Gaming war: medievalism in virtual worlds

[6 December Gaming War: Medievalism in Virtual Worlds Answer Although Massive Multiplayer Online (Role-Playing) Games (MMOG) seem to reflect particular aspects of the theory of “ just war”, some of the rules in Augustine seem to have been changed in these games (Losh 159). One particular rule in Augustine that was changed in the World of Warcraft is the concept of civilized conduct of warfare or specifically the objective of the warfare. The goal in a warfare in the “ just war” theory was quoted in the writing of Elizabeth Losh as, “ the ultimate objective of battle is to avoid future conflict” (Losh 162). In the writing of Cicero, “ It follows that wars should be undertaken for the one purpose of living peaceably without suffering injustice; and once victory is won, those who have not indulged in cruel monstrosities should be spared” (Losh 162). This concept has evolved in MMOG as one of the topmost attractions of these online games is the recurring battles between two war groups. For instance in World of Warcraft, the goal of the players or the game is not to attain peace as “ they choose to engage in combat in virtual worlds based on the guarantee of perpetual war” (Losh 162).
The region, regional identity, and history contribute to the differences in these changes in the “ just war” theory. For instance, the creation of “ Hordes” and “ Alliance” in World of Warcraft with different identities and history creates an unending rivalry (Losh 163).
Answer # 2:
Incorporating discussion about serious global issues in a game like World of Warcraft can actually have an impact. The World of Warcraft and other Massive Multiplayer Online (Role-Playing) Games (MMOG) are no different from social networking sites like Facebook in such a way that they both provide the user the ability to communicate to other users around the world. They also both enable the user to build its own personality through the modification of the user’s page in Facebook or the user’s character in World of Warcraft. The player then uses the character to communicate with other users while playing the game.
In addition, MMOG’s like World of Warcraft have millions of users who connect around the world as quoted in Narrative Environments from Disneyland to World of Warcraft, “ The growing appeal of these themes on a mass level cannot be denied; in 2004, the Korean game Ragnarok Online (2002) surpassed 17 million subscribers, and as of this writing, the number of World of Warcraft participants has passed the eight million mark” (Pearce 202). These subscribers of MMOGs are the very same people who use social networking sites like Facebook which manifests a great influence in many countries including Egypt and Syria.
Like social networking sites, the game World of Warcraft allows players to share their ideas and point of views with other players. This can then be utilized towards the solution of different serious global issues through discussions of the current problems in the society. This is one way to address the global issues and eventually a way to come up with the solutions to the problems.
Lastly, the “ just war” theory can definitely be passed along or rewritten in the MMOG environment through creating a theme or setting that will manifest the concept of the “ just war” theory. For example, the main goal of the game is to finally end the battle and to achieve peace.
Works Cited
Losh, Elizabeth. “ Regulating Violence in Virtual Worlds: Theorizing Just War and Defining War Crimes in World of Warcraft,” Pacific Coast Philology 44. 2 (2010): 159-172. Print.
Pearce, Celia. “ Narrative Environments from Disneyland to World of Warcraft.” In Space, Time, Play: Computer Games, Architecture and Urbanism: The Next Level. Friedrich von Borries, Steffan P. Walz, and Matteas Bottger (eds). Basel: Birkhauser, 2007. Print.
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