Most World of Warcraft players don’t go it alone — they have a social network within the… Most World of Warcraft players don’t go it alone — they have a social network within the game that supports them and drives them to improve.

Nicolas Ducheneaut, a researcher at the Palo Alto Research Center in California, has spent the past five years collecting and analyzing data on World of Warcraft players. He said the dynamics of the game tend to surprise people.

“The game is basically steering you into larger and larger groups,” he said. “But players really only play regularly with a fraction of the members of their guild or group.”

“It’s more like going to a pub or a store,” he said. “You go there and do a lot of things alone with a group of people around you.”

Ducheneaut said that the majority of players started because of a friend or family member. Once they play, they form relationships with other players in their guild that keep them playing.

The guilds end up separating into two general categories — “very intense, very militaristic” competitive guilds and more loosely knit guilds based on in-game or out-of-game friends.

The competitive, hardcore guilds are geared toward raiding — high-level instances that require cooperation, teamwork and skill. Applications, tryouts and strict rules are common.

David Bickford, a CCAC student, said that the most competitive guilds — including his — leave little leeway for error.

“You get two chances,” Bickford said. “You mess up and you’re toast.”

Steve Weiss, a Pitt sophomore, said he doesn’t define himself as a hardcore player. After trying out a hardcore guild, the idea lost its luster for him.

“If you came in five minutes late, you got a warning. Too many of those and you got booted,” he said. “I ended up quitting the guild because they were nuts.”

Hughes said that his guild tries for what players consider the ideal; “the hardcore social guild,” which is getting a group of friends to take on the most difficult raids in the game.

“Still, it’s hard to raid hardcore with your friends,” he said. “You can’t really call out one of your friends.”