The National Science Foundation apparently considers the cultural implications of Blizzard's highly successful MMO World of Warcraft worth looking into.  It has given a $100,000 grant to University of California, Irvine, where some professors have been advocating the importance of virtual worlds and video games on culture for years now.

Out of WoW's 10 million subscribers, about half are Chinese, which is twice the number of American players; however, American WoW players produce far more mods (modifications) to enrich the WoW experience.

Bonnie Nardi, an informatics professor at UCI, will be conducting the study with the help of doctoral student Yong Ming Kow.  Nardi has had opportunities to observe internet cafes in Beijing, and she explains her research:

“We are examining the many reasons for this disparity, including cultural and institutional factors.

The vast majority of Chinese players are not ‘gold farmers’ (people who play to generate game gold, which is then sold for real money). They’re ordinary players like anyone. The media has blown that story out of all proportion. Many people think Chinese play for a job. They play for fun.

Chinese people play the more challenging form of World of Warcraft almost exclusively. They find the less challenging form of the game ‘boring.’ Here, about 50 percent play the challenging form of the game and there, about 95 percent do."

As a WoW player, I'm honestly not sure what she means by the "challenging form," though she could be comparing PvP to PvE servers.  Nardi goes on to point out more differences between Chinese and American WoW gamers:

"[They] have invented some interesting ways to play with the in-game economy (not the real world economy). Ways that I have not observed here in two years of studying World of Warcraft.

Chinese players are more attuned to the aesthetics of the game. At least they mention them more in interviews. They talked more about color schemes, animations, architecture, and so on more than American players.

There seem to be fewer female players of World of Warcraft in China. On the order of 20 percent here and 10 percent there."

Curiously, WoW relationships also work differently in China.  The one-child policy, still in effect today, comes into play as well:

"Here and in Europe and Australia/New Zealand people play with parents and even grandparents. Not in China. The older generation dislikes video games. People here play with brothers and sisters. But in China people don’t have brothers and sisters for the most part, so friend relationships are very important.

Some similarities: ‘World of Warcraft’ is a very social game in China, just like here. People play with people they already know. Boyfriend and girlfriend may play or husband and wife. Social relationships deepen through the game. People also make new friends online.”

As a UC Irvine graduate and Chinese WoW player, this news really hits a note of personal interest for me.  But even I'm not sure if this research is the biggest waste of money or a significant milestone for gaming -- perhaps it's both.  And yes, Blizzard Entertainment is also stationed in Irvine.