(Person) Percentage - Sabanci University Research Database

The Asian Media & Mass Communication Conference 2010 Osaka, Japan
to gain access to a high-end 40-person raid group in PvE – RP (person versus environment – roleplay)
server. The group frequented the Molten Core dungeon, where several ‘bosses’ with different
abilities are to be killed, and its completion marked the end of my role as a participant observer. Over
the duration of the group raids, the number of players fluctuated although the group had a core of
about 25 players. There was a pool of about 30 players who were regulars during the entire study and
another 20 who were considered sporadic players. Most of the players’ real-life demographic profile,
such as age, nationality, gender, etc., was unknown to me except for the regular few that I have been
interacting with. To easily and accurately review the games’ instances, all were recorded resulting to
256 hours of video captures.
On the other hand, email interviews through snowballing sampling technique were employed in the
analysis of the knowledge creation in modding. A total of 16 respondents participated in the email
interview which comprised of 15 male modders and one female. No classification of modding (e.g.
skinner, mapper, etc.) was imposed on the selection of respondents as it is unnecessary in coming up
with a conclusive argument in the knowledge creation in modding. The complexity or simplicity of
the mod designs are treated similarly as the most important factor is the motivation of the modders in
spending valuable time redesigning the game interface, chat service, maps, etc.
4. FINDINGS AND ANALYSIS
This section analyses the findings of the knowledge and skills in WoW timed-quest and modding.
4.1. Processual Understanding of Games
No game is released in its entirety the first time it is made commercial. Every game is being
discovered, altered, and refigured not just by the developers, but by the gamers themselves as it is
being played. Each game contains the potential for producing new ways of doing and meanings that
may, in the long run, alter the game itself (Malaby, 2007). Players can intentionally alter or refigure
the game and gaming patterns as the gamer attempts to adjust to the different unpredictable
challenges and strategies in accomplishing a task, much like a game designer would.
There could also be changes in games, which are unintentional results of practice when clever
individuals and teams try to find alternative or new ways of playing the game that are different from
the way it is designed for. Creation of new practices and tactics has always been inherent in games.
Games carry with it potential in altering the game itself and how it is played by affecting its rules and
mechanics. In addition, game developers open the games’ technical infrastructure to allow
modifications – such as patches, maps, skins, etc (generally called add-ons), by the gamers
themselves who have the technical skills of creating such. These add-ons, eventually, may create new
challenges and explorations for other gamers and in the long run result to acquisition of new skills.
The important thing to think about is that games are fundamentally built on human practices and are
therefore changing and always in the “process of becoming” (Malaby, 2007). Any given moment in a
game may produce new meanings and practices, which may in turn change the way the game is
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