The worldness of EverQuest: Exploring a 21st century fiction

Abstract

"You're in our world now!" has been the slogan for EverQuest since 2000. This article takes this quote literally by exploring what it actually entails "to be in a gameworld". Taking its point of departure in a more general discussion of online gameworlds as a new form of engaging fictional universes, it argues that it is in the complex interplay between a) the aesthetics of the gameworld as both an actualised explorable and mentally imagined universe; b) the experiences and means of expression the world as a game system and tool allows and affords; c) the social interaction in and about the world, that the unique characteristics of an online gameworld, its "worldness" emerges. How these aspects can by studied more concretely is demonstrated in an illustrative analysis of EverQuest. ©2001 - 2009 Game Studies Copyright for articles published in this journal is retained by the journal, except for the right to republish in printed paper publications, which belongs to the authors, but with first publication rights granted to the journal. By virtue of their appearance in this open access journal, articles are free to use, with proper attribution, in educational and other non-commercial settings.