# Circles

LLMS index: [llms.txt](/dvw/en/llms.txt)

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Circles is the name given by then Ultima Online player Hedron to his 1998 [^33] description of how players advance through different states of maturity. Although it is not a particularly well-known approach, I shall describe it here because it makes some very insightful observations [^34].

Hedron’s vision is of virtual world players organized as concentric circles. They begin in the outer circles, and advance in their experience and attitudes through the inner circles; the analogy is (ultimately) the mandala of Buddhism, which adherents can use to symbolize conditions of spirituality that they desire to re-create through mental exercises.

From observation, Hedron postulates six circles, representing six increasingly higher states of being for players in virtual worlds:

- First Circle—Survival. Players begin as newbies. Their main concerns are acquiring the basic skills, stats, and items they need simply to survive.

- Second Circle—Competence. After players have sufficient expertise so that they can make progress, they begin to do so. The virtual world becomes more “fun.”

- Third Circle—Excel. Having become “pretty good,” players aim to become “very good.” They seek out the toughest challenge that they can find in order to “beat” it.

- Fourth Circle—Prove Mastery. Having acquired technical mastery, players feel the need to demonstrate this to other players. They will typically do this either by helping/mentoring/leading or by attacking them [^35].

- Fifth Circle—Seek New Challenges. Players feel that they have exhausted everything that the virtual world has programmed in for them to do. The only entertainment left is interaction with other players.

- Sixth Circle—Everything Is One. Players recognize all ways that people can play the virtual world, and have a full understanding of the merits of them all. Players accept and appreciate each other, the virtual world, and the way things are.

Hedron’s article goes into some depth about the options available to players at the fifth circle, at least one of which (leaving to play some other virtual world) does not necessarily lead to the sixth circle. There’s no need to discuss that here, however.

All three of the approaches discussed so far rely on the observations of individuals for their substance. There is a more scientific approach available, however: statistics.


[^33]: http://www.falseprophecies.com/sixcircles.htm
[^34]: You’ll have to wait until Chapter 5 to discover just how insightful they are, I’m afraid!
[^35]: When this article was written, Ultima Online still had problems with bands of roving killers.