MMOs as Practices

The document "MMOs as Practices" by Ren Reynolds explores whether acts within Massively Multiplayer Online (MMO) games can be understood through Alasdair MacIntyre's definition of "Practice" from After Virtue. The central thesis is that many MMO acts occupy a nexus between the purely social and the purely ludic, allowing them to attain a level of excellence or be understood as negative, thus meeting MacIntyre's criteria for a Practice. This framework provides a basis for morally evaluating specific in-game actions like Ganking and Ninja Looting.

The paper defines MacIntyre's "Practice" as a "coherent and complex form of socially established cooperative human activity through which goods internal to that form of activity are realized in the course of trying to achieve those standards of excellence which are appropriate to, and practically definitive of, that form of activity." It then systematically assesses whether MMOs meet these criteria, concluding that they are coherent, complex, and involve socially established cooperative human activity. The concept of "excellence" and "internal goods" within MMOs is particularly emphasized, arguing that while physical excellence in sports is readily recognized, MMOs demonstrate excellence in techno-social practices, such as coordinated raid strategies and guild management, which produce internal goods beneficial to the entire community.

The scope of the analysis is theoretical, focusing on the ethical implications of in-game actions within MMOs generally, rather than specific titles or geographic regions, though World of Warcraft is used as an illustrative example. The methodology involves a philosophical application of MacIntyre's virtue ethics framework to the observed behaviors and structures within MMOs. The conclusion is that while this framework offers a robust theoretical argument for the ethical basis of certain MMO acts, practical ethical evaluations still require consideration of specific contextual factors, such as the particular MMO, server type (PVP, PVE, RP), and the norms of the involved communities or guilds.