Learning Contract

Content

What is the community that you will make your documentary?

The online gaming community in World of Warcraft – guild dynamics in particular. I think there is an interesting issue to explore here because the roles of each person in the guild is interchangable. By this I mean that although the guild leader will always be the same person (depending on how he/she performs), anyone can be a leader of the group when performing collaborative tasks.

*edit* I intend to investigate the relationships between real life acquaintances (people who know and interact with each other in the real world) and anonymous guild members (anonymous in the sense that they are only known in the guild by their character names and random pieces of information that they choose to reveal about themselves). *edit*

*The main conflict that will be analysed in this documentary are the little dramas that contribute to the power struggles that are inevitable within a group. These dramas may be as menial as the fight over ‘drops’ from bosses to as major as people leaving the guild due to discrimination or bullying by sub-groups in the guild.*

Why do you think it is a community?

I think a community is a group that has members who share common interests and sees themselves as different from everyone else (external to the general population).

The group that I’ll be documenting in the online world falls into the category of a ‘community’ as they all share the same interest (that is, to band together and fight monsters, be it strategically or just to kill).

The group members share the same gaming habits and interact with each other on a close-to-daily basis. Seeing as World of Warcraft also has a player-versus-player aspect to the game where people in one faction (either Alliance or Horde) oppose another. The people in the guild also share the same goal of aiming to kill people in the opposite faction.

What theory about community have you read that is relevant to issues in this community? Summarise the relevant ideas.

Jakonbsson and Taylor in “Sopranos meets Everquest” state that players in the online world socially interact with one another very much like in the real world. People who play with ‘real life friends’ are at more of an advantage because the community that they dwell in online becomes really similar to the one that they live in the physical world.

With guilds, members are protective of one another, just like friends are. While it is not common to have offline ties between players in the online world, there are usually one or two people within a guild that do know each other from real life.

Are you in agreement or disagreement with these ideas?

I agree with Jakobsson and Taylor that when you interact with the same members in a guild on a close-to-daily basis, even though you may not know them personally, you’ll inevitably form a relationship with them. These relationships are played out when conducting tasks in the online world.

How can you use these ideas in your documentary?

I will be using these theories in my documentary as I’ll be investigating this relationship that exists between guild members. In my case there is a different sort of relationship because I have a familial bond with a member of this guild. *edit* Also, prior to my joining this new guild, my brother (who invited me to join) already was acquaintances with 2 other members in the guild. The had already been playing the game together for a few months now.*edit* This has changed the whole dynamic of being in the online game as not all people are no longer anonymous characters.

What is the structure of the documentary?

The structure of the documentary will be linear as it will take the form of a slideshow that has video aspects embedded in it – there will be an introduction, content and a conclusion to the storyline.

* edit* The videos that will be obtained from the game will be captured using Fraps software, but since the software that I’ll be using is the free/lite version, it will only allow me to capture videos at 30 second bursts. I have already tested this piece of software and so far it works quite well on the PC. To get around this problem, I shall just be taking continuous shots, pressing the video capture shortcut as consistently as possible.

Since the game is played on a PC, the videos will be captured on the PC. I’ll have to transfer all the footage over from PC to Mac in order for it to be edited using iMovie. Looking at forum entries, it seesm that Fraps footage doesnt play  communicate very well with iMovie so I’ll be downgrading the .avi file (which will be the format of the video footage) to an older .avi version that iMovie recognizes, and work with that. *edit*

After the slideshow/video is complete, I shall be using the hypertext structure embed the slideshow/video at a number of different locations such as the Transient Spaces page on alternativecollaboration.wordpress.com, youtube, facebook group pages and interest group forums. I would also send out twitter feeds to generate interest in the video and the issue and post messages on the facebook group pages.

*edit* Possible conflicts that I expect to arise during my gameplay are:-

- people will start fighting once they start working in large groups and someone does something wrong and doesnt admit to it.

-bad language usually comes out during heroics

- members of the same class may fight over gear that drops when they kill a boss.

- some group members will take sides. *edit*

What is the style of the documentary?

The style of the documentary would fall under observational, participatory and potentatially reflexive. It would be observational and participational in the sense that I’d be exploring the aspects of leader and guild relations while being a part of the group. It would be reflexive because I’ll be drawing conclusions from the in game recordings (through Ventrilo and in game video clips) and observations. I would also potentially be using personal reflections from my previous gaming experience.

TECHNICAL

What type of media will your documentary consist of?
Video, Audio and Text

Given that your documentary will be published online, how will you tailor production and post-production to be appropriate?
I’d try to make my slideshow/video last about 10 minutes and if the file is too large to fit onto the forum or webpage, I’d be compressing it (hopefully it wont lose too much in terms of quality)

What are your skills in making this style of media?

I have skills in capturing videos and editing that I’ve taken up as a hobby. With this project however, I’ll be learning from scratch how to take in game videos but the editing process should be pretty similar.

Are you enlisting the help of any crew during the production phase of your documentary?

No.

Will you need to borrow technical equipment from the School techs? If yes, what do you want to borrow? When do you want to borrow it?
No. All the programs that I require to produce the video and create the slideshow are downloadable.

PERMISSIONS

What talent do you need to get release forms signed for?
I would potentially need to get release forms signed by the guild members if their voices are to be recorded from Ventrilo

Are you going to interview any minors?

No. The guild members are all above 18 years of age

Do you need permission to shoot on location?
No. I will not need permission as all the video recording will be done in World of Warcraft.

POST-PRODUCTION

What software do you need to edit your documentary?

iMovie

Do you have sufficient skills with that software

yes

Do you have sufficient access to that software?

yes

PUBLICATION

What social software environment will you publish your documentary to?

youtube, uni blog, blizzard forums, facebook group page *edit* instead of uploading the video on the actual blizzard forum, I’ll be uploading the video on a website called Warcraft Movies, where I am a member. It seems like a more appropriate place to host the video as there are many other similar videos already on the site *edit*

Is the media you are creating appropriate for that environment?

yes, There are other forms of media that have previously been published on these sites.

Have you become a member of that environment?
Yes.

Have you done a ‘test’ publication?
Not yet but these environments do allow videos to be published.*edit* I have already done a test of the footage capture process but I have yet to upload a test video on Warcraft Movies *edit*

Does the environment stipulate any limits that you will need to meet?

Not that I know of *edit* Warcraft Movies doesnt specify the maximum capacity of data that is allowed to be upload. Instead, the site states that the video that will be uploaded cannot be more than 25Mb per minute of footage. (For example, if the video lasts for 10 minutes, it cannot be larger than 250 Mb) Also, upon uploading the video, a form must be filled out in order to obtain permission and if a mirror is used, it will take approximately 1 week for it to get approved. *edit*

LEGAL

Have you got copyright permission for all the content you use?
I have not but all the content that I make use of will be given credit at the end of the documentary

There is no defamation or slander?
No.

Any other legal issues?
No

RISK ASSESSMENT

What are the most likely things that could go wrong with your project?
I could potentially have problems getting the guild members together

Reactions may be different when it comes to voice recordings (ppl may be over excited, fake, etc) when they find out that they are being recorded for a documentary

*edit* I might miss certain scenes if I dont get the timing right for video capture. i.e. if I dont press the video capture button every 30 seconds. *edit*

*edit* During the times I choose to capture videos in game, there may be instances where there is no conflict *edit*

What is your back-up plan if these things occur?
I will continue to take Ventrilo recordings as if the guild member is pretending, he or she cannot keep the act up for the whole time I record. I will continuously take recordings everytime I have a gaming session that requires  guild interaction.

If that doesnt work, I shall be using print screen images to show the text conversations that take place in the game as well.

*edit* with regards to the video capture problem, I’ll test out another type of video capture program that could also be used in the event that Fraps fails *edit*

*edit* If there are no conflicts that take place during my planned video capture times, I’ll use other modes of capture such as voice capture or screenshots. *edit*

PROJECT MANAGEMENT

What is the date of your rough-cut showing?
Most likely in Week 11

What is the final due date?
28th May 2010

When do you intend to start production?
I intend to start production when I’ve reached level 80 in the game as this is when guild members need each other the most in conducting heroics and raids. This is likely to be sometime in week 7 or 8

Given your production start date, have you already booked any technical equipment you need?
I do not need to book any equipment

How do these dates work in with assessment deadlines from other courses?
These work fine, but just so clashes dont occur, I’ll try to reach level 80 as soon as I can so I can get the filming out of the way.

If you are using talent, does their availability suit your production schedule?
I will not be needing external help during the production period.

Cant believe Im so behind

It’s amazing how one week can totally upset the schedule I had set for myself at the beginning of the semester.Only now do I realise that I’m quite behind on my work – it’s safe to say I have my weekend cut out for me. I couldnt get so much of what I wanted to do done during the Easter break because I had to play the perfect host. I didnt even get to see my laptop very much.

Ahhh..anyways, I may as well just get on with it. Ranting will do no good. All I can do is apologize to my lecturers for being behind schedule and try my best to catch up.

So what do I need to do now before the end of the week ?

- sort out the wireless configurations on my mac so I can do work at Labsome without having to use the desktops.

- finish answering the learning contract questions for Transient Spaces

- do some reading up on Mamp and figure out how to use it properly before the meeting with Adrian.

I’m just really glad that I’ve got the Comm Rev essay over and done with. Thats one thing to take off the checklist =D

Feedback from Transient Spaces class

After speaking with Jenny regarding the four sentence abstract and the new construction of the hypertextual structure, I’ve now got lots of different issues to think about.

I need to focus more on the leadership aspect of being in the guild. Participatory culture would play a part because in the guild, the leaders of the guild are not fixed and there are normally more than one. When guilds conduct quests or do dungeons (group instances) the leaders of these activities are not necessarily the guild leaders. The leaders often change depending on the activity that is conducted.  So the focus of the guild should be the conflict that is experienced in the guild during these activities and what causes these conflicts, etc.

When doing the video, I’ve decided that I’d be using the linear structure which utilizes the introduction, body and conclusion – very much like the structure of an essay. This video will be put into the hypertext structure which is more complex. I’ll be embedding the video onto a number of places. I’ll be creating an additional page on Alternative Collaboration to host this video, either embedding or linking the video onto preexisting facebook group pages and gaming forums (Blizzard, Machinima) and generate twitter feeds to bring attention to the actual project.

The documentary mode will be observational, participatory and reflexive as I’ll be taking part in the guild activities as a guild member – filming from my perspective. I could potentially join raids as an observer and taking videos from an outsider’s perspective. I also intend to make Ventrilo recordings so viewers can listen to the types of interactions that go on during guild activities. Also, for the times where it isnt possible to record videos or conversations, I’ll be using in game print screen snapshots.

Transient Spaces’ version of the Four Sentence Abstract

I’ve actually been trying to construct a proper version of the four sentence abstract describing the documentary but it keeps coming out sounding very improper. I’ve already written 3 versions of it and this is what I’ve come up with. I really hope it’s sufficient for the lead up to the learning contract.

a) One sentence defining your community

MMORPGS are diasporic communities where like minded people come together to form networks of allegiance.

b) One sentence defining the issue you want to explore

I’d like to explore issure revolving around power dynamics within guilds in the online virtual world as well as reasons for people joining this community.

c) One sentence defining the conflict

The conflict here is that in the real world, the power dynamics that result are top down hierarchies and people at the leadership position are usually there because of seniority and long service; whereas, in online worlds, it may not take seniority to be a leader in a guild or while conducting guild tasks and the hierarchies are not necessarily fixed.

d) One sentence outlining relevant social theory

Relevant social theory that will be explored are such as theories revolving around identity formation, the propensity for neotribalism and participatory culture.

Birth of the Community

I found this reading quite helpful, in that, it contained issues that pertained to my chosen topic of study. The authors wrote that in order for there to be oral order within a community, there had to be culture and locality present. This relates to virtual communities as they follow a gaming culture and although the environment that members dwell in is diasporic (they aren’t associated with real time or time), they still inhabit a space albeit of a virtual locality.

In this community, the members carry bonds of obligation according Miller and Rose.  In the virtual community, the obligation of the members is to consistently play the game and complete tasks and quests that will benefit the whole community (the guild, or group that the members belong to). By conducting activities together, members of this online community are able to identify themselves by being in a community of like minded individuals. These networks that they dwell in are networks of allegiance.

I think Miller and Rose are right in saying that the formation of a ‘community is the answer to society’s problems’. In an online virtual world where there exist problems such as griefing and negative gaming behaviour, these problems dissipate when members play the game in bigger groups as opposed to playing solo.

Sopranos Meets EverQuest

After doing the Jakobsson and Taylor reading, I learnt that there is more to MMORPGs than just levelling solo and killing monsters. There is a whole culture of socially interacting with other players, pretty much like in the physical world. People who play the game with ‘Real Life friends’ are actually more at an advantage because the community then becomes very similar to the physical world where you know who you can depend on for certain tasks to be complete.

For instance, if members of your guild get treated badly, other guildmates would be able to stand up for him/her and go about alternate methods of policing, punishment and enforcement to ensure that members within their guild are treated properly.

It’s not unusual to find people within the same guild that are related to one another. Offline ties between players are an important component of the game where trust no longer becomes an issue. Players in-game form guilds where the leadership structure is hierarchical. In these guilds, players are expected to be committed to playing and reaching goals that are put in place by the guild’s leader. It is obvious that power relationships exist within guilds. One of my objectives in conducting this documentary is to investigate these power relationships, especially in guilds where players are related to one another.

week 3 tutes transient spaces

Just before the tutorial for this week, I started rethinking my options for the documentary. I know I should probably have a solid idea on what I’d like to by now but judging by how I have so many ideas, I keep thinking ‘how about…..’. Well all that has now officially been put to rest. I know I’ve said this before but this may very well be it. =D *hopefully*

At the beginning of class I was torn between the idea of either doing the documentary based on an aspect of gaming in the virtual world (as I mentioned previously) or an issue within the Brunei Students Society in Melbourne. I reopened the idea of doing the idea based on BSSMelb because I thought it would be perfect opportunity to showcase my skills where Bruneian officials monitor. I felt that I’d have better access to the people involved in BSSMelb (since I previously was an office bearer) and I knew the issues that normally took place within the society.

After speaking with Jenny, however, I decided to go with the online virtual community idea instead. This is because I realised that I was too close to the issues and the conflicts that are experienced by the student’s society and that no good could come out of ‘airing the committee’s dirty laundry’ for government officials to see. So yea, there is such a thing as too much conflict in a documentary. Jenny suggested that instead of doing this documentary in the participatory/reflexive mode, I should do it in an expository manner. But by doing so, I’d most likely be ostracised from the Bruneian community and I wouldnt be able to create a good documentary because of the lack of support that I’d get from the local community.

So now I’m permanently settling on doing a documentary based on the online virtual community. I was thinking about this last night (before actually laying eyes on the Fraser Allison and Harry Milonas documentary entitled Griefing and you )and I was considering choosing an issue that followed the same path as bullying in the virtual world. I think I should look for an alternative conflict now.

Jenny suggested that I should look at the Jakobsson and Taylor reading entitled “The Sopranos Meets EverQuest: Social Networking in Massively Multiplayer Online Games” to get ideas on the sort of conflicts that arise in online virtual communities. So I’ll start there. I also think I should do some reading into online subcultures, maybe I’ll get ideas from there as well.

I still think that this documentary will conducted in a participatory and reflexive manner considering I make up a part of the online virtual community and my avatar may make an appearance in the documentary (I have yet to decide what sort of angle the documentary will take).

After I come up with solutions to my current problem, I’ll have to answer the questions below as homework for this week. This seems like another version of Adrian’s four sentence abstract.

a. One sentence defining your community,

b. One sentence defining the issue you want to explore,

c. One sentence defining the conflict,

d. one sentence outlining the social theory that is relevant.

Anyways, expect another post before next friday with answers to these questions.

Decision made?

I’ve decided to conduct my documentary on online virtual communities. I know this was previously a suggestion made by Jenny and I turned it down because I was initially planning on doing my Research Project on CMC in virtual worlds, but now that plan has fallen through it is now in the clear to be the topic for the documentary.

I just have to think of an angle and a way of presenting my findings.

I can think of so many difficulties that I’d experience while collecting information, especially since I dont know a lot of my online acquaintances personally. One issue that I could raise is that the online virtual community is a community of interest that doesnt rely on geographic proximity (seeing as people who play are from all over the world).

I suppose now, making a video with live interviews is pretty much out of the question because I really wouldnt know where to start. It’s still possible to make a slide show but I’d need to find a software that will allow me to record my in-game experiences. In my previous works with online games, I managed to ‘print screen’ (capture still images) and use the images in my produced work. I could do that again but what if I need to capture events in motion ? I’ll just have to do more research on in-game recording. If anything, I’m open to suggestions on angles in which I can conduct this documentary.

Week 2 Transient Spaces

Trying to decide on a project to do a documentary on is pretty tough especially when there are no actual guidelines. I was bouncing ideas off walls and I still havent exactly landed on one that I plan to stick on. Having an idea about what sort of community to base the documentary on is easy, it’s finding the issue or an angle to make the documentary interesting that’s the problem. I worry now because it seems that people in class really know what they’re doing and they’ve gotten started somewhat on their plans.

My ideas for the documentary are sort of flimsy at the moment. Initially I wanted to do a video – Jenny said they had to be about 10 minutes for a proper video and I needed to find a crew to help me if I were to do interviews. After that I changed my mind and decided to do a documentary with slides and some video footage. That would mean that I wouldnt need to be in the frames when I shoot. These ideas are still brewing. Hopefully I’ll find something worth documenting before class time on week 3.

For now, the communities that I have been thinking about are sports communities (as in clubs, sports bars) and student groups that are external to the universities. These groups are communities of interest and I think a good idea would be to investigate the readings from Week 2 a bit further to get a better idea on what document on.

Facilities galore

I decided to rock up to class ‘early’ to find that I get to use a Macbook through out the whole of class. All I have to do is hand the lecturer my id =D it’s friggin AWESOME! Hahaha.

For those who dont know me, I’m a PC user really really looking forward to convert to Mac. I just dont have the fund to do so right now. Anyways, class is about to start. I’ll snap out of being so sakai (see previous post) and act like a proper uni student now =D