‘You’re Doing It Wrong’: How Paratexts, Online Communities, and User Innovation Shape Development and Culture in World of Warcraft

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2013-01-25
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Abstract
Massively Multiplayer Role Playing Games (MMOs) occupy a curious position at the crossroads of culture and technology. While users are free to immerse themselves in virtual worlds, they remain largely removed from the formal systems of administration and development governing these realms. Yet, despite their lack of direct influence, users have managed to influence MMO games in profound ways. This is particularly true of the popular game World of Warcraft (WoW), which serves as the focus of this study. Based on evidence gathered from interviews with average WoW users and the theories of Rene Glas and Eric von Hippel on stakeholder theory and user-driven innovation respectively, I argue that users have enhanced their own agency and precipitated the introduction of novel gameplay elements and innovative techniques through the utilization of user-created resources called paratexts and the formation of unique online communities.
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Mass Communications
Citation
Crosby, B. (2013). ‘You’re Doing It Wrong’: How Paratexts, Online Communities, and User Innovation Shape Development and Culture in World of Warcraft (Master's thesis, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada). Retrieved from https://prism.ucalgary.ca. doi:10.11575/PRISM/28730