1. Democracy has
Arrived!
A Model for Ethical Decision
Making of Players in MMO's
Patrick.Prax@im.uu.se
Mikael.Laaksoharju@it.uu.se
Uppsala University, Sweden

2. Game Plan
• Code
• Virtual World Structure and Effects
• Add-ons
• ColLab
• Effects
patrick.prax@im.uu.se 2

3. Code
• “the rule is applied to an individual through a
kind of physics” (Lessig, 2006, p. 81-82)
• No possibility to reflect on the power structure
in the game
• Leadership structure hard-coded.
• Try and defy gravity. And why did it take so
long to discover it anyways?
patrick.prax@im.uu.se 3

4. Virtual World Structure and Effect
• Game dynamics and mechanics that are
enforced normatively by players influence the
game (Thomas & Brown, 2009)
• Games as “frozen discourses”
(Zabban, 2011)
patrick.prax@im.uu.se 4

5. World of Warcraft
• Now about 10 million paying subscribers
• Ages old
• Still the biggest in the western world
• Sets the standard for MMORPGs
• A single, all-powerful leader (in
guilds, raids, parties)
5

6. Prax, P. (2012) Co-creative interface development in MMORPGs - the case of World of Warcraft add-
patrick.prax@im.uu.se 6
ons, Journal of Gaming and Virtual Worlds, 4 :1, pp. 3–24.

7. ColLab -
http://interact.it.uu.se/collab/
• Open-source
o EtherPad Lite, Node.js
• Collaborative
o concurrent editing
• Structured
• Concrete
• Focusing on values/interests
• For a deeper discussion please see
Laaksoharju (2010, 2012)

8. 8
patrick.prax@im.uu.se

9. An Alternative
Model for
Democratic
Decision Making
• Not determining social
outcome, but offering
an alternative
• Enable players to
discuss and reflect
upon the leadership
structure in the code of
the game
patrick.prax@im.uu.se 9

11. Best case scenario
• A new possibility to code leadership and
conflict solving in MMOs
• A possibility for players to take a reflexive
approach to power structures outside of the
game and to start to question their analog
society
patrick.prax@im.uu.se 11

12. And next…
1. Make the add-on (taking your feedback into
account, so hit me!)
2. Test it
3. Iterate
4. Make it accessible for players
5. Collect usage data
6. Survey to find changes in reflexive attitude
to power structures (in games and society)

13. Selected References
• Lessig, L. (2006) Code. Basic Books, New York.
• Laaksoharju M. (2010). Let Us Be Philosophers! Computerized Support for Ethical Decision
Making. [Thesis]. Uppsala: Department of Information Technology, Uppsala University: IT
licentiate theses / Uppsala University, Department of Information Technology
• Laaksoharju (2012). In support of democratic dialogue. In Critique, Democracy and Philosophy in
21st Century Information Society - Towards Critical Theories of Social Media, The Fourth ICTs
and Society-Conference, Collection of Abstracts, Retrieved from The ICT and Society Network:
http://www.icts-and-society.net/wp-content/uploads/Abstracts.pdf
• Prax, P. (2012) Co-creative interface development in MMORPGs - the case of World of Warcraft
add-ons, Journal of Gaming and Virtual Worlds, 4 :1, pp. 3–24.
• Thomas, D., & Brown, J.(2009), Why virtual worlds can matter. International Journal of Media and
Learning, 1(1), 37-49
• Zabban, V. (2011), What Keeps Designers and Players Apart? Thinking How an Online Game
World is Shared. Proceedings of DiGRA 2011 Conference: Think Design Play
Copyrighted material used under fair use. If you own an IP and
want me to take something out please contact me. Thank you.
Patrick.prax@im.uu.se

14. Thank You
Patrick.Prax@im.uu.se
Mikael.Laaksoharju@it.uu.se