Nicholas Taylor, Jennifer Jenson and Suzanne de Castell, "Pimps, Players and Foes: Playing Diablo II 'Outside the Box'"

(In Digital Gameplay)

- Emergent interactions that leave the "intended" game behind
- Player is constructed by and constructs the game
- Jenkins: "poaching" game elements for a different purpose
- Acquisition and character customization-oriented practices ("pimping") undermine the "official" quest narrative
- Diablo II community is agonistic and individualistic
- After an ordinary, linear play-through of the game, online non-linear jumping enables/encourages emergent narratives and practices based on better weapons and equipment (this is the primary incentive for prolonged engagement with the game)
- Players in this context don't identify with their avatars, rather they see them as tools and status symbols
- Newman: avatars as "sets of capabilities, potentials and techniques"
- Avatar names tend to be instrumental, indicating use value
- Status gained from inventing or achieving novel character builds (especially those that require require wealth and rare items)
- Experimentation and exhibition with/of items and builds
- Rushing: high level character runs new character through the main quest narrative (in order to get it over with), new player leeches XP off higher-level characters
- Community and collaboration are entirely based on bartering and selling, motivated by the desire to cheat, scheme, betray others and individual gain (contrasts with the usually positive associations with those concepts)
- Farming and hacks as "instrumental non-engagement with the game" for wealth and status ("beating" the game)
- Cutthroat trading practices, "hard lessons" rather than help for n00bs
- Accumulation > play