Leeroy Jenkins; Identity Formation, Investment, and Social Structure of a Guild in World of Warcraft

Presentation Year

2019

College or Department

College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences

Short Description of your Research or Creative Project (700 characters or less)

World of Warcraft, an online fantasy game, connects more than 10 million players worldwide in a multiplayer story-based adventure. Each player builds a character and plays through game content individually or in groups called guilds. Through participant observation over the course of a year, this study of one guild found: social/hierarchical bonds/structure are reinforced in all group activities; and the correlation between individual time investment in guild play/communication and group cohesion. This research contributes to existing scholarship on online sociality by providing insight into the role online gaming plays in connecting people across time and space in new forms of community.

Permission to Publish Work

No