Stald, Gitte

To kill or not to kill. Attraction of violent death (and meaning of stats) in online multiplayer computer games.

Abstract

Killing or being killed is the pivotal point of a large number of computer games, regardless of genre and other distinctions. To kill or being killed is both the trigger for action, engagement and excitement and is unavoidable and also unobtrusive part of the strategic play in order to achieve the acquired stats to be elevated in the game, in the gaming group or milieu. The experience of killing and being killed is presumably intensive in online multiplayer games as your opponents (enemies) and co-fighters (friends) in the game are incarnations of intelligent, empathic kindred spirits. It could be discussed, however, what killing and being killed actually means to experience immersion in the gaming situation, to experience of the game play, of contest and of personal and collective achievements. I suggest that killing and being killed can be ascribed to different levels of meaning regarding engagement in the gaming situation, relations in and around the game, previous experience, skills and attitudes towards the game and gaming. Empirically the paper is based on observations of gaming situations, registration and analysis of game site discussions and on qualitative interviews with gamers. Theoretically the paper takes three approaches: experience of flow and immersion relatively action and adrenaline vaults; meaning of interactivity and simulation; and experience of commuting between virtual gaming situation/experience and physical, social reality. In the paper I focus on Counter Strike but I also draw on a number of other games, e.g. Return to Castle Woolfenstein, Everquest and Quake.