Battlefield Semiotics

Symbols that people use to understand a hierarchy within a system inherently creates divisions in that society, where people who find commonality with one another are gravitated to each other, forming complex communities. In the game Battlefield, there are many ways that players are classed that generates groups among each other. These groups, sometimes referred to as “clans”, are brought together on numerous factors, which are the signifiers. It could be an exclusivity to a certain skill set, or it could be based on someone prowess in general which suggests a player’s mastery over the game, and sometimes it’s on the basis of their rank, all of which is indicative of a player’s mastery or ability over a portion or even the entire game itself. These are the more common ways players identify each other with, but there are many more signs that are used to point out where someone actually stands in the gaming space; time played, score per minute, kills vs deaths, accuracy percentage, and, most importantly, win/loss ratio. It is with these signifiers that players are able to judge each other and create online communities with those they respect and trust.

Most other contemporary shooters revolve around the ‘killing’ aspect, where players are given the space, time, and means to do so to each other, and are encouraged and rewarded as such. In Battlefield, however, a stronger emphasis is put on teamwork and objectives; healing or resupplying and taking checkpoints rather than obtaining ‘kill streaks’ as often seen in other games. The promoted style takes more effort, more thinking, but at the same time players are rewarded for doing so, in the forms of extra experience points(XP), badges, medals, and special dog tags. It is with these rewards that not only do players feel a sense of satisfaction, but they also hold a token, a sign, that codes for their worth and is proof that signifies what kind of player they are. It is through these means that players find a shared sense of being, come together and form clans to practice their pride in their style of play. For example, in Battlefield, it takes great skill to use the Recon class.

One must have a good sense of depth perception, physics, and articulation to be successful with a sniper rifle, the primary weapon of this class. A player must also use the entire toolset to be effective at reconnaissance; more intel on the enemy means increased survivability for friendlies(teammates), and a quicker takedown of the objective. This class takes more time and skill than any other, and because of this, the weight of a Recon dog tag or medal is much more than that of any other. As such, a person with a high accuracy rate, significant play time and high score with the Recon class is much more respected in the gaming community, and is more likely to be recruited into a clan.

Participating in online discussion and scrutiny goes hand-in-hand with multiplayer gaming, on multiple platforms. It is through this participation that one creates a sense of belonging and stature, so they can tell themselves anyone else that they are a true Battlefield player, or a ‘hardcore’ Battlefield player.

“The key concept of learning in communities of practice is the intrinsic interest for participation in the community, which requires newcomers to move towards full participation in the community.(Galarneau, 2005) Thus, the newcomers are inevitably involved in the community and the acquisition of knowledge and skills is a result of their full participation in the sociocultural practices of the community(Lave & Wenger, 2001).”(Mysirlaki, 2011)

By talking and learning from each other, players are able to extend their game onto a more social medium, debating on topics from the best weapon combinations to favourite game modes. They also discover other player’s tactics, methodology of play, and their values when it comes to game time. It is through these discussions that users find commonality and trust with each other, and decide to form a clan so they can always find and play together. On top of that, when other players view one’s profile, they are able to make inferences about that person as well. They can determine whether the success or defeat in a match was as a direct or collective result of their competence or inadequacy. When on Battlefield’s statistic-tracking site “Battlelog”, any and all details are available for everyone to see. As mentioned earlier, play time, score per minute, rank, kills, deaths, wins, losses
and even more can all be seen from here, and is up for examination; an experienced player knows what each of these things codes for, which is more important than the other. The value of each sign changes periodically, since a person’s skill is always relative to everyone else. A player’s merit can be determined this way as well, depending on how people like to judge others. The reason some would say this is more effective is because all the information they get this way is more empirical and less biased; these signs are a representation of their skill and total play time. A player can say anything, but they can’t perform any way they want, which is why it’s easier to make accurate extrapolations about another person. Players are able to attain new skills and experience without even playing, in order to increase their position in the leaderboards(the ranks). By spectating rather than playing, players are able to pay more attention to more details on screen, compare it to their own style of game, and take away the positives from it. By doing so, not only they are able to increase their own ability in the game, but they also stay informed about the top players and teams, which is crucial when it comes to being fully invested in a game. To be able to converse with one another on this sort of topic, one must have a favourite team, and be able to justify their choice. By doing so they are able to join other people in support of these teams, and converse with one another. When they do so, they share their rank information, their signifiers of their worth, and players compare it to their own to see where each other stands in terms of skill through their understanding of the code. Motivation to participate in online communities is directly correlated with having a social relationships with more players, and a feeling of rapport. Talking about videogames in general conversation is also very important in the circles of gamers; it can mean the difference between the augmentation of a player’s skills to learning tips or secrets that would be beneficial for a player to know before anyone else:

“Raney, Smith, and Baker (2006) mentioned that video game knowledge, skill, and ability are a kind of social capital for many teens and being the first person to know the latest cheating of the video game is important. Thus, [social interaction is good for social interaction and] social interaction is an important motivation for sport video gaming.”(Kim, 2010)

Discussions in online gaming communities always have threads that talk about new and unique ways to supplement one’s gaming talent, but because it’s in the interest of the community at large, yet in their own divisions, to keep this kind of knowledge from spreading, like-minded people, friends, and clans usually congregate and discuss these sorts of things amongst themselves, so that they can take maximum advantage and increase their own ranking; skill and rank are always relative, so if everyone is aware of a something that could give them an edge, then no one is at an advantage, if everyone increase their rank by relatively the same amount. Just like in physical, face to face interactions, online communities can be just as complex, and take in consideration context and circumstances of dialogue. One does not achieve success by revealing their secrets. The signs and codes of rank and respect in Battlefield, and even in other games, promotes the creation and utilization of online forums and social mediums. The motivation to stay on top of one’s local community, or more simply put their friends, by maintaining or strengthening one’s standing through playing more, conversing and sharing experiences, and comparing level’s with styles and forms of play. This lets players increase the value of the signs and symbols that represent them, where those code for a more respectable position among their community. These symbols that give players a sense of place in the ladder, in the order of things bring people together for many reasons, and are the basis for the social aspect of it all. By arguing with each other, debating someone’s credibility on a topic, and coming together to form a like-minded group unites users in all kinds of ways, developing intricate online communities.

Works Cited

Mysirlaki, S. (2011). Leadership in a networked world: The case of massive multiplayer online environments. Paper presented at the 725-XVI. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/ 1009900816
Kim, M. S. (2010). The internalization of a sport team through sport video gaming. The Florida State University). ProQuest Dissertations and Theses, , 264. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/872941263. (872941263).
Raney, A.A., Smith, J.K., & Baker, K. (2006). Adolescents and the appeal of video games. In P. Vorderer & J. Bryant (Eds.), Playing video games: Motives, responses, and consequences (pp. 165-179). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Galarneau, L. (2005) “Spontaneous Communities of Learning: Learning Ecosystems in Massively Multiplayer Online Gaming Environments”, Proc. 2005 DiGRA Vancouver, Canada.
Lave, J. and Wenger, E. (1991) Situated learning: Legitimate peripheral participation, Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press.