About 5 million Chinese play “WoW,” which is twice the number of American players. But Americans produce far more modifications, or “mods,” to enrich the gaming experience.

“We are examining the many reasons for this disparity, including cultural and institutional factors,” says Bonnie Nardi, the UCI informatics professor who’ll conduct the study with help from doctoral student Yong Ming Kow.

Nardi is a WoW fan who has already done lots of cultural research on a game that has 10 million players worldwide. As I noted in an earlier post, she spent time last year observing WoW gamers in the Internet cafes of Beijing. She explained her observations in an e-mail, saying:

“The vast majority of Chinese players are not ‘gold farmers’ (people who play to generate game gold, which is then sold for real money). They’re ordinary players like anyone. The media has blown that story out of all proportion. Many people think Chinese play for a job. They play for fun.

“Chinese people play the more challenging form of World of Warcraft almost exclusively. They find the less challenging form of the game ‘boring.’ Here, about 50 percent play the challenging form of the game and there, about 95 percent do.

“(The) Chinese have invented some interesting ways to play with the in-game economy (not the real world economy). Ways that I have not observed here in two years of studying ‘World of Warcraft.’

“Chinese players are more attuned to the aesthetics of the game. At least they mention them more in interviews. They talked more about color schemes, animations, architecture, and so on more than American players.

“There seem to be fewer female players of ‘World of Warcraft’ in China. On the order of 20 percent here and 10 percent there.

“Here and in Europe and Australia/New Zealand people play with parents and event grandparents. Not in China. The older generation dislikes video games. People here play with brothers and sisters. But in China people don’t have brothers and sisters for the most part, so friend relationships are very important.

“Some similarities: ‘World of Warcraft’ is a very social game in China, just like here. People play with people they already know. Boyfriend and girlfriend may play or husband and wife. Social relationships deepen through the game. People also make new friends online.”

Source: http://sciencedude.freedomblogging.com/2008/09/11/uci-tackles-world-of-warcraft-mystery/