Dr Esther MacCallum-Stewart (SMARTlab, University of East London), Justin Parsler (University of Brunel)
Accept the Quest? Agency in Computer GamesFriday 2 February 2007 (week 4)
With the advance in public response to gaming seen through such international successes as World of Warcraft (2004 - present), the means by which a player can navigate a world has suddenly become important again. In huge, sustained worlds such as WoW, the player appears to have free movement across vast continents, hundreds of quests, and infinite 'down time' in which to relax socially, roleplay characters and make virtual money in the auction houses across the lands. For games designers, wishing to replicate this apparent potential for free movement within Massively Multiplayer Online Roleplaying Games (MMORPGs) is once again a key element in game design.
Yet is this freedom real or imagined? This seminar will look at key themes - agency, immersion and roleplaying within games, and ask how far towards free movement we have come. Using World of Warcraft as a case study It will examine each theme and ask how each one contributes towards play. Is it possible to fully realise a character in such a distancing form of media? Is immersion within such a large game really possible. Finally, it will ask what steps are being taken to develop these worlds, and how these might affect player experience.
Esther MacCallum-Stewart is a Postgraduate Research Fellow at SMARTlab, The University of East London. Her work investigates the role of digital narratives in games, in particular through the representation of history, roleplay and culture.
Justin Parsler is a postgraduate researcher from the University of Brunel. He is currently exploring the ways in which game design interacts with gameplay, and the techniques by which successful worlds are created.