ABEL, CHRISTIE: QUESTIONING AN ETHNOGRAPHIC TEXT: NARDI, BONNIE: MY LIFE AS A NIGHT ELF PRIEST

What is the text “about” -- empirically and conceptually?
What modes of inquiry were used to produce it?
How is the text structured and performed?
How can it circulate?

What is the text about – empirically?

What phenomenon is drawn out in the text?  A social process; a cultural and political-economic shift; a cultural “infrastructure;” an emergent assemblage of science-culture-technology-economics? This ethnographic study explores the game WoW, or World of Warcraft, and the emergence of the phenomenon of the ‘Massively multiplayer online role-playing game’ or ‘MMORPG’.

Where is this phenomenon located – in a neighborhood, in a country, in “Western Culture,” in a globalizing economy? This phenomenon is located digitally (in the game space) with participants from across the globe. There are also in-person observations and interviews of people in southern California and Beijing, China.

What historical trajectory is the phenomenon situated within?  What, in the chronology provided or implied, is emphasized -- the role of political or economic forces, the role of certain individuals or social groups?  What does the chronology leave out or discount? This book explores WoW mostly in the context of other MMORPGs that have been studied, such as Second Life and Lineage and mostly highlights the increasingly important role of technology (specifically the Internet) on society. 

What scale(s) are focused on -- nano (i.e. the level of language), micro, meso, macro? What empirical material is developed at each scale?  While the analysis is mostly focused on the micro level, focusing on the individual interactions of players and the design of the system, the theoretical perspective also incorporates some macro elements, such as how players organize within the game space.

Who are the players in the text and what are their relations?  Does the text trace how these relations have changed across time – because of new technologies, for example? Players of WoW, both within the game space and outside of the space (in Southern California and China)

What is the temporal frame in which players play?  In the wake of a particular policy, disaster or other significant “event?”  In the general climate of the Reagan era, or of “after-the-Wall” globalization?  In the early days of MMORPGs - fieldwork was collected from 2005-2010

What cultures and social structures are in play in the text? Transnationalism, gender, work, software design, gender

What kinds of practices are described in the text?  Are players shown to be embedded in structural contradictions or double-binds? Play as an aesthetic experience and the dialectical relationship between software features and participatory design

How are science and technology implicated in the phenomenon described Science and technology are integral to the phenomenon, as studies of the Internet and computer are essential to understanding MMORPGs

What structural conditions– technological, legal and legislative, political, cultural – are highlighted, and how are they shown to have shaped the phenomenon described in this text? globalization and the increasingly blurring boundaries between how people socialize

How – at different scales, in different ways – is power shown to operate?  Is there evidence of power operating through language, “discipline,” social hierarchies, bureaucratic function, economics, etc? Much of this discussion is around the ‘black box’ of software design and the power of software companies (in this case Blizzard) and how users can choose to subvert the power of these design choices through modding, cheating, and protesting. 

Does the text provide comparative or systems level perspectives?  In other words, is the particular phenomenon described in this text situated in relation to similar phenomenon in other settings?  Is this particular phenomena situated within global structures and processes? The text is situated both from the perspective of an imagined ‘North American’ player, but also includes interviews and observations of players in China

What is the text about – conceptually? Is the goal to verify, challenge or extend prior theoretical claims? The goal is to first demystify digital ethnography and the space of MMORGPs as a field site as well as to challenge perspectives on 

What is the main conceptual argument or theoretical claim of the text?  Is it performed, rendered explicit or both? The main argument uses Activity Theory and Dewey’s Aesthetic Experience to explore the digital artifacts 

What ancillary concepts are developed to articulate the conceptual argument? Narratives of addiction and the software artifact, as well as concepts of work and the magic circle 

How is empirical material used to support or build the conceptual argument? Nardi highly utilized a participatory observation (she uses Pearce’s notion of participatory-engagement to describe her data collection style) by interacting in the game space and becoming part of various online communities. As such, she is able to embed herself in the community and understand more nuances of the experience, and experience similar frustrations as the population that she’s studying

How robust is the main conceptual argument of the text?  On what grounds could it be challenged? The theoretical approach of activity theory and aesthetic experience is sound. As much of the conceptual argument is a critique of participatory design, much of the potential criticism could come from the other side.

How could the empirical material provided support conceptual arguments other than those built in the text? There could be more discussion surrounding some of the more toxic aspects of online culture. It seems that since the author is a player that is accepted in the community, there could be more focus on what new players or players who do not feel as welcome are feeling. There is also an aspect of an ‘assumed player’ from Blizzard and other players that isn’t discussed critically too much. There is also a brief mention of class (she mentions some of the occupations of fellow players and interviewees) but not to much extent. 

Modes of inquiry? 

What theoretical edifice provides the (perhaps haunting – i.e. non-explicit) backdrop to the text? The idea that MMORPGs are a ‘great unifier’ where all types of people can come together to interact. There isn’t much discussion of the differences between those people outside of the game (such as class differences, labor expectations, etc). 

What assumptions appear to have shaped the inquiry?  Does the author assume that individuals are rational actors, for example, or assume that the unconscious is a force to be dealt with?  Does the author assume that the “goal” of society is (functional) stability? Does the author assume that what is most interesting occurs with regularity, or is she interested in the incidental and deviant? Nardi assumes that all players are created equal outside of the game and assumes that the players will figure out how to organize best (not the software companies)

What kinds of data (ethnographic, experimental, statistical, etc.)  are used in the text, and how were they obtained? Ethnographic - participant observation (both in person and online), chat logs, in-person and remote interviews. They were mostly obtained through their social network

If interviews were conducted, what kinds of questions were asked?  What does the author seem to have learned from the interviews? Questions regarding gameplay, what brought them to the game, where they play, etc.

How was the data analyzed?  If this is not explicit, what can be inferred? Inferred that data was grouped and then relevant quotes were interwoven with theory

How are people, objects or ideas aggregated into groups or categories North American and Chinese players are grouped

What additional data would strengthen the text? More images of the gameplay (considering the importance of aesthetic experience)

Structure and performance?

What is in the introduction? Does the introduction turn around unanswered questions -- in other words, are we told how this text embodies a research project? The introduction outlines the book, and serves mostly as an introduction to the game in question, World or Warcraft and the concept of ‘virtual worlds’ and MMORPGs. 

Where is theory in the text?  Is the theoretical backdrop to the text explained, or assumed to be understood? Theory is dedicated to the majority of the book in the largest section. The theoretical backdrop is entirely explained and doesn’t require any background. 

What is the structure of the discourse in the text?  What binaries recur in the text, or are conspicuously avoided? The structure is delineated between one section on theoretical perspectives and one on the cultural dimensions of WoW. There are binaries in the differences and similarities between certain groups (like Chinese and North American players, or women and men players)

How is the historical trajectory delineated?  Is there explicit chronological development? There is historical reference to previous virtual video games as the precursors to games like WoW

How is the temporal context provided or evoked in the text? The text takes place firmly in its present time and doesn’t evoke much of the past, aside from comparing or contrasting to other types of games. This text is pre-gamer gate so many attitudes towards gender in gaming are different from today

How does the text specify the cultures and social structures in play in the text? North American, Chinese, woman, employee, player

How are informant perspectives dealt with and integrated? It is woven equally through the digital dimensions of the platform itself

How does the text draw out the implications of science and technology? At what level of detail are scientific and technological practices described? The societal impacts of video games and the transnational implications - she is quite surprised at the similarities between the Chinese and North American players 

How does the text provide in-depth detail – hopefully without losing readers? The text goes deep into aesthetic theory, which would probably lose many lay readers. However, she does frequently use examples to bring the theory back to the data

What is the layout of the text?  How does it move, from first page to last?  Does it ask for other ways of reading? Does the layout perform an argument? The text was interesting in that it began with theory and then moved to cultural implications. I think the text could have been effectively read the other way around to give some more basis to the theory

What kinds of visuals are used, and to what effect? Photographs of players in China, screenshots of the game interface

What kind of material and analysis are in the footnotes? There aren’t footnotes, but there is an index at the end

How is the criticism of the text performed?  If through overt argumentation, who is the “opposition”? The text’s opposition is mostly other game designers advocating for more participatory design, as well as people who are critical of the study of video games as a valid scientific data source.

How does the text situate itself?  In other words, how is reflexivity addressed, or not? Nardi is aware of her biases towards gameplay as well as her position as a researcher who is also very involved with the game itself. However, there could be more reflectivity towards class and financial resources

Circulation?

Who is the text written for?  How are arguments and evidence in the text shaped to address particular audiences? The text seems to mainly be written for other game scholar, particularly digital anthropologist, HCI designers, and game designers. There could also be a lay audience who is intrigued by the game itself, although the theory would probably not appeal to them

What all audiences can you imagine for the text, given its empirical and conceptual scope? People who are advocating for less critical approaches to video games in popular discourse, loved ones of WoW players or players of other MMORPGs, researchers and educators interested in the formation of teams and study of collaboration online, workplace scholars 

What new knowledge does this text put into circulation?  What does this text have to say that otherwise is not obvious? Nardi doesn’t necessarily introduce any new theories, but provides a new lens using older theories. It doesn’t seem that game play has been viewed through this perspective prior to this book, which has serious implications for designers.

How generalizable is the main argument?  How does this text lay the groundwork for further research? The argument that underlies the book (activity theory) is quite general and can be applied to any activity. Her main arguments about the importance of design on behavior has lasting implications not only for video game designers, but also general designers of online tools and platforms.

What kind of “action” is suggested by the main argument of the text?  Much of the action is around inaction - she urges for computer game designers to not take a participatory design approach and rather allow players to figure the system out and form their own solutions. 

Other modes of expression? 

Describe how the material and arguments of this text could be presented in a form other than that of a conventional scholarly book -- as a graphic novel, museum exhibit, activist stunt, or educational module for kids, for example? A documentary following players outside of the context of the game and following how the game fits into their daily lives