Customization in Kingdom of Loathing (KoL for short) is minimal, with a choice between six different classes and (two) genders. I decided upon the profession of Pastamancer, a specialized class that can conjure up food for defensive or offensive purposes. I named my avatar “Toffles,” and set out to encounter the world and other players. As we can see from the character information section, the game is simple and humorous (no, I do not know what a Moxie is):
However, that is not to say that the characters all look like boring stick figures. As the player advance through the levels, he/she obtains new items and new looks that make the avatar more interesting/attractive. Toffles, for example, started with a ravioli hat and a pasta spoon, but eventually obtained more powerful items such as:
The game itself is easy to pick up on – everyday the player start with certain number of adventure points, which is expended by clicking the dungeon/mountain/castle/etc. to find rewards and experience in order to gain level. It is also possible to join or form a clan with friends, and challenge other players to a duel.
I found my experience of interaction in KoL to be very consistent with Yee and Bailenson’s theory of the Proteus Effect, which argues that our behavior online conforms to our digital self-presentation. As a new player, I do not have any attractive or interesting equipment, so I was fairly timid when it came to talking to strangers, lest that they make fun of me for being a newbie. In addition, I was reluctant to self-disclose, because I thought few people would be interested in conversing with a boring, simple-looking avatar with no experience. However, I was very proactive in seeking help and asking for advice, as expected from my appearance as an unadorned avatar.
Higher level avatars, however, were much more active in the chat channels and in interaction with other players, including new players such as myself. A very powerful player may have an avatar decorated with a variety of symbols and strange equipment to appear unique and impressive:
The more powerful, and thus more prominent the avatars are, the more aggressive and open the players seemed to be. While most low level, new players whom I talked to did not carry on any conversation for long, the few upper level characters that I talked with were much more willing to socialize. This also conforms to Yee and Bailenson’s findings, as the more visually impressive players clearly demonstrated a higher level of confidence in social interactions.
While I did not expect a strong correlation between character appearance and player behavior in a simplistic game such as Kingdom of Loathing, I was nevertheless pleasantly surprised that the relationship is nonetheless present. Perhaps if I were to play longer and earn my “attractiveness,” I might alter my behavior to one suitable of my avatar.
1 comment:
Zeyu! Excellent job analyzing something other than Second Life! I like how the simple graphics of KOL may bring around a different version of the Proteus Effect, as opposed to the complicated graphics and avatar construction of Second Life. Good point that the more dedicated and advanced players in the game were more confident and talkative. For further research, I would analyze how the KOL experiences of others relates to their "digital self-presentation." Also, I would expand upon how attractiveness is perceived in an online space, especially when there are fewer graphical expressions of various avatar qualities.
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