With over a decade of on-going development and an active player-base in the millions, World of Warcraft stands as one of the most renowned MMORPGs ever. However, for as vast as the game as become through multiple expansions, at its root is a process which is highly dependent on its users for interface improvements.

Assimilating player-created modifications and UI changes through patches and updates, the designers and programmers behind WoW are in a constant ‘red queen race‘ with players seeking to optimize and improve their virtual lives and seeing those improvements incorporated into the mechanics and visual metaphors of the game itself.

We’ll be meeting on Thursday, August 4 at 9:30pm EDT / 6:30pm PDT with voice chat over Skype to discuss the gaming behemoth that is WoW and how its interfaces, users, and the collision between the two have influenced its own evolution and that of its sisters and cousins games within the MMORPG genre.

Additional Readings:

A Study of User Interface Modifications in World of Warcraft

Co-Creative Interface Development in MMORPGs: The Case of World of Warcraft Add-ons