Research

I'm currently researching motivation and community formation for learning in games, particularly in games with epic worlds like World of Warcraft. For my day job, I write and teach courses at The Open University in the Institute of Education (teach only) and the Faculty of Maths, Computing & Technology (write and teach). That's where my interests in communities of practice, constructivism, and adult learning arise and why my research is focussed on those areas. I have experience with virtual worlds like Second Life, but my heart and expertise is very much in MMORPGs. I don't just research them; I also play and run a guild and co-run an alliance of guilds, so I have a lot of real-world experience in the playing and construction of actual communities in those games. This is handily supplemented by years of experience in constructing and facilitating online communities as I started with electronic bulletin boards in the 1980s. I have a strong background in practical IT, having been a developer and system administrator for web-based applications for over a decade.

I'm currently working on the WoW Learning project.

Popular perception is that massively multiple online role-playing games (MMORPGs), like World of Warcraft (WoW), are just for kids. In fact, only about 20% of WoW players are between the ages of 12 to 19. Some 80% of players are people we see around us: our next-door neighbours, local store owners, or even our teachers. What is it that compels people to spend between 20 to 24 hours a week in WoW? People’s motivations vary, but one thing is clear: while they are playing, they are learning.

Where does the learning come from? Learning is everywhere in the game. In order to contribute to a team effectively, people need to learn to play their characters well. Each character has specific abilities and learning to play well requires a substantial time investment. Other people are interested in more effectively killing things and devote hours outside of the game to reading about their character’s role and how to improve on it, often in very tiny increments. Forum discussions abound about the best equipment for particular classes and models are constructed of how gear will perform under certain conditions.

This ongoing research project is gathering data about the learning and motivations demonstrated by players of World of Warcraft, both in game and on forums. I am investigating how different groups of people come together to form communities of practice and how those communities support learning that has real-world benefits.