| dc.description.abstract | Anthropological studies done on the subject of virtual worlds have covered immersive virtual spaces which tend to simulate traditional social networks. These spaces offer alternative ways of identity building and self-expression, sometimes to be acquired in exchange for real money. Young people increasingly tend to spend time online, and there is an emergence of video games that require both monetary and temporal investments from their players. One of these games is League of Legends, a free-to-play video game which collects its revenue from the sale of cosmetics, a customization option that enhances the user's visual appearance. What makes League of Legends different from a traditonal role-playing game is that its fourty-minute-per-match format makes each encounter with the ally and the opposing team a new experience. The research presented in this thesis is a result of a six months long participant-observation fieldwork, conducted both online and in person. The main focus of the research was a group consisting of six players, five of whom were entirely new to League of Legends. During fieldwork, they learned the rules of the game, encountered many other players, and created their own networks. Through the analysis of interviews conducted with them during this period, as well as conversations with more experienced and active members of the game's community, the results of this research allow for comparisons between traditional anthropological findings and those of this video game's: identity, markets, transactions, anxiety, anger, and kinship are some themes discussed. The thesis also considers the economic differences between Norwegian and Bosnian-Herzegovinian youth, and how they may affect the relationship a player has with the game when it comes to investing in it. This project aims to contribute to future anthropological research on the topic of the digital, as it provides a new angle on social relations and virtual worlds. | eng |