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Communication Options

There are many types of communication possible: large group chats, small group chats, player-to-player chat, notes, and more. Not all of them are viable for all games and some of them are more effective than others for building community among players.

General Chat

By "general chat" I refer to one or two large forums that are (possibly optionally) visible to all players logged into the game. All chatter is scrolling text and is ordered simply by when it arrives at the player's console. Whatever a particular player chats is identified by his name.

There is no such thing as privacy in the general chat forum. Anything said is open to comment from anyone else also logged in (and paying attention). This can make for some interesting/amusing/infuriating banter.

Person-to-Person Private Conversation

Exactly the opposite of the general chat forum is the person-to-person conversation. Two players swap messages in a private conversation, whether a scrolling chat like IRC or popup messages like ICQ. This is the most private communication option.

While general chat introduces players to each other, private conversation allows them to get to know each other. It also allows for private planning sessions between 2 players.

Small-group Chat (Chat rooms)

The small-group chat is a more condensed version of the general chat forum. Usually reduced to a small number of participants (5-20 players), the small group allows for both general discussion and semi-private conversation. Small-group chat expands the intimacy of the private conversation to include a select number of others.

Generally, the only relevant small-group chatting that's likely to occur in a game is between teammates.

Note System

Not all communication has to be immediate. Players will want to leave messages for other players that are not online at the moment. If you offer a global note forum, players will often use it to engage in long discussions of dubious worth, but there will also be some legitimate use made of it.

Unlike the various chat communication options, the note system does not need to claim screen real estate all (or even most) of the time. A separate form or screen can handle the note functions. If the player wants to check the notes, she opens the form and does so. If not, she doesn't.

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