Lee Sherlock’s article entitled “” is available now electronically via the JBTC pre-publication site. Check it out!
Abstract
This article examines the characteristics of collaborative work and overlapping
activity systems in the popular online game World of Warcraft. Using genre
theory and activity theory as frames to work out the genre ecology of
gameplay, the article focuses on how players coordinate ad hoc grouping
activity across and through genres. It articulates the related development of
open systems in online gaming in a discussion of interface modifications
(AddOns) and online information databases that players generate, drawing
on De Certeau’s formulation of strategies and tactics and Warner’s
discussion of publics and counterpublics. The article concludes by discussing
implications of online gaming for an open-systems approach to information
design in professional communication and for professional communication
in general.
