Communities: A Case Study of Diablo II: Lord of

Nested Seh.tes,Nenoorhed' Commr.nities . Katheire
McBimey
415
Networked
NestedSelves,
A CaseStudyof
Communities:
Diablo II: Lord of Destrwctionasan
Agent of Cultural Change
Katberine McBirney
A seasonedwarrior, you enter the Rogue
Encampment, only to hear news of strange
disturbancesand monstrousuprisingsin the surrounding counrryside.You gather your group of
fellow fighters and trek into the dangerouslandscape,working together to vanquish evil. After a
seriesof stunningvictories,you gain evengreater
battle prowess,able to face the grimmest odds.
Then, the next Monday night, you meet your
comradesin the chat channelto organizeanother
game and do it all over again. Welcometo the
world of Diablo II: Lord of Destruction.
The gaming world has been largely exempt
from the serious analysis devoted to other contertporary media.In this article,however,I plan to
we Diablo 11 asa casestudy for an analysisof the
larger culturai implications of multiplayer gaming.
\(hat is the appealof'such games?How do such
games transform contemPorary conceptions of
both self and community? Online role-playing
games (MGs) llie Dioblo II, I argte, offer an
alternative social framework that provides the
player with an escapefrom modernity (and an
exciting gaming experience). First I consider
Diabln Its pseudomedievallandscape;how and
.. why do RPGs strive to elicit nostalgiafor a seemingly lost eraof epic?In answeringthis question,I
srggestthzt Diablo 11 allows people to connect in
a new way that paradoxicallyhearkensback to
medievaland early modern socialconsm1cts.
Second,I considerhow this new cultural par'
adigm changesour contemPorarydefinitions of
communiry and self, Unlike face-to-facegaming,
online players only know as much about each
other as each person choosesto share, In his
analysiso{ pen-and-paperRPGs, Gary Alan Fine
'For the gameto work as an aestheticexwrote,
'bracket' their
perienceplayersmust be wiliing to
'natural'selvesand enacta fantasyself.They must
lose themselvesto the game'This engrossmentis
not total or continuous,but it is what provides{or
the 'fun' within the game"(4). Fine callsthis form
"framed sel{" (4), an aPproof self-fashioningthe
priate tefm becauseit getsat the nestedselvesinherent in online gaming. At least three distinct
"selves"overlapwithin the contexrof the DiabJo
I I ganrtngenvironment:
1. The "real life" self (hencefordrcalied RL
seU).
2. The online identiry (that is, how one is
known on gamingbulletin boards,within
guilds, and on the main http://www.battle.
net network).
3. The characterwithin the game' In addition, Di.ablo11 playersoften developand
English
KarherineMcBirney is a graduatestudent at the University of Noreh Carolina-ChapelHill, specializingin literature of the
Recentproje-ctsinclude a srudy of imaginationand monstrosiryin Spcnser'sFaerie Qaeene,and an ongoinginterest h
Renaissance.
online culture.
E
j
t,
416
Tbe lo*mal of Ameican Culntre . Volame 27, N*mbet 4 ' December 2004
however,belies the complexity of characterdevelopment.Charactershave 505 stat points and
110 sLitl points to distribute, and thousandsof
items with which to equip their characters,
making endlesspermutationsoI characterbuilds
For example,when I play Diablo II' I am nepossibie.zIn addition, online players may form
gotiating severalplastic identities: my real life
identitS Thelestis(my moniker on the Amazon pafties of up to eight, working cooPerativelyto
Characters
Basin, a gaming community and forum); my ac- defeatmonstersand completequests,
"going hostile."
by
count nameon http://wwvbattle.neq and Duessa may alsoduel with eachother
Like many RPGs, Diablo // takes place in a
(a level eighty+ix Frozen Orb/Hydra sorceress).
environmenqin fact, many of the
The RL self controls these alternativeidentities, pseudomedieval
elementsof theDiablo 11 world havebeendrawn
but the alternativeidentities are not merely cirfrom actualfacetsof medievailiterature and culcumscribedviithin the bordersof the RL self.As
Miroslaw Filiciak, one video gametheorist,char- ture. For example,players may hire mercenaries
"We are existingin a stateo{ con- to help in eachof the 6ve acts,ranging{rom Act I
acterizedit,
tinuous construction and reconstruction" (98). rogues (Amazon archers) to Act V barbarians
Finally, I consider how these uniquely nested, (sword-wieldingwarriors)' The Act V barbarians
areclearlymodeledafter ancientGermanictribes,
self-fashionedpersonaeinteract in the form of
and many of their names are either dravrn from
gamingguilds and forums.
Di.ablo II is a hack-and-slashrole-playing minor charactersin Beouulf or made to sound
tihglaf,
like Anglo-Saxon names (for example,
game, originally releasedin June 2000, that allows {or both single-playerand multiplayer gam- Ecgtheow,and Hygelac).
Di.ablo also appropriatesthe symbolic frameing. Blizzard Entenainment runs a free onfine '
system, http://www.banle.net,to which gamers work of medieval cuiture, in which items have
meaning beyond their physical appearanceand
canconnectand play with peoplefrom aroundthe
worid. \7hen I checkedon a random weekday nature.For example,charactersfind many gems
afternoon,74,57Qplayerswere engagedin 46,196 and jewels during questing, each of which has
gameson the USEastrealm alone.t Blizzatd has different propertiesand usesbeyond mere decoration. An emeraldProtectsagainstpoison when
since releasedan Expansion Pack, Lord of De"act"
socketedin a shield, or inflicts poison upon t}te
to the four
strraction,which adds aL extra
acts already presentin the game,and has added enemy when socketedin a weapon. Likewise,
a ruby protects againstfire damagewhen used
two new characterclasses.In addition, Blizzatd
"patches" to the http:/l
defensively, inflicts fire damage when used
has releasednumerous
environment,most recendyPatch offensively,and adds vitality (life) points to the
v;.ww.battle.net
1.10 in Octobei 2003, which added new items, characterwhenusedin armor or helmets-an aP"worid events' to the fictional propriate use of elementalsymbolism(fire as the
monsters, and
spark of life).
world of Dia.bloII.
antiquiry into medievalEurope,
From classicaL
a
certain
In the game, the player selects
characterclassfrom a group of seven-Amazon, popular and scholarly culture ascribedmedicinal
Barbarian, Paladirq Necromancer, Sorceress, and magicalpowers to gems and jewels. As the
Druid, and Assassin-and accomplishesnumer- editor of one Middle Englishlapidarynoted,many
manuscriptsof medievallapidariesare extant toous "quests" that involve killing an endlesspro"a
cession of monsters, demons, and undead day, which indicates considerableinterest in
creaf,ures.
In the fictional framework of the game, the significancesand virtues of preciousstones"
(KeiserVII). Ancient traditionso{ pagansymbolic
the characteris attemPtingto savethe world from
"Prime
magic merged with both Christian tropes and
Evils": the demons Mephisto, Dithree
ablo. and Baal. This simple fictional structure' newly emerging sciencein the inedieval laptdary.
control many characters;each account
can hoid up to eight characters'and each
player can havemultiple accounts.
fl,lt',,
NestedSeh)es,Net@)orkedCommsnities t Katheixe McBimey
One famous example is Isidore of Seville's
sixth-century Etymologiae,a comprehensiveencyclope&a of the naturalvrorld that classifiesand
enumeratesthe properties o{ many gems and
stones.As Joan Evans,author of MagicalJeuels
noted,
of the Mi.ddleAges and the Renaissance,
color.
For
gems
by
Isidore's tar(onomy groups
example, emerald,(smaragdus)Ialls into the cat"transfusesthe suregory of green gems, and
rounding air with green" (31).
Like Isidore's Etytnologize,gem classificadon
tn Diablo folTowscolor; unlike Isidore,gempropto natural
erties are based on correspondences
phenomenaor elements:rubies for fire, topaz
for lightning, sapphirefor cold, and so on. The
Diablo cosmology ascribes symbolic value to
everyday oblecu. Diablo is embeddedin the
premodern ttreory o{ correspondencebef,ween
microcosm and macrocosm,in which heavenly
objectshave counterpartsin earthly obiects,and
eanhly objects have counterpartswithin the human body itself. Numerous medievaland Renaisof
sancecosmologiesassertthe interdependence
humanity and universe.
Figures as diverse as Paracelsus,Marsilio
Ficino, and John Donne madereferencesto suqh
For example,the fifcosmic correspondences.
teenth-centuryalchemistand physicianParacelsus
studied"cosmology,theology,naturalphilosophy
and medicinein the light of analogiesand correbefweenmacrocosmand microcosm"
spondences
(Pagel,qtd. in Debus 52-53). Marsilio Ficino, an
Italian Neoplatonist philosopher, wrote in a letter
"For thesecelestialbodies
to Lorenzo de' Medici,
are not to be sougl'ttby us outsidein someother
place;for the heavensin their entirety are within
us, in whom tle light of life and the origin o{
heaven dwell'"'(62). Donne, contemplatingthe
looming faet of universal decay, describedthe
"This is nature's
smrcture of the universe thus:
nest of boxes:the heavenscontain the earth;the
eaitl, cities; cities, men. And all these are concentric."Although it may seemsimplisticto lump
together these varied men from different time
periods, they shareone thing in commoh: the a
priori assumptionof a providential, hierarchical
cosmos,
417
Such a worldview allows for an integrationof
magic, religion, and science-a semiotic natural
philosophy in which obiectsrepresentother objectsand the naturalworld is firll of signspointing
to a higher meaning.One biographerof Paracel'she
sususedthe exampleof orchids,which
[Nature] has made ,.. in the shapeof testicles,thus
'restirutehis lewdness
hinting that their juice viill
to a man"'(Pachter 7\,'Ihe flower's appearance
mimics its medicinal or magicaluse, iust as the
fiery color of a ruby in Diablo 11 hints that it will
inflict elementaldamageon the enemy.\flithin the
structure of the game, a providential authority
imbuesthe world with symbolic meaningand order. The "Archangel" Tyreal directsthe character
to fulfrll certain quests(although is not able to
intervene in physical world), and the supernatural
wisdom of sages,like Deckard Cain, and arcane
manuscripts,like the Scroll of Inifuss, guide the
player through the game.Thus, the game'ssymbolism and strucftre attempt to capture a PreCartesiannerworkingof self and world that is not
possiblein conremporarysociety-reminiscent
of a time before mind, body, and world were
separated.
Moderniry, as some literary theoristshave argued can be characterizedby nostalgiafor a vanished time before the detached,subjective self
emerged,a dme 'when the values and meaning
of life were more dlearly and universally defined.
ln Tbeory of the Nooel, Georg Lukacs wrote,
". . . the outside world to which vre now devote
ourselvesin our desireto learn its ways and dominate it will neverspeakto us in a voice that will
clearly tell us our way and determineour goal"
(203). Inner certainty is no longer possiblein a
world of psychological ambiguities, and outer
certainryis no longer possiblein a world of rel"... the immanenceof
advism.As Lukacs put it,
meaningin life hasbecomea problem" (186)'The
individual mind has becomeseparatedfrom the
welcoming certainty of premodern cosmology
.4 I-ul
^u v^r u*l r *s r,u, - ; , . -
Lj,
\(hat doesthis scathingindictment of modernity haveto do with computer games?
l ithin their fictional worlds, Drablo and othet
"speak,tous in a voice
similar computergamesdo
t.:
TheJo*mal of Ameican Culture . Volwme27, Number 4 . Decetnber2a04
418
that will clearlytell us our way and determineour
goal." Within the frameof r:hegame,eachitem has
a meaning and pu4rose, and alr;hougheach charader hasnearly limitlessoptions for development
and growth, the character'spurposeis narrowly
circumscribed.It is commonly acceptedthat escapismis one motivation behind gaming,I argue
that the medievalsettingprovidesthe gamewith a
moral and symbolic frame that allows the player
escapism
to experiencea specifictype of escapism:
real
life
to
the
absolutism
from the ambiguity of
of the virtual world.
In responsesto a query I postedon a popular
Diablo bdletin board community, many players
commentedon the epic qualiry of the game.3one
player wrote, "The Middle Earth feeling brings to
me the poetry of greatwarriors,Killing Diablo or
Mephistowith a bazookawould flot be that much
fun would it? They must fall on the weight of
your arrows and swords,your finesseor brutal
force" (Viad). Another commented,"Oh and I
quite like medievalgames.They seemmuch more
"danger" in
evil and dangerous"(Woody). The
Diablo is clear-cut:three evil demonsintend to
destroythe world, thereforea hero mustsaveit; at
the sametime, the dangerand evil is manageable.
Players face obstaclesthat challengethem, yet
they experiencecompleteand unambiguousvictory, The monsters die, the charactersacquire
more pow6rful items and skills. As one player
commented,'So, why computergamesin general? Escapism. From the real world where your
control is Iimited to a world where it's vinually
unlimited" (Blondwithtude).
One player, Bfillig even obliquely mentioned
the sort of epic nostalgiathat characterizesthe
sort of "antimodernity" of medievalRPGs. He
ffiote)
You asked what we think about the game's
medieval setting. The thing that strikes me
rein suspending
aboutit is that it succeeds
aliry for such a diverse audience.The first
time I vratchedmy kids playing, it remiaded
poem:
me of somelinesfrom a \tr(ordsworth
For this, {or everything,we areout of tune,
It movesus not-Great God! I d ratherbe
A Pagansuckledin a creedouiq/orn;
on thispleasant
SomightI, standing
lea,
Haveglimpses
that would makeme less
fodorn;
Havesightof Proteusrisingfromthesea;
Or hear old Triton blow his wreathed
horn.
From "The Vorld Is Too Much Vith Us;
LareandSoon"
In the surprisingconnectionhe drawsbetween
'Wordsworth
and Diablo 4 Brillig effectively
characterized
the auraor atmosphereof the game.
For Brillig, iike Lukacs,the contemporaryworld
seemsdevoid of meaningsomehow:"It movesus
not." The gameenvironmentallovrsan opportunity too connect with somethingseeminglyancient, mythical, or epic-as \Tordsworth put it,
the chanceto see mighty, long-lost Gods rising
from the sea"or the power of a woddview in
which magic religion, self, and community are
ineffably interwoven,
Although the medieval setting is crucial to the
atmosphereof the game,it alsofunctionsasa sort
of familiar environment for those who are inrcrestedin RPGs, and as a facilitator for the item
collection,characterdevelopment,and teamwork
that form the real meatof the game.As one player
commented,"\7hi1e it [the medievalsetting]does
lend a certain level of immediatefamiliariry the
gameis essentially(and by design)ahistoricaland
fictional" (kylhwch). In "A ClashBerweenGame
and Narrative," JesperJuul arguedthat narrative
and replayability are incompatible: "the more
story you attempt to add to a game,rhe fewer
times the playerwill play it." This cenainly holds
true fior Diabh. Although the game does have a
plot, and it evenhas cinematicepisodesas interludes berweenthe acts,the plot quickly becomes
irrelevant.The upper rwo diffculry levels,Nightmareand Hell, merely recapitulatethe questsand
landscapes
of Normal difficulty. So why do tens
of thousandsof people keep returning to Diablo,
conqueringthe same monsters again and again,
traversingthe samelandscapescountlesstimes?
The real challengen Diabln is one of selffashioning in an online comriruniry, In this
g-*i'
iNested Seloes,Nenoorked Commxnities . Katherine McBitnel
communiry, the correspondenceso{ the medieval
vrorld have been recreatedand reworked, transforming and erasingmodern conceptions of a detached self. Strangely enough,the Canesian mind/
body split seemsto haveevolvedto a state' at least
online, where physicality completely falls away;
http://www.battle.net is minds or personalities
directly interacting.Miroslaw Filiciak has characterized this plasticity of identity as a develop"The postment spnmg from postmodernism:
modern identity is a self-awareidentity . . , \7e do
not have to talk about the individual as a monolithic self rnymore" (97).
The integration and consciousmanipulation of
self and communiry however, need not be construed as a completely unique postmodern phenomenon. Diablo II, like many RPGs, cobbles
together a m6langeof allusions,images,names,
legends, and myths {rom numerous cultures and
'gladius" look like the
eras.The otower shield' and
weaponry of a Roman centurion. The goldendomed palace in Lut Gholein is festooned with
vaguely Islamic patterning and scrollwork. The
stepped temples of Kurast, surrounded by a forbidding jungle, call m mind tfe cultures of ancient
Mesoamerica.One largg beastly denizen of a dangerous ice cave is named "Frozenstein." Iflhat
should we mahe of this seeminglyrandom collection of imagery and cultural allusion?Are tlese iust
the random choicesof gamecreatorswho lack the
imagination to designtheir own unique worlds?
A1l of these images,locales,items, and characters have one effecfi to create an ambienceof the
legendarythe exotig and the epic.Although medievalism,as I have discussed,is by far the predominant cultural benefactor of Diablo II's
imaginaryworl{; the whole strangecultural m6lange taps into. a sharedconception(at least for
\Testern culture) of hyperreality-that which is
larger-than-1ife, extraordinary, beyond the mundane. Many RPGs, including titles such as the
Baldur\ Gate serles,EterQaest, and otlers, use
the same familiar fantasy settings and imagery
becauseplayers desirea locale that feels at once
familiar and exciting. The real-life self disires to
be comfortableand at easein the online environment, but the virtual self seeksstimulus and en-
419
gagement beyond that offered by ordinary life.
This collectionof recognizablecultural references
and allusions functions reachesinto a common
culmral databank, employing irnagery that has
resonancebeyondits practicalpurpose.A gemno
longer merely adornsthe wearer;with it comesan
entire web of legend and allusion that helps to
further distancethe virtual self from the banality
and ambiguiryo{ everydaylife. This paradoxically
familiar and exotic environment functions as a
playground for the virtual sel{-fashioningof the
"nestedselves"discussed
sort that results in the
earlier.
Pen-and-paperRPGs, one might argue,offer a
similar opportuniry for seH-fashioning.After all,
the Dungeons and Dragons enthusiastalso develops a complex alternative identiry for his or her
character.So what makes online gaming significant? For one thing, online gamesallow much
greater flexibility, ease,and accessiblbty.Diablo
11 players do not have to imagine their characters
from scratchl instead, they choose from preset
characterswith predeterminedpotential skills and
abilities.The aspectof community formation and
definition taheson an entirely new level in online
RPGs, especiallyevident in the formation of online guilds-'groups of players(in theory sometimes characters, but in practice players) who
share a similar ethos, at least in the game"
(Rydzewski). Each time you sign onto http://
www.battle.net,you are not just sitting down
vdth a few friends in your kitchen; you are
claiming citizenship in a massiveinternational
community.Guilds exemplifythis kind of nationfashioning; you're a part of the laryer http:/ /
www.batde.net communiry but you can identify
yoursel{with a smallersubsetof your choosing.
In RL, group membershipcan be determinedin
many ways. For example,I could be labeled a
'woman, a Southerner,a teacher-but in online
games,geographyand occupationdo not determine destiny.
Moreover, games are different from other
forms of Internet communities becausethey take
the interaction.onestepfurther. Playersdon t just
chat, they work coliaboratively. Of those who
responded to my informal questionnaire, a large
i4
i
TbeJoamal of Ameri.canCahare . Volume27, Number 4 . December2004
majority cited both communiry interaction and
characterdevelopment as tv/o primary appealsof
Diablo II.In the Amazon Basin,one particularly
largeand well-organizedguild,agamesand forum
communicadonsare governedby a set of social
conventionsspelledout in the online Frequently
Asked Questions\fleb page:
Vhat arethe AmazonBasingamesrules?
Here arethe AmazonBasinGamesRules.
'We
like ro think of rhem as corrunonsense
guidelinesfor providiaga friendlp cooperativegamingexperience.
1. BeFriendly.Do not direcdyor indirectlyattack
otherplayers2. Play Fur. The use oI hacks,cheats,or illegal
itemsis forbidden.
3. ShareDrops. All item dropsbelongto the
entiregroup,to be distributedfairly.
4. Be Courteous.Refrain from inappropriate
language,
insults,andharassmeft.
5. Cometo Play.Basingamesareprimarilyfor
teamplay-nor trading,muling,or rushing.
('AmazonBasinFAQ")
These clearly delineatedrules form a social
framework for this particular online communiry
The FAQs maheit clearthat thosewho parricipate
in guild-sponsored gamesand forums must conform to a certainethoq moreover,panicipationin
such an online community is entirely voluntary.
The rules are determhed by mutual consent,not
by imposition from a higher authorify, and those
players who choose'to join such a community
generallyseekthe companionshipof like-minded
people,Guilds suchas theseare composedo{ online idendries(asopposedto RL selves)interacting
with one another,engagedsimultaneousiyin selffashioningand communiry-fashioning.
In the emergingfield of video gametheory one
tendencyhasbeento analyzethe gameasa text like
a.film or novel primarily focusing on the gamet
narrative or fictive qualities. Barry Atkins, author
of. More than a Garne: The Cornputer Game as
Fi,ctionalFonn, wrotq ".. . my provisional answer
to the questionof whetherthe computergameis
'more
than a game'is a qualified'yes'-it can also
be a form of fiction making, and in the casesI
isolate presentsa fictional rcxt thar rewards close
critical scrutiny" (9-10). On the ottrer end of the
continuum of video game criticism, one character
in Tad \filliams's seminalvimral reality noyel Otherhnd redtcavely criricizesRPGs: "Boring . . . Kill
monster. Find jewel. Get bonus points. V4bblewobble-wubble" (63a). Atkins's argument and
rWilliams'scharacterrepresent tw.o extremes
on a
spectrumof "reading' video games-from compiex, fictional texts to dull, meadnglessrepetition.
In the caseof Dizblo II, narrative analysisdoesnot
yield much fruit; the medievalmilieu and its emergent social and communal implications far overshadow the importance of the plot, Neither,
however, is Diablo /.I a simple or cbildish game.
The gamebenefitsmore, asI hope m haveshown in
this article, from an analyticalframework that finds
value not in the qualiry of the story it tells but in
the cultural implications of the game-playitself.
As interactive charactersin a sharedlandscape,
players can engagein both self-fashioningand
community-fashioning. The medieval sening appealsto a mythic nostalgiathat is inherent in modern society; the self is felt to be plugged into
a larger whole, both technologically and more
mystically (with regard ro rhe way players have
material-immaterialconnections to other players).
Diablo I I is panicipatory escapism; the social
framework allows the player r gteat deal of freedom, but at the sametime circumscribeshis or her
actionswithin the rules and setting of the game.At
the risk of hyperbolic speculation,rhe culturai implications o{ these things may be enormous, perhapsaslargeasthe rise of the novel. Online gaming
representsa renaissanceof an older, more integrated worldview. Just asthe historical Renaissance
did
not merely recapinrlateclassicalideas,arf,work, or
philosophy,this online Renaissance
promises to
tansform our conceptionsof community and self.
Notes
1. hnp;//www.battlc.net consists of four -Realms": USEast. US_
Vest, Europe,and Asia,the largestand most populousof which are
the two US realms.The num5cr I ha'e cit;a would typically be
Netted Sehtes,Netuorked Commsnities . Katberine McBimel
higher in the wedngq x.hen rnore people rcturn from work and
panicipate in online garnes.
2. "Stat poio*- may be added ro four basic amibutes: Energy,
"mana" (that is,
Vitality, Dexcerity, and Strength- Energy increases
magic-wielding capability), Vitality increaseslife, Derterity incrcases
the chancethat artacksvith connect with an opponent or that opponent's attacks may be blocked, and Strengchallows the character
to equip heavier items and increasestle power of his or her attack.
'Skill points" may be allotted to various character-specificabiliries.
Each character has three pageso{ abilities, each of which contains
three separatetrees. For example, a Nccromancer may chooselrom
ten Summoning Spells, ten Poisoo and Bone Spells, or ten Curses.
Becausestat and skill points may be distribured in numerous ways, a
multirude of characrerbuilds are available;much is left up to the
strategy and imagination of the pl:yer.
3, All quotations from Diablo II plryers are from replies postcd
to the following thread on the Amazon Basin forums: "\X1hydo you
play D2) An open-endedquestion"Online posting,begun 12 Mar.
2004. The Amazon Basinr Diablo II Forums: General Diablo II
Disctssion. 13 Apr. 20Cr4. (http://ww*theamazonbasin.conltt2l
forums/index.php?showtopic=40626Eab1=).Forum members are
identified only by their self-chosen handles, which is the citarion
method I have used within my texr.
4. As of Juoe 29, 2004, the Amazon Basin (htrp://www.
thearnazonbasin.com/d2l{orums)had 8,090 registeredmembers.
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