Tags:Clans, global teams, online ethnography, online gaming, organizational citizenship and virtual teams
Abstract:
This 32-month qualitative quarterly longitudinal study examines the structures of an online gaming clan community of the popular free to play massively multiplayer online game (MMO/MMOG) World of Tanks developed by Wargaming. During the participant observational period, from formation through several structural shifts, this study which originally started under a Qualitative Field research course has become a comprehensive online ethnography, documenting roles, responsibilities, organizational citizenship behaviors, as well as features of global virtual teams. 53 interviews were conducted with key personnel in the organization, durations varying from 15 minutes to an hour. Four distinct themes arose from the research: freedom, friendship, responsibility, and balance. This study grants insight into gaming organizations, which will better help understand the gaming culture from a foundational constructivist perspective.
The Structural Considerations of an Online Games Community