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In the context of virtual communities, online gaming refers to the interaction of users within “massive multiplayer online games,�? “persistent state worlds�? or “massively multiplayer online role-playing games�? (MMORPG), and also within games related discussion boards, forums and chat rooms. (Kolo and Baur, 2004, p.2) The concept of creating highly unconventional social bonds between users over these mediums, in game related environments, has had many supporters and detractors. As MMORPG MMORPGs allow for more scope and interaction between players, definitions of online social interaction and community also change.
Since the creation of the first MMORPGs back in the 1970s, with titles such as Adventure, Dungeon, Zork and Moria, there has been great demand for games that embrace human interaction, promoting both friendship and competition. During the 1980s text-based games were created, with commercial benefits of multiplayer online games being realized in 1984 with the creation of Islands of Kesmai. The first graphical MMORPG was Neverwinter Nights which ran successfully for 6 years. EverQuest, released in 1999 sealed MMORPGs in the Western mainstream market and proposed many of the online gaming conventions, recognized in current online multiplayer formats. Over time these games exceedingly offered opportunities for teamwork and relationship building. (Kent, 2003) Games such as the 2004 released World of Warcraft reported having 3.5 million paying users by June 2005, an ever-increasing figure. With such a significant number of players attending to this virtual community for an average of 20 hours per week, there is much interest in the social repercussions of such intense game play. (Fahey, 2005)
The online play of MMORPG users does not confine their interaction with other users. Chat rooms, discussion boards and forums, either set up by MMORPG founding companies or by users themselves offer social interaction and similar interest groups. From the global span of the games, and the general computer literacy of the games’ intended demographic market, thousands of meeting places related to game play can be established online. Therefore the influence of these games is not simply limited by user input within a period of direct game play, but extends to numerous online social groups. (McBirney, 2004, p.417)
Amalgamations of chat rooms and graphic MMORPGs have been attempted for over 15 years. Chat rooms which use graphically represented characters that move around in a virtual environment offer more than a traditional purely text-based chat room, but do not provide motives for game play, such as the need for alliance and competition. This format was devised with LucasArts conception of Habitat in 1988, where players traded a limited number of items purely for the purpose of further interaction. (Bartle, 2003, p. 22)
The social implications of online gaming interaction are becoming increasingly studied as network game play increases dramatically. An academic study on the influences if EverQuest found that “the production of social networks and the circulation of social capital proves to be one of the most important aspects [of game play].�? (Jakobsson and Taylor, 2003) Such evidence indicates that social interaction is a deciding factor when playing MMORPGs.
This was supported when further studies found that ‘the dominant motive for playing Ultima Online, a popular online gaming network, is the social experience of the distributed virtual environment. This is shown in the survey by the fact that about two-thirds of the players mentioned that “simultaneously interacting with many fellow players�? and the “experience of an emerging society in the gameworld�? are an important aspect or very important aspects of playing Ultima Online.’ (Kolo and Baur, 2004, p.4)
There is in many societies a general unrest and belief that online gaming is detracting from users’ interactions outside the virtual world. In early August 2005, the Chinese government proposed to ban under anyone under the age of 18 from playing any online game that involved characters causing harm to one another, involving most MMORPGs. Further action involved a ban on anyone from playing the games for more than three consecutive hours. (Fahey, 2005) Therefore there is much contention over the value of online interaction when compared to traditionally interaction outside a virtual framework.
Bartle, R. (2003). “Designing virtual worlds�?. Indianapolis: New Riders. ISBN: 0131018167.
Fahey, R. (2005) “Gamesindustry.biz - Chinese success pushes World of Warcraft past 3.5 million users�?, URL: http://www.gamesindustry.biz/content_page.php?aid=10264 [accessed 27/9/05]
Fahey, R. (2005) “Gamesindustry.biz - China invests $1.8bn in MMOGs - but rules them harmful to minors�?, URL: http://www.gamesindustry.biz/content_page.php?section_name=new&aid=10566 [accessed 27/9/05]
Jakobsson, M., Taylor, T.L. (2003) “The Sopranos meets EverQuest. Social networking in massively multiplayer online games�?, Melbourne DAC - the 5th International Digital Arts and Culture Conference, School of Applied Communication, Melbourne.
Kent, S. “Alternate reality: the history of massively multiplayer online games�?, URL: http://archive.gamespy.com/amdmmog/week1/ [accessed 27/9/05]
Kolo, C., Baur, T. (2004) “Living a virtual life: social dynamics of online gaming�?, Game Studies: International Journal of Computer Game Research, 4 (1): 2-4, ISBN: 16047982.
McBirney, K. (2004) “Nested selves, networked communities: a case study of Diablo II: Lord of Destruction as an agent of cultural change�?, The Journal of American Culture, 27 (4): 417, ISBN: 15427331.
--Dominic Jarvis 12:51, 27 Sep 2005 (EST)
