Mabinogi Research Paper

Mabinogi: A Fantasy Life We were promised paradise. We waged wars, fought, and slaughtered in the name of our goddess. Faithfully carrying out every commands from above, we dyed the land of Erinn, our home, a crimson red with the blood of our brethren. Entrusted with the impossible task of eradicating all Fomors from the land, we sacrificed ourselves and innocent lives without question. But all that wasn’t enough, our goddess have long abandoned us. Our trusts were placed in the maliciously and bloodthirsty hand of the corrupted holy imperial order. The order, once the symbol of justice and righteous, are now driven with the only single motive, to destroy the Fomors regardless of the consequences. Many of us turned against the order, joined

However, according to a veteran player since beta testing, “Mabinogi is more than just an action combat mmorpg, it is more of a social game with a strong and distinct community” (interview). Mabinogi have numerous functions that allow players to interact and connect each other to socialize and build relationships such as a friend, party, guild, marriage, and/or family system. Through those systems players can come together to help each other clear the games or to keep each other company. It is even possible for player to become life-long friends or partners. Although the game isn’t exactly beginner friendly, it can especially be addictive for older players. “Older players tend to have more connections among the community which can make it difficult for them to quit sometimes. They may log in everyday not for the game but to simply spend time with their mates” (interview). Experienced players tend to build a small community among themselves and can be extremely selective on who they allow to be a part of it. Much like James Paul Gee, a researcher in discourse analysis, description of “real Indian”, “One cannot be a “real Indian” unless one appropriately recognizes other “real Indians” and gets recognized by other as a “real Indian”(Gee), one cannot be recognized as an “experienced” (a.k.a pro)

Gee proposed that to be recognize, you must “…put action, interaction, values, belief, symbols, objects, tools, and places together in such a wat that others recognize you as a particular type of who (identity) engage in a particular type of what (activity) , here-and-now, then you have pulled off a Discourse” (Gee 446). Players in Mabinogi can be a tad materialistic and often confuse “experienced” player as “having high level, expensive equipment, high pvp (player vs. player) rate, or a rare title that’s difficult to obtain” when in fact those can be easily achieve by exchanging real currency for in-game gold (interview). These are the “stuff” that Gee was referring to when he claim that “…Discourses are always language plus other “stuff”” (Gee 446). But those are common characteristics that many, not all, pro players share. It is possible for an experienced player to create a new character profile and can still become a part of the discourse community in Mabinogi. The most important thing that a pro player must have is not wealth, title, or fame. It is skills. The combat system integrated in Mabinogi is rather tactical, it is a skill that one must master over time through practice and experience. The level of skill can be difficult to measure but an “advanced player can defeat most monsters with a low-level character through tactics alone” (website).