[Commlist] Call for Papers - The Psychgeist of Popular Culture: World of Warcraft

World of Warcraft released in 2004 and quickly became both a genre and 
era defining game. It played a pivotal role in mainstreaming PC gaming 
and brought massively multiplayer online games to the masses. Though WoW 
reached its player peak in 2010 with an estimated 12 million 
subscribers, it still remains an active and resonant game for players 
old and new alike. WoW’s influence can still be felt across gaming to 
this day as countless players, streamers, and developers grew up in 
WoW’s online world, complete with its own distinct cultures, 
communities, and families. Twenty-one years after its release, WoW is 
not the same game it once was, but its longevity and cultural prominence 
make WoW and its players just as important to understand today. Across 
its life, WoW has told some of the longest running stories in media, it 
has connected players from across the globe, and it continues to be a 
place where players form decades-long friendships through the shared 
experiences offered by persistent, online, play. Through psychological 
concepts, authors for this volume will highlight different aspects of 
WoW’s impact on players and player culture over its lifespan.
This book is part of the collection The Psychgeist of Pop Culture series 
<https://playstorypress.org/all-psychgeist/> published by Play Story 
Press. This book series highlights iconic pop culture content from 
television, film, literature and video games through an examination of 
the psychological mechanisms that endear us to these stories for a lifetime.

Chapters in this book will explore a psychological theme or concept 
related to World of Warcraft. Please note that individual chapters do 
not have to be historical in form, but can be a snapshot of an 
experience, issue, or concept from any point across WoW’s history.
Several possible themes and topics are listed below, but do not consider 
this list exhaustive. You can feel free to propose a different 
combination of episode/topic than those listed below.

Possible Topics:
● Under the Light of the Moonkin: Class Attachment and Identification
● Corruptions and Cleansings: The Duality of Villainy
● Glory of the Warcraft Hero: Achievements and Sense of Self
● “You. I Remember You. In the Mountains…”: Social Connection across 
Time and Distance
● Old Blanchy Can Still Kick: Ageing Players and Emergent Communities 
(and/or Play)
● Alone, Together Again: Solo Play and Community Belonging
● At the Center of the Maelstrom: Cross-Cultural Encounters in the 
Digital Frontier
● The Race to World Last: Slow Playing Competitive Content
● Proudmoores, Wrynns, and Hellscreams: Lessons on Parenting from Across 
Azeroth
● Hearthstone and Home: Generational Family Play
● Brutosaurs and Bank Tabs: Collection, Compulsion, and Completionists
● Barbershops: Customization and Creative Expression
● “Together, We Can Be More”: Guild (and/or Raid) Leading and Prosociality
● “You Are Not Prepared!”: Collaborative Play and Social Anxiety
● A WoW Token of Appreciation: The Psychological Effects of Cross-World 
Socio-economic Class
● From Mains to Alts to Warbands: The Changing Shape of Player-Avatar 
Identification
● Quitting to Come Back Again: Cycles of Play and Engagement Across the 
Years
● Gather Round the Mission Table: The Impact of Mobile Gameplay
● The Great Reset: Borrowed Power and the Challenge of Limitless Growth
● The Lost Earthen: Coping with Dementia through Quest Design
● 21 Years of War Stories: Trauma and Recovery Narratives
● Ornamental Armaments: When Cosmetic Pets become Battle Pets

We particularly welcome submissions from first time authors and authors 
from non-traditional backgrounds.

Send an abstract (of approximately 300 words) and your resume or CV to 
(marclajewow /at/ outlook.com) no later than August 31, 2025.

No payment from authors will be required.

Link to full call: 
https://playstorypress.org/2025/07/15/call-for-papers-the-psychgeist-of-pop-culture-world-of-warcraft/#:~:text=World%20of%20Warcraft%20released%20in,online%20games%20to%20the%20masses.

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