Post by Morreion on Mar 6, 2010 0:53:15 GMT -5
The Digital Continuum: Socialize, now (Massively)
Socialization in MMOs is certainly morphing into other forms. Sandbox games can make or break traditional socializing. I just hope that the trend towards the single-player experience doesn't swallow up the concept.
Community Spotlight: Your Best and Worst Community Experiences! (MMORPG.com)
I'd say that DAoC's tightly-knit roleplaying server community was my best social experience in an MMO. I wouldn't have logged in each night for hours for years without seeing dozens of friends there. Nimue server especially had weekly storytelling sessions and other roleplaying events. People were often helpful if you needed aid. Nothing else that I've played has been as rich a community experience. Such things as alliance meetings, where RP drama unfolded, even pick-up groups in the battlegrounds were often fun. Other pre-WoW games such as UO and Horizons also had good RP communities. LOTRO is trying to carry on the tradition.
Worst? *laughs* Well, there's a lot to pick from...I had a few anti-social encounters in WoW that led to nerdrage. Game mechanics can encourage or discourage socializing, though I think that earlier gaming communities were of a different quality than today's post-WoW audiences.
Socialization is dead!Isn't it?
Well actually, that's a tough one. Certainly, the perception that socialization is becoming a lesser factor to more and more developers has become the norm among most people. That doesn't necessarily mean they're correct...
Look, I'll be among the first to admit that many developers have funneled their games down the same exact path post-World of Warcraft: theme park design. But looking at the communities of several games that adhere to this philosophy of pretty places surrounded by invisible cages shines an interesting light on the matter.
Take a look at Lord of the Rings Online, which sports one of the best communities around. Helpful, friendly people populate the virtual Middle-earth. Newbies are treated with patience and advice -- sometimes even assistance via crafted equipment!
...Not only does EVE Online's harsh nature create drama, it actually reinforces the basic human nature of being nice in order to survive. Essentially, the harsh game design fosters tight-knit communities, which results in a sort of end-game where a player can find themselves with significant amounts of responsibility and power. It forges the kind of friendships that I'm not sure any other current online game can replicate.
Well actually, that's a tough one. Certainly, the perception that socialization is becoming a lesser factor to more and more developers has become the norm among most people. That doesn't necessarily mean they're correct...
Look, I'll be among the first to admit that many developers have funneled their games down the same exact path post-World of Warcraft: theme park design. But looking at the communities of several games that adhere to this philosophy of pretty places surrounded by invisible cages shines an interesting light on the matter.
Take a look at Lord of the Rings Online, which sports one of the best communities around. Helpful, friendly people populate the virtual Middle-earth. Newbies are treated with patience and advice -- sometimes even assistance via crafted equipment!
...Not only does EVE Online's harsh nature create drama, it actually reinforces the basic human nature of being nice in order to survive. Essentially, the harsh game design fosters tight-knit communities, which results in a sort of end-game where a player can find themselves with significant amounts of responsibility and power. It forges the kind of friendships that I'm not sure any other current online game can replicate.
Other avenues of new ways to socialize are on the way, too. Facebook as we know it right now certainly doesn't harbor many games of considerable depth, but over the next couple of years that's going to change. Mark my words, games like Civilization Network are going to begin to proliferate that website. As the power of what can be done through a browser increases, so too will the games offered. The eventual evolution of this will probably spread across the entire web, but that strays into highly speculative territory that I won't explore today.
Are all of these games perfect in their quest to achieve better socialization? No, but they're steps in the right direction. Last year brought us Fallen Earth, a new entry in both the sandbox and futuristic genre. Also, we saw City of Heroes receive a mightily impressive user generated feature update via Mission Architect. So progress is being made, albeit at a slow and steady pace.The problem is that we can see so far into the future -- we can see what "could be". I fully understand how that reality can drive a person to demand far more in the now, rather than the later. Said issue it further worsened by the fact that a group of people exist solely to sour you and me on the whole playing with "other people" concept...
I'm talking of course about Darkfall, which is a game that appeals directly to these kinds of players. Wide open sandbox games -- ones lacking strict and effective tools with which to neutralize trolling grief machines -- are slowly going to become a thing of the past. Been there, done that; sights have henceforth been seen.
I'm talking of course about Darkfall, which is a game that appeals directly to these kinds of players. Wide open sandbox games -- ones lacking strict and effective tools with which to neutralize trolling grief machines -- are slowly going to become a thing of the past. Been there, done that; sights have henceforth been seen.
Socialization in MMOs is certainly morphing into other forms. Sandbox games can make or break traditional socializing. I just hope that the trend towards the single-player experience doesn't swallow up the concept.
Community Spotlight: Your Best and Worst Community Experiences! (MMORPG.com)
Cybertrucker starts out with himself:“For me it would probably be like this.
BEST: Vanguard or EQ1..Why? Because People came to help each other and it wasnt always about just themselves. The open world dungeons I think lended to this and also the games were designed around group play in mind. Sure you could solo in them but the best content was designed for groups..
WORST: Would probably have to WOW.. and no Im not a WOW hater.. I actually enjoyed the game.. However I think it was the game to really breed the ME ME ME mentality.. Yes it was there in some people before WOW.. But WOW encouraged it.. IT was the first game that I played where PUGs were looked down upon. In every game up to WOW i grouped with random people all the time. Sure I ran with friends on a regular basis but didnt mind picking up groups either.”
BEST: Vanguard or EQ1..Why? Because People came to help each other and it wasnt always about just themselves. The open world dungeons I think lended to this and also the games were designed around group play in mind. Sure you could solo in them but the best content was designed for groups..
WORST: Would probably have to WOW.. and no Im not a WOW hater.. I actually enjoyed the game.. However I think it was the game to really breed the ME ME ME mentality.. Yes it was there in some people before WOW.. But WOW encouraged it.. IT was the first game that I played where PUGs were looked down upon. In every game up to WOW i grouped with random people all the time. Sure I ran with friends on a regular basis but didnt mind picking up groups either.”
I'd say that DAoC's tightly-knit roleplaying server community was my best social experience in an MMO. I wouldn't have logged in each night for hours for years without seeing dozens of friends there. Nimue server especially had weekly storytelling sessions and other roleplaying events. People were often helpful if you needed aid. Nothing else that I've played has been as rich a community experience. Such things as alliance meetings, where RP drama unfolded, even pick-up groups in the battlegrounds were often fun. Other pre-WoW games such as UO and Horizons also had good RP communities. LOTRO is trying to carry on the tradition.
Worst? *laughs* Well, there's a lot to pick from...I had a few anti-social encounters in WoW that led to nerdrage. Game mechanics can encourage or discourage socializing, though I think that earlier gaming communities were of a different quality than today's post-WoW audiences.
