I set out on a mission to show that video games are not a waste of time. I hypothesized that a MMORPG provides a social atmosphere that mimics the real world and can improve the social skills of the players involved. After being informed that game theory also related to my goal I decided to also research the relevancy of game theory in EverQuest.
The first action I took on my project was researching game theory to understand the concept and the relevance it had to EverQuest. Game theory is the study of situations where multiple “players” make decisions in attempts to maximize the returns they will receive. I discovered that game theory provides a way to model social situations where decision makers interact with other influences. The simplest way to demonstrate game theory in action is through a simple model known as a matrix.
|
Player 2 Moves left |
Player 2 Moves right |
Player 1 Moves up |
4,3 |
-1, -1 |
Player 1 Moves down |
0,0 |
3,4 |
On the left is a basic situation where there are two players that can each make two moves. This creates four possible outcomes with four possible consequences. The first and second value represents the gain or loss for the first and second player respectively. While this may seem simple, the strategic implications this has can be quite complex and that is what makes game theory so interesting. I then realized that game theory is essential to my project. Game theory is a tool to analyze choices and actions that other players and I make. It was then that I came up with my second hypothesis: Game theory can be used to make effective choices and predict actions within the world of EverQuest.
While it is possible to create many effective characters it was in my best interest to create only one. I used some of what I learned in my preliminary research to make my decision but to do this I would have to know the pros and cons of my possible choices. After my mentor briefly described the classes I decided that I wanted to create a melee character. This is because spell casting classes generally have less health and do not get powerful spells until very high levels. Through further analysis I finally came to the decision to create a Halfling rouge, which I named Meddwin.
Upon entering the world of EverQuest for the first time I found seemingly basic tasks quite challenging. Even with the help of my mentor it was difficult for me to become familiar with the mechanics of the game. After a few hours of fumbling around I became familiar with the interworkings of EverQuest. This was absolutely vital to my project and allowed me to complete my first quest.
Quests are a major part of EverQuest. Quests are initiated through the communication with a non-player character (NPC), or one that is controlled by a computer. The quests which I completed ranged from picking mushrooms to joining a group of other players to vanquish a strong monster. In accordance with game theory I discovered that working with groups was the most efficient way to complete a quest regardless of whether the quest was group oriented or not. This discovery was my first analysis of game theory within EverQuest which lead me to this hypothesis: Because it is beneficial to players of similar level to work together they generally do so.
Working in groups confirmed that interacting with other players is not only a vital part of EverQuest but also a vital part of my project. It was through these initial interactions with players that I discovered that the community of EverQuest is a surprisingly friendly one. A few times, a random player came up to me and gave me a useful item. Another time when I was in combat, another random player cast a few healing spells on me. These actions provided contradictions to my first two hypotheses. In the real world people seldomly go out of their way to help random strangers. However, I still believed that social interactions in EverQuest were similar to those in the real world; I would just need more research to show it.
Through my ventures to provide supporting evidence for my hypotheses I was eventually invited into a guild, Mystic Crusade. Mystic Crusade allowed me to evaluate social interactions in EverQuest. However, there was one small problem. I (Meddwin) was incapable of speaking the guilds preferred language, Elvish. Eventually, I was taught Elvish by a guild member named Harmtank. Harmtank not only allowed me to understand and analyze the guild but he also became a friend of mine.
This friendship proved to be both valuable to my research and me. I discovered that having friends in EverQuest is quite similar to having friends in real life. The emotional attachment I have with my friendship with Harmtank is not any different from the emotional attachment I have to my friendships in the real world. This is the biggest piece of evidence to support my initial hypothesis that EverQuest and the real world are extremely similar on a social level.
My experiences in EverQuest lead me to feel that I was part of that community. To feel accepted into a community, whether it is virtual or real, is a vital part of humanity’s need to socialize. Even if there are some differences between the social interactions of the real world and the world of EverQuest, players’ emotional attachment to the interactions of both these worlds is quite similar. To the player that’s all that really matters.
It may be difficult to think that a video game can shape personal growth but it’s really the interactions with other players in the game that stimulate growth. EverQuest is a place of social exploration and I am not alone when I say that these encounters have changed my life. But unlike most, I also grew by analyzing my game play with the hypothesis that the community of EverQuest acts in accordance with real communities.
One thing that really surprised me was how nice and friendly the players are in EverQuest. For example, one player gave me this powerful magic bow that he could have sold to another player. Occurrences like this are not completely uncommon. Players have also helped me multiple times with no benefit to themselves. Many high level clerics are willing to cast “buffs” (enhancement spells) and resurrection spells without any personal gain. One time someone passing by cast a few healing spells on me while I was in combat. Even though these actions contradict game theory they are not completely different from the actions made in the real world. They are, however, much more rare in the world outside of EverQuest. I believe that the real world society can learn from this atmosphere of helpfulness and friendliness.
Another social aspect of EverQuest that surprised me was the quality of a friendship that I developed with another player. I first met Harmtank through my guild when he offered to teach me Elvish. I repaid Harmtank by teaching him Halfling at the same time. This was the event that started our friendship, a friendship that included everything from killing monsters to getting drunk.
Many of my most memorable experiences in EverQuest happened while I was with Harmtank. I remember this one time we were waiting in a tower for a creature to spawn. While we were in combat I noticed that Harmtank was right next to a window and the next time I looked over there he was gone. I was thinking that there’s no way he fell out the window, but sure enough he came walking up the stairs a minute later and we both laughed. Just like with most friendships, humorous things are memorable yet they don’t seem nearly as funny to those who were not there. I believe that all new friendships help people grow regardless of what “world” they’re found in.
Another aspect of EverQuest that has helped me grow was working with groups of players. Although I have been relatively successful in working with groups to complete projects for school, the groups in EverQuest offer different challenges than those found in New Tech classes. One of the main differences is that in EverQuest I don’t know the people I am working with, thus it is harder to analyze the strength and weaknesses of my group members. In addition, EverQuest required me to make split second decisions that not only affected me but my whole group.
I remember one situation that required quick and decisive action. I was in a group with another player and that player came inches away from death. We were “pulling” (getting creatures to move away from other dangers to attack you) undead and after some time we started to rest and that time I told my partner that I was going to go AFK (Away From Keyboard) for a bit. When I returned he was in combat with two undead and was surely going to die with out any assistance. I told him that I would take the one with more health and then help him with the other. By the time I had killed that one, my partner was perilously close to death and started to run away in an attempt to escape with his life, which actually made it more difficult for me to save him. When he was at one percent health I managed to get the undead to attack me and I finished it off. This experience is quite memorable to me and I believe that it improved my confidence and my ability to make quick and effective decisions.
EverQuest reconfirmed one of my beliefs, that any memory that has an emotional value is a sign of growth and development no matter how small or big it is. The memories of my experiences in EverQuest and the emotions I have attached to them are hard to convey. Yet each memory that I have of my adventures with Harmtank demonstrate that at the very least I have a growing friendship.
