Social Praxis Within and Around Online Gaming: The Case of World of Warcraft

Games change their form as technology changes its forms: from early single player or multiplayer co-located games, many games are now online, real-time, massively multi-player experiences. A current research challenge is to understand gamers´ persistent involvement with games by considering their social practices within and around the game. This is important as it may have an impact on how we design successful technology-enhanced learning experiences. A Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game (MMORPG), World of Warcraft was investigated. Data were collected from a large-scale online survey (1051 responses) as well as in-depth interviews. Findings revealed a range of collaborative and competitive relationships developed during gameplay. What motivates ongoing long-term participation was found to be social praxis along with significant others i.e., online and real-life friends as well as family members. Gaming becomes habitual when overcoming the boundaries of virtuality to become blurred with reality.