Contents  Introduction  If You Bring  Them...  Game or Players?  Communication  Protection  What to Have  Conclusion  Printable version

Is it the Game or the Players?

A key feature of the previous examples, MU*'s and IRC, is that a community develops simply because the people talk to each other. The game (or chat channel) serves only as a catalyst for the interaction.

Because the players talk to each other, they meet, they swap secrets and tips and tricks, and, in the process, they develop ties of familiarity and even friendship. More importantly, from a strictly commercial-mercenary point of view, because of these ties they come back! Even if they stop playing the game, they'll continue visiting to see how the game is developing and catch up with their friends.

The players keep coming back because they know the people there. I'm sure most of us remember the sitcom "Cheers." Sure, there were other, possibly better, bars in Boston, but the regulars kept coming back because these were the people they knew. This was their family. Never underestimate the social benefits inherent in being "where everybody knows your name."

So I submit that even though the quality of the game provides the initial "hook," the quality of the inter-player communication--within the game or it's match-maker lobby--determines whether a stable community of players develops.

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