Portal de Periódicos da CAPES

THEORYCRAFTING

2012; Routledge; Volume: 16; Issue: 2 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1080/1369118x.2012.738695

1468-4462

Karin Wenz,

Innovative Human-Technology Interaction

Abstract This article investigates theorycrafting, a cultural practice of gaming communities, to analyse the differences in participation, knowledge production and dissemination and to show the effect that this has on the community itself. Theorycrafting describes a process of reverse engineering, a process of extracting design 'blue prints' to understand a technology better, whose design is not accessible. The 'design' not accessible in this case is the game algorithm. The concept of scientification of gameplay is used to highlight the scientific approach of theorycrafters to their gameplay. Their 'scientific' approach is described by using Aristotle's concepts episteme, techne and phronesis. His concepts have been chosen as they help us to analyse the different layers of the meaning of 'theory' in theorycrafting. This article investigates which understanding of theory and science is central in the practice of theorycrafting. How is a specific concept of science part of mechanisms of participatory surveillance? Theorycrafting can be understood as the desire of players to gain control over the game and share this knowledge with other players. The production of knowledge for the community leads to formulas that are used to improve playing skills, but through the spread of add-ons and forms of social control, it can also be described as a tool for surveillance. Keywords: gaming communitytheorycraftingsurveillancesousveillanceuser participation Acknowledgements The author cordially thanks Jess Bier and Bas van Heur for their critical comments on the first version of this article. Notes 'Newb' or 'newbie' is a term referring to someone who is a beginner in a game and has little or no knowledge. In Aion, guilds are called legions. I will stick to the term guild here as the only difference is the term chosen but not the function in the game, which is to unite players with similar goals and interests and to support each other. High-level gamer guilds are competitive and consist of players with high goals in the game such as reaching a high rank, conquering a base and knowing how to play the game well. Character stats is a term referring to the statistics, the features relevant for a character such as accuracy in using a weapon or a magical skill. These stats have an effect on the character's efficiency and strength. The data are available at http://www.aionsource.com/topic/40542-character-stats-xp-dp-origin-gerbatorteam-july-2009/. The word 'sheeples' is a portmanteau of 'sheep' and 'people', referring to people acting as herd animals. In February 2012, the European Aion servers were handed over from NcSoft to Gameforge, and since then, they have been free to play. This had an effect on some of the services offered. The database has been closed for the European servers.