Guild Wars 2, the Frankfurt School and Dialectical Fairy

Scenes: A Critical Approach Towards Massively Multiplayer

Online Video Games
Research question:

What are the dialectical components of ideology encountered in Guild Wars 2 and to
what extent is a contemporary reapplication of the Frankfurt School approach useful
to assess these components?

Introduction & Method:

This journal begins with Robert Cassar’s quotes that study of video game is still lack of
ideological analysis and of situating games in larger socioeconomics framework, in spite
ideology being an essential aspect of cultural studies. One of the example of video game here is
Guild Wars 2. It is a massively multiplayer online (MMO) video game that one of a fastest
selling game all the time. Through this game, the author wants to analyze how it can be called as
dialectic fairy tales, as well as using Adorno, Benjamin, Marcuse approaches. The author reaches
to the ideas raised by Douglas Kellner (2009b) in how theoretically integrate critical view of
cultural products with a modern reinterpretation of the Frankfurt School’s contributions. Then,
the author depicts how method they use in this journal, such as using participant observation in
long-term immersive. In August 2012 and March 2014, between the launch of Guild Wars 2, the
authors have spent time 500 hours with playing all virtual game types both in North America and
Europe. By this research, the authors can join “guilds” (game social community of players). Not
only in-game communication, but also out-game communication can apply in every portal such
as official website, social media, online forums, and chat. The authors ultimately stated that
mostly players use pseudonyms even the real nickname shows up at the first place. The method
needs some approaches to answer the research question. Thus, the authors use critical theory of
Frankfurt School with some theories of Adorno, Benjamin, Marcuse, etc.

Brief history of Frankfurt school is also stated in the introduction to lead the topics to the
analysis. The development of technology conducts a trust of the author to relate this phenomenon
through Guild Wars 2 with the critical theory of Marxism by Frankfurt School’s philosopher.
Marcuse stated that technology constitutes an entire ‘‘mode of organizing and perpetuating social
relationships, a manifestation of prevalent thought and behavior patterns, an instrument for
control and domination’’ (1941, p. 414). It means technology is used as a tool to shape a
behavior pattern, instrument for maintaining and dominating others which those of them form a
certain culture. This development also brings a debate by Max Weber about technological
industrialization brought a loss of allure and magic (1930), Benjamin held that allure becomes
rooted in the new technology itself through its creative potential. Allure happened on an
insensible level and was also caused by the enormous visual display of goods as a sort of ‘‘dream
world’’ (Allison, 2006, p. 28; Benjamin, 1999a).

Furthermore, Benjamin takes visual imagery of mass culture seriously not only as the
foundation of the ‘‘phantasmagoria of false consciousness’’ but also as the source of the
collective energy to dazed it (Buck-Morss & Benjamin, 1989, p. 253). After Benjamin passed
away, Adorno and Horkheimer differs Benjamin’s perspective that this brings the author to the
goals of the Frankfurt School attempt, which have to be found in its calls for social
transformation and the ending of human suffering. It makes Kellner did empirical studies toward
culture and economy which conduct three dimensions: 1) the production and political economy
of culture, 2) textual analysis and critique of its artifacts, and 3) study of audience reception and
the uses of media/cultural products. Instead, Kellner proposes a more encompassing, inclusive
model, where culture is viewed as a spectrum upon which the same critical method should be
applied for all cultural forms.

Conclusion:

This journal concludes that there is a certain extent, which there is a less inflexible
gendered division of labor. For instance, women are portrayed in just many dissimilar roles as
men. There is also a tendency toward hypermasculinity and hyperfemininity in the limited
options offered for character creation. However, as Lauteria has aimed, game designers may be
on slightly of a learning curve when it derives to implementing diverse experiences of
marginalized people in a procedurally relevant manner (Ommen, 2016).

Ommen, M. Van. (2016). Guild Wars 2 , the Frankfurt School and Dialectical Fairy Scenes : A
Critical Approach Towards Massively Multiplayer Online Video Games. 1–21.
https://doi.org/10.1177/1555412015627392