Epic NPC Man often pops up in my Facebook news feed. Today’s topic: “That NPC with only one line.” What I love about these videos is that all of us who are a part of the culture of role-playing games can relate. I only had to read the title, and it instantly brought back memories from Everquest II, a game which I played for over a decade. For those of us who have made homes in online games, nostalgia plays a large role in our collective memories of those worlds. For me, I hea

Watching from afar... One of my Hispanic companions and I watch as our friend runs toward his death. The chat is quite heated. Through my experience within Guild Wars 2, I have discovered that game is home to adventurers from all over the world and that we play with those who speak different languages more often than we realize. In my previous blog post, I recounted an interesting experience I had when partying up with a random Spanish-speaking player. While the session turne

*Informant's name has been changed to protect privacy. Nergui didn’t even twitch as the white-haired man wearing nothing but a pair of boxers and a great sword appeared out of thin air and promptly jumped off the edge of the precipice falling to the lava below. “Wait here,” he said. I watched as he jumped off the side of the rocky outcropping, deployed his glider, and flew to a distant ledge. I had tried to make the jump six times without success. It had taken over an hour fo

Greetings, fellow adventurers! Are you ready to embark on a virtual expedition through the world of Guild Wars 2? During your journey, you will encounter the people and culture of Tyria. You will face dragons, battle-hardened warriors, and armies of undead. You will be an explorer and a hero, questing through uncharted territory. Join Anthropology 29003 at Lindenwood University and you will gain 3 credit hours for your valiant efforts. This class is completely online. Time sp