Finding Governance in Synthetic Worlds

Krista-Lee Malone

Governance is an emerging and vital issue within and around synthetic worlds, widely recognized in the current academic literature. Governance is not only a static and top-down phenomenon, however, as it emerges at many different levels and in many different forms. This paper builds upon this interest, arguing that the guilds of World of Warcraft are where some of the most influential (for players) and most structured forms of governance can be found. Guild membership is desirable in part because strong leadership, along with competent and reliable players, is believed to exist only within these structures. To retain players, a guild’s leadership must provide the type of experience that the players desire. Guilds accomplish this by cultivating a set of shared expectations, definitions of fun, and core values among their members, such as socialization or progression. When a small subset of a guild’s population begins to expect something different from the rest of the members, the differences can lead to major disputes and more lasting structural consequences (such as guild fracture or dissolution). Power struggles are not only found within guilds. They can also be seen across guilds through rivalries, and between guilds and the makers of MMORPGs. These conflicts often revolve around player loyalty and hierarchy. Issues of gameplay, such as what constitutes cheating, also come under scrutiny. In times of conflict such as these, players openly discuss and challenge authority. This in turn illuminates where players draw the line between legitimate and illegitimate authority. Guilds are seen as constituting legitimate authority for most, and are the governments within MMORPGs. As I show in this presentation, this governance is not uncontested, but rather it is marked by the constant challenge of establishing the validity of their rule.