Cyberbullying in World of Warcraft’s Looking for Raid Function

Abstract

This thesis focuses on the effects that othering or cyberbullying within the Looking for Raid (LFR) function is having on the World of Warcraft (WoW) community in terms of their identity creation. I will look at the three separate classes that I have identified (elite raider, casual raider, and casual gamer) in the community and to see how each of these groups has been affected by the creation of the LFR function and the conflict that it has created. I will explore the hegemonic process that led to the creation of the LFR function and the coopting of the vital symbolic resource, the screen shot, by the casual gamer. While the relationship between cyberbullying and bullying in the physical world is not yet apparent, it is important that the phenomenon be adequately understood and defined first.