Looks like World of Warcraft is going to become a science after all? Ok maybe not a full blown science class, but there are people actually studying the habits of WoW players and the impacts that culture play on playing habits. Bonnie Nardi has been looking into the habits of WoW players for some time now and has even gone to Beijing to see things first hand, but now she will be able to do a study right here in Cali.

The National Science Foundation has given UC Irvine $100,000 to figure out why Americans go to greater lengths than the Chinese to modify “World of Warcraft,” the hugely popular multiplayer online game produced by Blizzard Entertainment of Irvine.

About 5 million Chinese play “WoW,” which is twice the number of American players. But Americans produce far more modifications, or “mods,” to enrich the gaming experience.

“We are examining the many reasons for this disparity, including cultural and institutional factors,” says Bonnie Nardi, the UCI informatics professor who’ll conduct the study with help from doctoral student Yong Ming Kow.

The professor even looks into the prejudices that name all Chinese players as gold farmers when in reality they are just normal players for the most part. Chinese players actually build strong relationships from playing the game and develop deep friendships and even relationships from playing games.

“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.

I like any study that shows video games in a positive light and shows them as more than just something that will rot the mind of young children. Studies like this show the validity of gaming in general and helps shake the current mindset with many non-gamers that there is nothing positive to be gained from playing video games.

[Via OCRegister]