art in Vanguard is awesome. The sceneary is beautiful, the loading screens are entertaining, and the ability to customize the heck out of your characters is fantastic. The music used to also helps give everything a nice feel for each zone. I like how Vanguard has civilizations with more influences than mere Western European ones. The new Isle has an asian theme which i think is a nice change of pace to the starting zones we are usually accustomed to.
If I wish I knew something when I first started an MMO it would be the importnace of questing. The extra experience and items gained from questing is very helpful and gives a reason for your character to be out their and grinding. Also I wish I knew that sometimes I had to go into my characters profile and choose abilities for him. Oh well, now I know.
Maybe I should back up a bit...
I'm a Junior at Trinity University majoring in communications. I am in the class games for the web. In this game we are going to play the tradgic game Vanguard: Saga of Heroes. I say tradgic because it was put out by Sony before it was finished. Apparently this premmie of a game got torn apart by pissed game reviewers and customers. But things have gotten better now! Or so they say! We are going to see if that is true and try to learn more MMO's as we venture in this world. A world where I'm free. Free to pretend to be a Wood Elf princess named Gem Blossom. Having this much fun should be illegal (seriously, its kinda creepy).
So for topics I'm bouncing quite a bit around. One is roleplayers. I love roleplaying servers and I would be interested to see how the RP community is in Vanguard. Another option is griefers. If there are no role players that strike my interest I might be interested in seeing how people seek pleasure in ruining anothers gaming experience. These are some ideas I got bouncing around so I will see what comes from them.
- Mood:
amused
