One of the great things about the digest is that it encourages thinking out loud, and thinking for fun. Recently, I have been exploring ideas about Jungian psychotherapy and massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs). The possibilities of such a convergence are enough to boggle the mind, but there is also the potential for rich new insights. Carl Jung's theory of the Collective Unconscious and archetypes could very well hold the key to understanding the nature of what some would call "addiction to MMORPGs", and what I could call for this piece the seductiveness of embracing one's archetypes. In this article I will attempt to show how the archetypes, and Jung's greater theory of the Collective Unconscious, relates to the present-day attraction to online role playing games.

Carl Jung (1875-1961) was a student of Sigmund Freud (1856-1939), and while they apparently got along famously during the initial stages of their contact, their point of departure was Jung's opposition to Freud's assertion that everything boiled down to sexual repression [1]. Jung's refusal to ignore his own belief that people were driven by a more general psychological energy and refusal to defer to Freud caused an irreparable rift in their relationship. Both scholars have contributed significantly to the pool of knowledge about human mental processes. Jung's background differed significantly from Freud's in cultural diversity and influence, having learned as many languages as possible from an early age, often dealing with institutionalized schizophrenics and psychotics in Europe (while Freud dealt with more affluent circles) and reaching out in curiosity to other cultures, especially Asian and African. These global influences contributed many points of reference for Jung's theories.

Of particular interest is the Jungian archetype-what many who are interested in games will recognize as the "avatar," from Sanskrit, meaning "the incarnation of a Hindu deity, especially Vishnu, in human or animal form" [2]. The archetype is significant for gaming concepts like the avatar, and it is useful for understanding why avatar-centered games like Blizzard's World of Warcraft, NCSoft's Lineage, and Sony's EverQuest are so compelling [3]. When one considers that archetypes are present in video games, movies, television, and virtually all daily interaction, one wonders why Jungian analysis is not more prominent. Jung would take the graphics in the virtual worlds of current MMORPGs very seriously, as the study of archetypes and graphics are important tools in defining virtues and vices in the on/offline world [4].

The Collective Unconscious and Archetypes
"All ages before us have believed in gods in some form or other. Only an unparalleled impoverishment of symbolism could enable us to rediscover the gods as psychic factors, that is, as archetypes of the unconscious." - C.G. Jung, Archetypes of the Unconscious" [5]

The collective unconscious can be thought of as a type of genetic memory, containing the model of relations of life goals. Though it is contentious to claim that people are hard wired with certain models, it is reasonable to assume that people from birth are hard wired to need things like sustenance, shelter, and affection, and as a result start associating roles with the way these things are fulfilled. Jung went further and even placed this aspect of the human psyche in the evolutionary process [6]. The collective unconscious contains psychological archetypes that allow people to define vice and virtue of all types. Essentially, they are blueprints for one's personality representing the collective unconscious of humanity. One can think of the archetypes found in ancient Greek gods as a moral matrix, containing wisdom in Athena, love in Aphrodite, wrath in Hera, and so on. One can find a similar use of archetypes in Eastern thought as well, with Monkey representing mischief, the Pig as gluttony, and the Monk as wisdom. People tend to access these archetypes by looking at everything from ancient myth to a contemporary fashion magazine.

In everyday speech, many people use Jungian terminology to refer to mental conditions without even realizing their origins. Terms like archetype, complex, and persona are very useful. Jung describes this process: "They are symbolic expressions of the inner, unconscious drama of the psyche which becomes accessible to Man's consciousness by way of projection-that is, mirrored in the events of nature" [7]. While Jung used the interpretation of dreams and the interpretation of archetypes to help figure out patterns of insanity, it is because these archetypes are so readily recognizable that when they are used in MMORPGs, they are attractive to potential players. In the following section, I will describe some examples of common archetypes and corresponding terminology.

The Archetype
Jung's recognition of universal patterns has inspired various archetypes. The number can range from six to twelve [8],and yet, somehow the archetypes identified in works following Jung have made sense to most people. In Carol Pearson's 1991 work, Awakening the Heroes Within: Twelve Archetypes to Help Us Find Ourselves and Transform Our World, she identifies twelve archetypes: the Innocent, the Orphan, the Warrior, the Caregiver, the Seeker, the Destroyer, the Lover, the Creator, the Ruler, the Magician, the Sage, and the Fool. As with any other typology, these categories can be and have been collapsed and/or expanded to fit the needs of a targeted readership. The power of thinking in these archetypical forms is not in the discrete categorization so much as it is in the ability to recognize and identify them as such in our environments.

A logical place to start would be the archetypes of persona and shadow. Similar to Erving Goffman's front stage (what we show to the public) and backstage (what we keep private) theory [9]. The persona can be likened to the front stage of life, but to an even greater degree the shadow to the backstage since the shadow delves into the unconscious aspects one may not be aware of. The persona is the aspect of the human psyche presented to ourselves and others, while the shadow is "the dark side" or "underbelly" that many have been conditioned since birth to not embrace or to even acknowledge. Of course, when the shadow is suppressed, this can give way to "complexes" about a given topic.

Examples of Archetypes in Games
One can look into fantasy novels as inspiration (Tolkien had to get his inspiration for Lord of the Rings from somewhere), but the inspiration for game archetypes and the resultant love affair players have with their creations comes from the collective unconsciousness. Grand narratives embracing the Good, the Bad, or the Magical are sought after and enjoyed by people all over the world. When one looks at MMORPGs like World of Warcraft, one is able to create the archetypal composition of an avatar. One starts by choosing the race (Human, Gnome, Dwarf, Night Elf, Undead, Orc, Troll, and Tauren) and class (profession) of an avatar, which is dependent upon the race one chooses. Available classes include Druid, Hunter, Mage, Paladin, Priest, Rogue, Shaman, Warlock, and Warrior [10]. Jung would say that these archetypes are not only intuitively recognizable because of our collective unconscious, but also cross-culturally so. The archetype of Warrior is very familiar, as is the Magician/spell caster, as is the Holy figure/Wisdomatic healer. The terminologies may differ, but again, are recognizable. Furthermore, being able to embrace and adopt these archetypes into our greater online/offline persona is very understandably alluring.

In constructing an avatar, everyone gets to be their own archetype and play the game according to a chosen persona. There is the archetype of Self that grows as an individual archetype as other archetypes around it actually blossom. Field research I have done at home and abroad in Korea show that online gamers tend to "work out" different aspects of their 'Self' online and offline. It is less a matter of having multiple selves and more of having one Self whose facets become realized in whichever context (online or offline) is more hospitable. An example is a Korean gamer who told me that he thought of himself (persona) as a nice quiet person, but it surprised him to witness his own behaviour online as violent and mean at times (shadow). He tended to act like a "gangster" when online. He also recalls meeting a boy online who was very insubordinate and ill-tempered, only to meet in person and talk to a very shy quiet boy. One might ask then, if this is a different person who is acting out because of this strange medium, or if this is merely an aspect of part of his greater Self. Given the strict Confucian and hierarchical environment in Korea, it is understandable that a levelling of hierarchy with respect to age (and corresponding behaviour) might occur online, where age is not as predominant a factor. On the flipside, people whose more constructive and pleasant mannered archetypes might be suppressed in daily life (think of someone in a cutthroat profession). In a previous study I did on EverQuest, one of my informants discussed being nicer, more giving, and a father figure (also an archetype) to some younger players in need of occasional personal advice. Perhaps these online role-playing games help nurture the persona, but it is ultimately up to the player on what s/he decides to feed it. And what it 'digests.'

Conclusion
To date, there has been no great authority on why gamers like games, or how to 'fix' their apparently destructive behaviours. Perhaps it is time to look in other directions. Jung himself phrases the solution elegantly:

"Anyone who wants to know the human psyche will learn next to nothing from experimental psychology. He would be better advised to abandon exact science, put away his scholar's gown, bid farewell to his study, and wander with human heart through the world. There in the horrors of prisons, lunatic asylums and hospitals, in drab suburban pubs, in brothels and gambling-hells, in the salons of the elegant, the Stock Exchanges, socialist meetings, churches, revivalist gatherings and ecstatic sects, through love and hate, through the experience of passion in every form in his own body, he would reap richer stores of knowledge than text-books a foot thick could give him, and he will know how to doctor the sick with a real knowledge of the human soul" [11].

Given that there are so many things about the human psyche we still do not know, it is interesting to delve into Jung's concept of the collective unconscious when considering the reasons for why MMORPGS are so popular. When his theories are applied, a possible reason is that MMORPGs (and possibly other games) allow the player to explore archetypes, and different aspects of the Self. For this reason those who would think of "online game addiction" as a social disorder may wish to re-evaluate social gameplay by considering a collective unconsciousness and player motivations. Jung has much to offer, and should be brought out to consider sociality in gaming more often.

References
[1] McCarthy, D. (2001). Carl Jung and the Collective Unconscious. Retrieved March 25, 2005, from http://www.lcc.ctc.edu/faculty/dmccarthy/engl204/seven-lecture.htm
[2] Please see http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=avatar for exact definitions and origins
[3] World of Warcraft: http://www.worldofwarcraft.com/,Lineage: http://www.lineage.com/, and EverQuest: http://eqlive.station.sony.com/
[4] For an elaboration of self-identity in an argument against the strict dichotomy between online and offline worlds, see Chee, F., M. Vieta, & R. Smith. (2005). Online gaming and the interactional self: Identity interplay in situated practice. In J. P. Williams, Hendricks, S. Q. & Winkler, W. K. (Ed.), Gaming as culture: Social reality, identity and experience in role-playing, collectible, and computer games. Jefferson, NC: McFarland Publishing.
[5] In Woodman, M. (1982). Addiction to Perfection: The Still Unravished Bride: A Psychological Study (Vol. 12). Toronto: Inner City Books, p.25
[6] For more, see McCarthy, D. (2001). Carl Jung and the Collective Unconscious. Retrieved March 25, 2005, from http://www.lcc.ctc.edu/faculty/dmccarthy/engl204/seven-lecture.htm
[7] Jung, C. G. (1969). The Archetypes and the Collective Unconscious (R. F. C. Hull, Trans. 2nd ed. Vol.9). Princeton: NJ: Princeton University Press, p.6.
[8] Pearson, C. S. (1991). Awakening the Heroes Within: Twelve Archetypes to Help Us Find Ourselves and Transform Our World. San Francisco:CA: HarperSanFrancisco.
[9] Goffman, E. (1967). Interaction Ritual. New York: NY: Pantheon.
[10] A more detailed description of the player classes can be found at the World of Warcraft site:
[11] Boeree, C. G. (1997). Carl Jung. Retrieved March 26, 2005, from

Florence Chee (fchee@sfu.ca) is a graduate student and researcher at the Centre for Policy Research on Science and Technology (CPROST) in the School of Communication at Simon Fraser University. Her thesis research focuses on questioning discourses of addiction and Korean game communities, online and offline. Visit her blog at http://arago.cprost.sfu.ca/flo