Property Practices in World of Warcraft

Abstract

Observing property practices that occur in the online world of World of Warcraft means dealing with a complex phenomenon. Property inside the virtual world is socially constructed using a set of technical possibilities given to players by game designers. Objects here are not only digital entities without any reference to the physical world, but they are described by a unique set of properties that cannot be found anywhere else. Dealing with this set of possibilities is the way players generate the in-game property. This kind of property is obviously bound to the specific game one is studying, but can provide useful information about how social phenomena can be transformed in a fully digital environment.