Nardi’s My Life as a Night Elf Priest was a pretty fascinating read. One theory of hers that I found particularly enlightening was her comparison of the rule-less structure of a game like Second Life compared to a more traditionally ruled game like World of Warcraft. Though players could ostensibly do whatever they wanted in Second Life, the vast majority of the game ended up centered around sex and shopping: “In practice, the freedoms cherished by Second Life’s designers resulted in the dominance of certain activities, pushing away other activities into which potential participants, disaffected by the dominant activities, might have entered” (p. 78). The rules of WoW, on the other hand, allowed for the preservation of its good design, more enjoyment for more players, and a focus on excelling in play itself. Her chapters on theorycrafting and modding seemed to affirm this. The rules inherent in the game’s design seemed to allow players to practice more freedom within those rules.

I also appreciated her investigation into the practice of farming in WoW. I am not referring to professional gold farmers, but instead to the farming practiced by regular players, in preparation for more challenging endgame content. As someone who currently spends entirely too much time farming in Destiny, I appreciate her insights into the practice. Nardi argues that, although farming certainly blurs the lines between work and play, in-game farming is a “logical activity undertaken for well-defined ends” (p. 111), which distinguishes it from a lot of work. She also ties elements of social obligation into farming, though I would suggest that this doesn’t necessarily separate it from actual work. I would also suggest that the farming can provide more enjoyment in itself than Nardi suggested. I have never played WoW, so perhaps the practice was a bit different in that game, but I do think farming can allow for a level of stress-free, relaxing play. It can also allow for the enjoyment of the beauty of a game, something Nardi speaks highly of, and that can get lost while participating in more challenging content that requires more focus.