Social actions in MMORPG raiding groups from the perspective of culture-inclusive action theory

HCI has witnessed a turn to practice as a major new paradigm within the field. We contribute to this line of research by analyzing social actions in MMORPG raiding groups. Based on a qualitative study of World of Warcraft, we turn to culture-inclusive action theory to understand how culture, game design, norms, skills and motivations come together in the players' (co)actions. Using actions as the central unit of analysis at the intersection of individual and culture, our results show how players appropriate technology to do something they desire while at the same time (re)constructing the culture of the game. We propose that culture-inclusive action theory enables a more nuanced conceptualization of gendered practices like raiding and helps decipher the elements in this sociotechnical context.