A cognitive look at World of Warcraft
by Mike Schramm 
Sep 22nd 2008 at 3:00PM
One of the students in a class there has written up a cognitive account of what it's like to play World of Warcraft, which is a look at the game strictly through sense perception. Even if you're an experienced player, it's interesting to see the game in a new light like this -- rather than talk about the lore or the mechanics of gameplay, the writeup is all about the sights and sounds of the game, and how Blizzard's overall design clues you in to what can and can't be done in Azeroth.
There's probably lots more work that could be done on this as well -- lots of games, including World of Warcraft, use design elements like colors and lighting to nonverbally clue you in on the next door to go through or where to send your attention during a scene or fight. Most of their other cognitive accounts are about actual UI design, but there are many, many things left for those studying user interfaces to mine out of the way videogames express themselves to the user.
Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Virtual selves, Odds and ends, Blizzard, Instances, Leveling
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Frank Sep 22nd 2008 3:28PM
funny -- i was just commenting on this sort of thing in-game last night! i was remarking about how i think zangarmarsh is really gorgeous, with all the ambient lighting coming from the mushrooms, the soft sounds, and all that. but i also noted how it's probably a really humid place, so that kinda cools my desire to live there totally.
: )
DigitalMonitor Sep 22nd 2008 3:40PM
I had an issue with my video cable over this weekend that caused everything on my computer to display in grey scale. It emphasized how the use of color in the game impacts it's usability.
I had to pay close a attention when selling my trash items to the vendor, and telling the difference between friendly and hostile mobs from a distance became more difficult. And when coming upon a mob with a grey dragon around its portrait, I had to use Wowhead to determine if it was a rare or an elite.
Quik Sep 22nd 2008 4:03PM
I've always found the landscaping in WoW simply stunning. A lot of the time I find myself just staring at the scenery rather than actually playing the game. I remember the barrens at night was my first experience, I remember the full moon lighting up the ground and the clouds passing; an amazing sight to see. Overall mmo's will come and go with their revolutionary ideas and what not, but Blizzard has a special talent of creating gorgeous landscapes. This is why I play the game and this is why Blizzard has me hooked.
BigRiz Sep 22nd 2008 4:07PM
It's a shame that the number of folks that comment on the negativity of class X, boss Y, guild Z and the myriad other "issues" people have isn't offset by the positive comments such as Frank's above regarding the work that the development, creative and musical teams have put into this game. As a regular raider, I sometimes forget what it took to make this and get lost in a bit of QQ-ing myself, but as Frank noted above, amazingly designed, sensual experiences (WoW with smells - now THAT would be an interesting concept) help to bring me back to enjoyment.
Abbadon Sep 22nd 2008 4:43PM
LOL.. Wow with smell-o-vision. Undead rogues would never get close enough to sap anything (except maybe other undead)!!
And as you mentioned the sounds.. I fell in love with the orchestra in the Terrokar Forrest track at the beginning of BC. I also like the redo of Sylvanas' song on the Sunwell Isle.
The one thing I regret about being a clicker is that I spend the majority of fights staring at the bottom of my screen and don't actually see all the visuals associated with bosses and their spells and abilities. Although I miss some glitz, the lighting and shadows coming in the next patch are nothing short of awesome!
Meira Sep 22nd 2008 4:15PM
The atmosphere that Howling Fjord has is simple amazing (yes, I'm a beta tester, flame me :P): the borean aurora, the mighty fjords with those draconian style lifts, the green pastures below the high trees, the shoveltusks passing around and the Vrykuls architecture, all this reinforced by that awesome nordic tune that plays in background, it is a pleasure to the senses. If only it would be possible to add scents to the game, I bet Howling Fjord could have a pine scent, to let us breathe the breeze and gasp even more at that amazing zone.
WTB player housing in Howling Fjord, pst with offer
Sylythn Sep 22nd 2008 4:52PM
I like how they picked up on the sound aspect. I'm always amazed at people who play the game with the sound off - I just couldn't ever do this. I feel utterly handicapped. When I played my first character, a rogue, I knew the sound of every ability, and I knew the sound when they failed, were dodged, or missed. It was that audible feedback that allowed me to time my attacks and know exactly how much energy I had at any time without looking in the upper-left or using a mod.
Nick S Sep 22nd 2008 4:57PM
Is this the group that Dr. Castronova works with?
I remember hearing about his "Arden" project, an MMO set in Shakespeare's England, and thinking "WOW too ambitious." It did turn out to be a flop, but you have to hand it to the guy for trying.
Syme Sep 22nd 2008 5:02PM
Blizzard is very good about teaching players how things work. The learning curve is almost completely invisible in WoW. In fact, it is sometimes frightening to realize how good these guys are at training and reinforcement. I hope they continue to use their skills for benign purposes.
dvanlani Sep 22nd 2008 5:47PM
Thanks for your comments! I'm the author of the wordpress post linked above. Our assignment was to pick a technology we're interested in and write out a cognitive description of it, taking into account the different criteria listed in the blog. Since I'm an avid WoW player, it was an obvious choice. It was nothing more than a weekly homework assignment, but it's really cool to see how even something as simple as a homework assignment can draw interest outside the classroom as well. Thanks for featuring me!
-David (Errand, Hellscream)
Andrew Welch Sep 23rd 2008 4:04AM
Sounds like a good cover for playing wow.
Worcester Sep 23rd 2008 1:25PM
I actually took a class from HCI in the early 90's. It was one of the best classes I had at IU. We were given the assignment to design a tool where multiple people could work on the same project across this new thing called the "world wide web."
... sigh...
prudychick Sep 23rd 2008 3:17PM
When I first saw the screen shots of Crystal Song Forest I was enamored. I told my husband I wanted to go there in real life (/sigh if only). I imagine that when the wind blows through there, it sounds like wind chimes as the air flutters through the trees. If it weren't for those dang hostile mobs it'd be a great place for a picnic.