Professor uses World of Warcraft in class

Finding ways to do experiential learning, Jay Clarkson, a professor pf electronic media, initially used ‘World of Warcraft’ as a way to stay in touch with a friend. 

Through playing, he came up with the idea of using World of Warcraft for communication practices.

The communication field has recently seen an increase in scholarly research over gaming and how gaming relates to communication and media. 

An ISU graduate course, Communication and Gaming 614, uses observational methods, such as assigned texts and the popular game ‘World of Warcraft’ to examine different cultures.

Clarkson also said, throughout the semester, the class will “examine communication practices in a mediated space” and also “have the chance to do a variety of research methods.” 

Kyle Andrei, a junior communications major, is one of three undergraduates in the course.

He said what he wanted to get out of this class is to “ learn ethnographic research in a modern setting”, and he learned that “video game studies are the new field.”

Ethnographic research, or “ethnography,” is a branch of anthropology dealing with the scientific description of individual cultures.

Ethnographic research and gaming research are relevant to not only the classroom but also in the real world. Most curriculum are geared to preparing students for their field of study.

Clarkson said the class is a “methods class, which examines and studies different cultures, through observational methods.” This type of classroom study, “it will be relevant for the students after graduation.”

Clarkson said the class is not geared toward undergraduates.

Andrei found the class through a graduate student who was taking the class and decided to take the class because both the graduate student and he “were into the game.”

He also said, the undergraduates had to jump through hoops to get into this graduate class, and that it is the hardest class he has taken so far.

Both Andrei and Clarkson play ‘World of Warcraft’.

Clarkson, however, said he plays it “as part of the class” and “gaming is a new research topic.”

“I do not consider myself a gamer,” he said, “but [I] find it fun since I am used to it.”