Groups

In virtual worlds, being the social beasts they are, it is imperative that players be able to form groups. The more populous the world, the more important it is that there is hard-coded support for this activity.

Chapter 3 introduced the idea of groups as the foundations of community. The point was made that people should be able to join multiple groups, so they can participate in multiple communities that are not hermetically sealed from one another; this gives players a greater sense of belonging to a virtual world (translation: They’ll find it harder to leave if they can’t take all their friends with them). When players can join only one group, that group will develop to maturity quicker but can leave as a unit; also, individuals who leave their group will often find hooking up with another group difficult, which could mean a crisis for them.

Single or multiple group membership is just one of the dimensions that can be used to describe groups. Other important ones are

• Formal or informal?

• Temporary or permanent?

• Flat or hierarchical?

• Hardwired or softwired?

Let’s take a closer look at these distinctions.