Nevertheless, you're here and you're probably wondering why you're even bothering to read the blog of some 1H BW WK. Yes, I said 1H AND BW. I came across a very interesting thread by justsomeguy on SW, and it certainly got me thinking about my own minority role in MapleStory. Perhaps here I can help mitigate the bad reputation of BW users, and 1H users as well while I conduct my research...
Research?
My name is Sebastian Campos, and I'm a 5th year undergraduate student at York University in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. I believe I'm one of the very few Maplers out there who not only plays MapleStory, but studies it academically as well.
I've been deliberating this for a while now, but today marks the day that I 'officially' set out on a new mission - a two year mission, in fact - to continue studying MapleStory culture as part of my Masters' degree in Anthropology.
But this is just a game! You can't be serious!
Long ago, anthropologists, (loosely,) individuals who study cultures, believed that in order to study culture, they had to travel to distant lands - places they believed were remote and untainted by 'Western' culture. That is, the 'home' was geographically distant from 'the field.' That began to change in the 1960s, notably with the avant-garde work of Hortense Powdermaker on Hollywood. Since that time, there have been many valuable contributions in studying culture 'at home,' and although traditional research models continue, non-traditional studies are much more common than they were before. My work on MapleStory is part of this movement. Basil Market, Sleepywood, Maple Tip, Hidden Street, are but a few sites that are a testament to the proliferation and diversity of MapleStory culture. Evidently, MapleStory is much more than just a game.
But World of WarCraft is soooo much better! Why not study that instead?
I've never played WoW, and I'm sure it's great. But I'm not interested in studying its culture at the moment. Truthfully, anthropological studies in MMORPGs are scant, yet, most of the studies conducted thus far, express favouritism towards 3D MMOs like EverQuest and World of WarCraft, largely ignoring contemporary 2D MMORPGs. I do not wish to follow these examples; I know MapleStory - this, fairly 'simple'-looking 2D side-scrolling MMORPG - has a rich culture, and I intend to study it as part of my graduate studies.
Hmmm... there might be something to this study of yours after all...
I have already conducted research and written a 50 page paper on MapleStory (-I'm working on getting it published). But this is not enough - there is still a lot more to be discussed. As such, if you would like to help me with my research, please get in contact with me. I am looking for committed Maplers who can picture themselves playing MapleStory for the next two years, who can tell me about its culture. (Believe me, you may know more than you think you do!) I am not actively conducting research at the moment, but having some committed buddies wouldn't hurt (-I have a bizarre habit of befriending individuals who seldom play or quit).
Happy Mapling!
Sebastian Campos
maplestorystudy@gmail.com
EvilCowKing
63/Page/Windia
Guild: Illusion
I am a proud Windian.
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