Collective information literacy in massively multiplayer online games

Abstract

This article explores the forms of information literacy that arise in commercial entertainment games like World of Warcraft. Using examples culled from eight months of online ethnographic data, the authors detail the forms of information literacy that arise as a regular part of in-game social interaction, emphasizing (ironically) the intellectual nature of such purportedly 'barren' forms of play and highlighting the ways in which such practices help redefine the current model of what constitutes information literacy by bringing the collective and collaborative nature of such practices to the fore. Implications for future research are also discussed.