Benjamin Staple

Background

About Benjamin Staple

I study the culture(s), histories, and traditions of digital media piracy, with ethnographic fieldwork on the late pirate community, Kickass Torrents (KAT). I am interested in how so-called "pirates" create and perform discursive identities centered on traditions of folk appropriation linking back to historical forms of vernacular resistance. PhD Supervisor: Dr. Holly Everett MA Thesis (2010):"Folklore of the Virtual Elves: Social Identity Construction and Performance in an MMORPG." Supervisor: Dr. Cory Thorne Description: This thesis explored virtual worlds using ethnographic fieldwork in the massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) Warhammer Online. I am interested in how players and guilds produce and represent themselves. The thesis examines the different levels of sociocultural meaning in the game world and the role that folklore and technology play in the construction and performance of identity. It also touches on consumption through cultural tourism and performances of ostention relating to gold-farming (or "real money trading"(RMT)).