Communication

The more that people communicate, the more they will develop relationships. The more relationships that develop, the stronger the community becomes. Remember that it’s individual friendships that are important: Community is just an emergent consequence of these friendships.

Provide channels. Let people receive messages by their names, their locations, their character’s properties, the groups they’re members of, by topic—the more the merrier. Let them do it using real-time typing, through message boards, through email—however you can. Let them opt out of channels that don’t interest them so they can focus on the ones that do. If none of this fits with the virtual world fiction, change the fiction. It’s that important.

Supply ways for them to exhibit non-verbal cues. Studies of real life communication always show the importance of body language, facial cues, tone of voice, and so on at conveying meaning. People will use gestures while on the phone, even though the person at the other end can’t see them, because it helps them express their thoughts. You can’t take such things into the virtual world, but you can provide substitutes that allow for players to articulate themselves without using words. Use “smile,” “weep,” and every expression of emotion in between that you can find in your thesaurus. If they need tangible effects to support them, add these. Include modifiers, so you can “annoy Gilead” or “praise Gilead.” Allow adverbs, “say ‘hi there’ sarcastically.” Put in freeform emotes/poses: It doesn’t matter if your graphical world can’t depict “emote bares his fangs in a gesture of territorial defiance,” just let the guy type it. MUD2 has used emoticons,:-), as commands for years. Look at other people’s virtual worlds for ideas.