Traditions: Grinding

Players have to work hard to gain experience and find equipment in the World of Warcraft.

Typical of most games of its genre, the World of Warcraft requires players to gain experience points in order to increase in level which gives them greater access to equipment and abilities. There are several ways to gain experience points, but all are time consuming and require long periods spent performing repetitive tasks, or grinding, to get them. Experience point grinding is only one of many grinding traditions. Currency, reputation, and rare equipment all have corresponding grinds and corresponding customs that accompany them. For instance, in some variations of the game, there are specific sequences of monsters that players have discovered are especially efficient for grinding currency. These sequences are given nicknames and discussed outside of the game.

Research Connection: Social Benefits Even When Solo

Handler, Richard, and Jocelyn Linnekin. 1984. “Tradition, genuine or spurious.” The Journal of American Folklore 97, no. 385: 273-290.

In an article in the Journal of American Folklore, Handler and Linnekin note that even traditions can provide social benefits to individuals even when they are invented, or spurious (Handler 1984). This means that even solo players, who do not engage in explicit role-playing behavior, are still engaging in social behavior through their interaction with the shared experience of grinding.