Trust and Performance

Trust

So trust T. L. Taylor address a bit in "Play Between Worlds: Exploring Online Game Culture". In a brief and messy way, I'd refer to the concept as building a connection of consistency among other players in a game space. It's much like we might imagine trust at large - I go through a green light trusting the other drivers will stop at the red light.

In gaming this trust comes into action with things from trade, engaging the shared space, to play.

In academia we could think of trust in broad terms such as ethics for research, teaching, or mentoring. Often the way I have experienced it has been in the mess between all those grand concepts. I trust that an assigned reading has some connection to the articulated course goals, program aims, and feild(s) in question.

In both areas I have learned how progressive this element is formed - or maybe I mean progressively, as in over time it is built. You can't go into a massive game and do whatever you want within the system of rules. Similarly, there are guidelines that might be broken, changed, or questioned in academia in order to build trust. I might ask what a concept, reading, or discussion has to do with a course, program, or field in order to express/clarify interest. I'm not distrusting the choice made, but rather wanting to understand how. This lesson came in time as both a WoW player and a PhD student.

Performance

The idea of Performance is interesting in game play as it is an extention of consistency for trust. Not only does a player need to act in a patterned way, but do so in ways that are successful. Success in a game and in academia change from setting to setting. Where this is especially intriguing to me is in relation to bodies. Both during game and academic actions certain bodies are expected to behave in certain ways. However, successful performance is still possible when bodies misbehave.

I am not the stoic, logical, male comentator (though I play one on TV).
I am a dwarf rogue.

Depending on your level of familiarity with each of these areas - academia/WoW - these last two declarations might not make sense. They articulate experience, which in time words might point toward - but I doubt they could reach. Might try over time anyway for fun.