How do Warcraft players memorialize their dead friends? A new Game Studies paper a
Here's one example:
The Shrine of the Fallen Warrior can found on top of a small, difficult to climb mountain, a short distance west of the town of Crossroads in The Barrens region of Kalimdor. The shrine is a memorial to Michel Koiter, an artist who died suddenly at the age of 19 from heart failure while working as part of the World of Warcraft development team (Bainbridge, 2010, p.61). The shrine consists of a stone monument, with the angelic form of a spirit healer named Koiter hovering over the body of an Orc warrior holding a sword to his breast laid to rest on stone plinth etched with the runes MK, surrounded by grave goods and a totem.
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The body of the Orc is said to be the character model for an Orc Warrior played by Michel during beta testing of the game. This site is often used by players as the location for in-game memorials services.
Here's a video clip of the Shrine, starting about 1:40 in:
Other memorials include books, experiences, and even the digital uncanny:
Conversing with Ahab Wheathoof is also an uncanny experience. It is certainly unsettling to hear the voice emotes from a dead child acting as an old Tauren rancher as he plays out his concerns for his dog's welfare. It is also strange and uncanny to think that his pet dog remains well fed and cared for by the passing community of World of Warcraft players who complete the quest, even if this only occurs in the land of Azeroth.
(thanks to Todd Bryant; image from Joystiq)
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