Video Game Assignment

1. Video Game Assignment World of Warcraft Mists of Pandaria (WoW)

2. 1st person or 3rd person shooter? History of race and character. • This is a bit hard to answer because it can be both. You can watch it from third person or you can zoom in so it’s like you’re looking through the characters eyes. So, I’d say it’s both. • The Pandaren are originally from central Kalimdor and were allies with the night elves until they saw the night elves obsession with magic getting out of control. They left to an island called Pandaria. You start off on a giant turtle called The Wandering Aisle (it’s for Pandaren who wish to go see the world outside of Pandaria) as a student in a battle training center and depending on the class you chose (monk, hunter, warrior, shaman, priest, mage, or rogue) you will learn different spells and/or attacks. You go off on many different quests until level ten where you choose to go with the alliance or the horde.

3. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nyeZ8khSEC0 This is only a computer game so far

4. Characteristics/traits and how people are portrayed • The traits and characteristics of your character will be different depending on what kind of person you are because you are your character. Most of the people that you will meet are nice if you are both in the alliance or both in the horde. Most of the in game characters are nice and helpful. • If you’re in the alliance, the bad guys are the horde. If you’re in the horde, the alliance are the bad guys. There are of course, the beasts and scouts from the other places and whatnot • The good guys are the people in your race and the people that you meet online because you’re all doing things together. • Children aren’t seen very often and usually only in big cities if they are seen

5. How are men and women portrayed? • Men and women are portrayed very similarly. They are strong and smart. There are a few stereotypes that I can point out which are: the elf women tend to be wearing less clothing, most of the clothing that they do have shows a lot of skin. They are very skinny and feminine. The men have big muscles and clothing that covers most of themselves. The other races and classes aren’t really stereotyped as far as I can tell.

6. Any evidence of homophobia? • This is what a member of WOW/Blizzard has commented. I haven’t seen any homophobia but it is there and it will be for a very long time. • After seeing the closing concert at Blizzcon I just don't understand how these reps of such a well-to-do company could be so incredibly tactless.I (and many others) have had to deal with homophobia in game to pretty bad extents.Being kicked from guilds, losing friends, the constant insults from other players who don't even know you. Having to change servers or quit the game over it.I thought I would only have to deal with this in game (Regrettably so), but now it's at Blizzcon and seems to be fully supported behavior by Blizzard.This makes me look back on the incident where LGBT players were harassed by Blizzard employees who were not able to even correctly interpret their own rules on Sexual Orientation.This concert, past events, and poor upkeep of their own rules, shows me that Blizzard encourages this kind of behavior.I know I'll get flamed for this, but it will be by players who have never had to deal with hate in the same sense ever in their lives. It's not just about in game, it's outside the game too.Why should my money go to supporting behavior like this?This isn't about alliance-hate.This is about bigotry.

7. How are people with special needs portrayed? • I have never seen anyone at all in a wheelchair or with any other special needs in the game. There are good and bad points to this: The good thing is that nobody can make fun of special needs characters/players. It would be nice to have some special needs characters though. For example, someone in a wheelchair could get to places faster or run people and things over.

8. Level of violence and appropriate age level to play • There is a lot of violence. Quests basically revolve around killing things. It’s how you get money. You kill to survive. There is hardly any blood that I’ve seen. There are cases (I’m not sure if they’re true though because it’s the internet) of people lending things over the game and not giving it back so they track them down and kill them. I started playing when I was around eleven but I used to watch my friend play it before then. I would say around ten because of the violence but the scenery is so beautiful and you can just wander around and explore everywhere.

9. Positive vs. Negative messages Positive negative There is a lot of killing and blowing things up, elf women hardly wear any clothes, killing animals • You get to explore beautiful places, make friends that you can go on raids with, save people from dying, save Shen-zin Su, you can be who ever you want to be

10. How many hours I have spent playing it • I spend around two or three hours a day on it, give or take. Some days I don’t play it at all and then there are Christmas breaks or something similar to that where all I do the whole week is play World of Warcraft and eat lifesavers.

11. Why do I enjoy this game? Why is it my favorite? • I love this game because you get to do whatever you want. The scenery is beautiful and you can meet amazing people. It gives me somewhere to escape from reality for a while. It makes me calm down because I get to go on quests and kill things which is something you can’t do in real life. You escape into a world of magic where anything can happen. It’s really amazing. It is my favorite because there are so many different races and classes to choose from.

12. What is video game addiction? Do you think you’re addicted? • Video game addiction is an excessive or compulsive use of computer games or video games, which interferes with a person's everyday life. Video game addiction may present as compulsive game-playing; social isolation; mood swings; diminished imagination; and hyper-focus on in-game achievements, to the exclusion of other life events. In May 2013, video game addiction was added to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders in the Conditions for Further Study section as "Internet Gaming Disorder". • Yes I think I may be addicted. I will put off homework and chores and other things because I’m on a quest or about to level up. I don’t agree with where it says that it diminishes imagination. It shows you things you may not have thought of before and you can incorporate that into other things like stories and whatnot.

13. Alliance races • Human • Dwarf • Night elf • Gnome • Dranei • Worgen

14. Horde races • Orc • Undead • Tauren • Troll • Blood elf • Goblin