#digitalcomunity

The way in which the rules of social gaming platforms and the codes of conduct of real life society conflict was brought to my attention through the learning materials this week, and I found it interesting to note the intricacy of the virtual worlds. Where I once believed virtual gaming to be a place where people wasted time (and often money) investing themselves in fantasy worlds which provided them no benefit in their real lives, following this week’s work I was surprised to learn of the in depth nature of the games, and how whole digital worlds can be formed, comprising not only the physical but also the emotional connections of a real life world.

 By examining Eve Online, an MMOG (massively multiplayer online game) with more than half a million players world wide, I came to learn just how complex the workings of these virtual worlds really are. Not only do Eve gamers manufacture artificial lives of avatars on the screen in front of them, they also contribute to the development of the game, through interacting with the CSM (council of stellar management). The CSM allows players to communicate easily with other players and work for in-game rewards; something not offered by many other MMOGs. I think that the communication in which the gamers engage in with other players, using skills such as team work and leadership etc., in the forums is well-designed, as it puts to use real life skills in a virtual environment.

 Where the notion of MMOGs became more difficult for me to understand, was the constant overlapping and conflicting of real life laws and regulations, with laws, rules and codes designed by the games developers. Especially considering, as de Zwart and Humphries (2014) state, the player swaps back and forth between multiple roles, as does a regular human living a normal life. In the game sphere, the player will be in the mind set of the avatar – whatever game they are playing – however if they find they are In need of assistance, or are disrupted by something popping up on their computer screen, they immediately switch back into the role of themselves, the social gamer. So if a player is verbally harassing another in the game forum, which rules apply? Rules of the game? Or the rules of society? What if sexually inappropriate comments are being made from one player to another, but the rules of the game do not include situations such as this? Does the sexual harassment just go unnoticed, or would the codes of conduct of normal society apply, where sexual harassment be it verbal or physical is deemed a criminal act?

 I understand that social gaming must be a minefield to attempt to regulate, considering the constant back and forth switching between roles of the gamer and the role being played within the game, and the subsequent switching of codes of conduct. To me, de Zwart and Humphries (2014) have it one hundred percent correct in calling virtual worlds a “lawless frontier”.

 REFERENCES

de Zwart, M & Humphreys, S 2014,' The Lawless Frontier of Deep Space: Code as Law in EVE Online', Cultural Studies Review, vol. 20, no. 1, pp. 77-99.