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Games and Culture, Vol. 1, No. 4, 338-361 (2006)
DOI: 10.1177/1555412006292616

From Tree House to Barracks

The Social Life of Guilds in World of Warcraft

Dmitri Williams

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Nicolas Ducheneaut

Palo Alto Research Center

Li Xiong

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Yuanyuan Zhang

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Nick Yee

Stanford University/Palo Alto Research Center

Eric Nickell

Palo Alto Research Center

A representative sample of players of a popular massively multiplayer online game (World of Warcraft) was interviewed to map out the social dynamics of guilds. An initial survey and network mapping of players and guilds helped form a baseline. Next, the resulting interview transcripts were reviewed to explore player behaviors, attitudes, and opinions; the meanings they make; the social capital they derive; and the networks they form and to develop a typology of players and guilds. In keeping with current Internet research findings, players were found to use the game to extend real-life relationships, meet new people, form relationships of varying strength, and also use others merely as a backdrop. The key moderator of these outcomes appears to be the game's mechanic, which encourages some kinds of interactions while discouraging others. The findings are discussed with respect to the growing role of code in shaping social interactions.

Key Words: MMO • guilds • online community • virtual community • social networks • social capital


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