Community on Designing Virtual Worlds

Beginnings

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

When the Internet hit the headlines in the mid-1990s, there was much talk about how important “community” was. Community meant retention: If you had community, people would keep coming back. I attended numerous conferences where “community” was hailed as if it were an amazing new discovery. Big name executives of games companies’ newly formed online divisions drummed in the idea that community was IMPORTANT. They didn’t know anything else about it, of course, but they knew it was IMPORTANT.

Levels of Community

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Joe Newbie arrives at a virtual world. He’s not there alone—people are busy, they come and go, the whole place looks vibrant. He quickly picks up the basics of the user interface he’s using, and feels a little awkward. He’s new, he doesn’t know the ropes, he doesn’t want to make a fool of himself asking a dumb question. Yet he’s eager to participate, to let people know he’s there. What does he do?

An Analogy

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

The reason that virtual world designers find viewing the player base in terms of communities useful is four-fold.

Community ties rank among the most powerful reasons for players to stay with a virtual world. They generate intangible content, but can be aided in tangible ways.
The sheer number of players in some virtual worlds makes it impractical to consider players at a personal level. It’s easier to reach communities than individuals.