World of Warcraft
From Eduwiki
World of Warcraft is a massively multiplayer online role playing game (MMORPG) with millions of players worldwide. It is based on a world created in PC games in which there is a war between two factions, the Alliance and the Horde. In the game there is a progression of events that follows this storyline. Each expansion adds to the storyline based on the games there have been in the regular PC format. There are even holidays and world events that affect characters in the game (like right now there are zombies attacking players and turning their toons into zombies). More statically in this world, there are ten different races with nine different classes to choose from each with their own abilities and visuals. People can choose from their own preferred goals, all of which usually involve leveling your character to the highest level possible (currently 70 until November’s expansion changes it to 80). Players can quest, socialize, play against other players, and raid or play in dungeons (special sections of the game with higher rewards). There are multiple goals in the game, including long and short term goals. I will lay out the each goal separately.
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Goal #1 – Game Progression
Description. In this section, the player’s goal is to level the character from 1 to the highest possible level. This is done by creating a character that will help you in your goals. To do this you will select gear and talents for your levels. You choose these depending on how you like to play. Additionally, you choose your profession early on and level it as you work. You can be a variety of different professions which gather or create items which you can sell or use in the Warcraft economy.
Strategies. There are a HUGE amount of available strategies to do this. You can read the quests and try to figure them out, you can ask people to help you, you can look up things on game sites dedicated to helping new players, you can download a modification that puts where you need to go on the map. You can also level by killing monsters (though it will take longer if you don’t do quests with them), and by doing dungeons as you progress (these are special sections where you battle computer characters that are harder and must be done in groups. They also give more experience). Personally, I like to use the modification so I don’t have to explore too long for a different place, because this is never my end goal when playing. Honestly, my second level 70 was leveled using the strategy of playing with a friend very often. He would kill and I would heal him, and we rarely died at all. Our leveling went very quickly. However, my first level 70 I leveled using lots of thought and practice to get through as many quests as quickly as possible. As I played more, I started to use the dungeons with my friends to level even faster.
Educational Implications. Geography. For leveling, the best use of this game is not content because the content is highly fictional, with various different races including humans, elves, orcs, goblins, trolls, etc. However, there is an extensive use of maps and problem solving which is necessary to get to the next levels, even if you have friends to help you, they won’t just do everything for you for long! The map of the world includes three (four after expansion) continents with various sections to learn to navigate through. Also students may not learn the map of the U.S. or world, they still learn how to navigate with a map, even if they have the modification.
Goal #2 – PVP (Play against the other faction & kick their butts)
Description. Beginning with about level 10, students are able to enter into battlegrounds where they can fight other players from the opposing faction. Here, players do their best to be geared better and kill the other players in return for honor points and tokens which they can use to buy better gear and the glory of kicking another thinking breathing person’s butt. Additionally, they try to either run a flag, or kill the other side’s NPC or “own” the most bases in the battleground in order for one side to be declared the winner (which results in more honor points than losing). As a person levels, they can enter more and more battlegrounds, with the fourth (for now) coming about level 60. Additionally, at the top levels, people can use the battlegrounds or they can also try the Arena, which is also fighting someone of the other faction. Here, the goal is just massacring the other side. These arena sections also allow players to win tokens and arena points which they can use to buy special gear. These arena matches have developed into organized sports with tournaments for real money (though that part is outside of the game).
Strategies. Some people use the strategy of just playing this for fun, though most people that enjoy PVP do their best to get gear with special skills like “resilience” that will help them win these fights. Others rely on their ability to think quickly or use a good combination of their attacking and defense abilities. Lastly, many people use special strategies that make people label them as “twinks” which are people who like PVP alone for a character. They gear this character up very well in advance and stop at a high decade level (like 49) so they can kill all the other people that aren’t as high leveled as them in the battlegrounds. Personally, I hate PVP. When I choose to play PVP, I use the strategy of trying to use a good combo of my skills or I use my healer so I can just heal the other people that do all the killing.
Educational Implications. Problem Solving, Teamwork, and Geography. This one is huge into problem solving. People often fight different people each time or each day, and have to think how to counter act other people’s skills or gear. Each class has abilities either built in or available to purchase with honor points to make it possible to win. It also uses a map, so map skills are also an issue. Lastly, the people on a team need to work together, and often have limited tools to do so (typing unless you found ten to twenty five other people to get on a talking software and get into the same battlegrounds with you at the same time on your faction).
Goal #3 – Endgame (Being the best (possible) of your class)
Description. Here you are still progressing, however, the leveling is done. You are now looking to build the best geared character possible, as well as discover new content to the hardest level. You also build reputation with different factions. All of this content requires the player to work with other players in order to get through different harder and harder levels. Some require between five to twenty five people on the same faction to be playing at the same time and to communicate during their raid. Here they fight the computer’s characters and often advance the storyline of the game. Your goal is to have the best gear so you can show off how great you are and be invited to even more difficult content. Some people have good enough gear and are good enough at playing to charge game gold for helping you do things you want to do in the game.
Strategies. Here there are a variety of strategies to choose from. People generally want to create a pool of friends they can play with, which they can do in some gaming groups (discussed in social sections). People also need to learn what to do in the fight, how to behave in a group and how to follow a leader. Many groups require players to install modification programs that help determine how likely you are to get a computer character to attack you instead of who your group wants them to attack. Here map skills are less useful because you can’t look at a map of where you are going very easily, but you do need some directional skills. There is a huge problem solving curve when a raid is new, however, as it gets older people can just look up strategies for each individual fight, dungeon or raid on special websites. I personally like to learn from my friends what to do in the fight right before I fight it, then I usually remember the next time I have the same fight.
Educational Implications. Problem solving, Teamwork. In order to do this section, a player must either be able to solve problems or be able to work in a group. These are both skills that our students often need to learn but neither are directly taught, only through other means (like problem solving through math and science and teamwork as you teach your subject and see what needs to be corrected. Isaac! Get off that chair and pay attention to what you’re doing!). If you don’t pay attention in your group, they will kick you out and tell everyone else on the server that you are not good to play with. This will inhibit your ability to get anywhere with this goal.
Goal #4 – Making a lot of gold in the Warcraft economy
Description. While playing this game, many things require game money. Players can earn some money by doing quests, but also earn money by selling rare items and gathered goods in the auction house. Players loot the body of the computer players they kill for money and items. It starts out with copper, and then silver is earned or found, and then gold. Players can play to buy useful gear items, fun items (really fast flying animals to get around or a diamond ring, etc.) or to have a large amount of gold.
Strategies. In order to make money, the player can run quests, including daily quests (a quest you can do each day once) that give a nice amount of gold in the highest levels. They can also find items that can be used to make things that sell well or find gear they can sell for someone lower leveled to use. They can sell items without demand to any vendor in the game, and can sell anything that can but used in the auction house of the game to other players. They can also loot their kills for money.
Educational Implications. Economy. This is probably the biggest educational implication of the game. Players are working in an economy that works very much like the capitalist economy of the U.S. The items have a relatively steady sell rate, but they can go up or down depending on demand and consumer thoughts and opinions. For example, right now in the game there is an expansion coming out. Many players anticipate that it will cut the cost of many items that were worth a lot of money a few months ago because newer and better gear and equipment will be available soon. Therefore, due to real people’s actions, thoughts, beliefs, and desires, certain items are worth less money. At the same time, because there are many people leveling new characters while they wait for the expansion to come out, items used to level are more expensive than they were a month ago. Someone with this goal can learn a great deal about supply and demand from this aspect of the game.
Goal #5 – Socializing
Description. In the game there are many aspects that require the player to work with other people in order to get the quest reward or to complete a raid or dungeon. In order to do so, people can join guilds (groups). Some groups have different goals above (raiding, PVP, or leveling), while some are mostly to socialize, or for both. Being in a good guild increases your ability to coordinate having many people available at the same time to get together in a raid. Strategies. People who would like to socialize will generally join a guild. Often guilds have access to a program called Ventrillo, where players can talk as if they were on the phone, but it is free for everyone but the person who pays to rent the server (not very expensive, either). Another strategy is to get into a party with other people where you can type to each other to get to know one another somewhat or incredibly well (depending on the person). I personally started in a real life friend’s guild, but when no one was ever in it, I found another where I met a lot of people. I have started a big network of friends who I can call on when I need someone to help do a large raid or a small quest. Additionally, I use Ventrillo a lot where I have come to know my guild members, some pretty well so they have become friends in my real life.
Educational Implications. Social skills. While the social skills of the internet are not exactly the same as those in real life, there are many that correspond. A person that does not have social skills has to be really good at the game for others to even talk to them, and even that will not keep others around someone with poor social skills forever. This is not a curriculum subject, however, many students are in great need of help in this area. It can be a forum to help students get better at it. It requires politeness, knowing when to keep your mouth shut, being able to deal with other people that don’t have social skills, and again, teamwork. The ability to listen to someone as a leader is also very useful, and I have played with people on the game that couldn’t accept someone else as a leader and ended up left out.
Disclaimer.
Due to the social nature of the game, and the fact that there unfortunately are some crazy people out there, any student that plays a MMORPG or online chat at all should be checked up on by adults often and schooled in what is acceptable or inacceptable behavior on the internet to ensure their safety.
