Presentation of Archetype and Cultural Values in Massive Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games: A Comparison between Taiwanese and American Games, The

Author: Sean Lai
Graduation Year: 2003
Advisor: Sandra Calvert
Reader: Diana Owen
Date: 07 March 2006
Link to Thesis: SeanLai.pdf

The purpose of this study is to compare the archetypes and quests in massive multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs) from Taiwan and the United States to see how social structures and cultural values are reflected.


The research subject of this study consists of two MMORPGs: Shen-Chou and The Dark Age of Camelot. The former is a Taiwanese game, and the latter is American. This research draws on Carl Jung¡¦s and William Thompson¡¦s archetype theories to analyze the character archetypes. In addition, theories concerning cultural dimensions developed by Geert Hofstede are explored in the analysis of the quests.


On one hand, the archetype analysis concludes that both Taiwanese and American cultures endorse similar root archetypes in their games. The four basic archetypes are identified as: the Chief, Hunter, Shaman, and Fool. They also correspond to the four functions of the conscious as proposed by Carl Jung. On the other hand, the racial distribution of the characters is divergent. With a single race represented by all characters, the Taiwanese game mirrors the homogenous nature of racial characteristics in the Chinese culture. By contrast, multiple races coexist in the American game, projecting the Western culture¡¦s relatively diverse viewpoint on racial composition in a given society.


With a focus on cultural values, the quest analysis illustrates that the Taiwanese game demonstrates more power distance, more uncertainty avoidance, more collectivism, and more femininity than the American game. The American game reinforces values of masculinity and individuality. The analysis also uncovers the different images of heroes in the two cultures. The American culture appreciates a more masculine type of hero. The Taiwanese culture approves of a hero who possesses more feminine qualities. Finally, the rewarding system embedded in the games is a critical tool for conveying and reinforcing the given cultural values. As the object of the reward differs, so do the means and the philosophies through which the values are strengthened. By rewarding reputation points, the Taiwanese culture has the tendency to avoid uncertainties by turning inward and creating group pressure to censor the individual¡¦s actions. This model creates a kind of long-term stability by controlling the unpredictability of the society¡¦s members. On the other hand, by rewarding weapons of technology, the American culture has the tendency to avoid uncertainties by resorting to external means in order to control or alter the environment to one¡¦s advantage.


In summary, the findings in this research conclude that the cultural values reflected in the Taiwanese and American MMORPGs provide insight into the fundamental characteristics of Chinese and American cultures. The next step in studies concerning MMORPGs may include more discussions on the players¡¦ gaming behavior and its impacts.