Other Players Sometimes Form Communities
Many games (both computer and otherwise) develop a community of enthusiasts. Players form clubs, hold events, organize tournaments, and so on. This was going on long before video games, but it has readily adapted to the computer medium.
From a psychological perspective, fans gravitate to community for:
- A feeling of membership/belonging with those of similar interests
- A sense of influence, both within the group and as the group
- Fulfilling social needs (connecting with others)
- Having a sense of validation (popularity of your interest)
From a design/marketing perspective, encouraging community:
- Makes the game more contagious - membership in the community is an attractant
- Sustains interest - A member of a community will remain interested in a game longer than a lone wolf
- Creates an "established market" for products related to the game
- Enables you to tap into the fan base for information helpful to future development
Often, gaming communities develop on their own, but it is becoming more common for companies to support an "official" fan club. Some tips for doing this:
- Foster Friendships - A community is not company-to-consumer, it is person-to-person, and cohesion is greater when the people feel connected to one another through the group.
- Tap Into Conflict - A community often bands together to respond to a conflict, even if it's an internal one ("factions" that argue among themselves)
- Provide a neighborhood - People interact in a physical or virtual space. Creating places to congregate (real-world events, online communities) facilitates community
- Consider community property - This one is a little vague, but he refers to the way "guilds" in some games will have a team armory from which members of the guild can borrow (and are expected to contribute) game artifacts.
- Encourage expression - A community is not a one-to-many broadcast medium, but a many-to-many environment in which each participant expects the ability to speak and be heard.
- Consider all levels - To avoid a community from turning into a clique that is hostile to new members, you must consider the needs of the newest players and ease them into the community. At the same time, the "elders" of the group (experienced players) must still get some value from the community.
- Create interdependencies - It's worthwhile to create certain events in the game that a single player, working alone, simply cannot accomplish without getting help from others.
- Manage communities - A community is like a garden. Sometimes it needs tending to grow at all, sometimes it needs tending to ensure that its' growing the way that you want it to, and that the growth remains sustained.
- Create community events - You may need to stage events to create interaction among members of the community, and give players the ability to create their own
- Acknowledge the community -Some studios shy away from getting too involved with their communities, or prefer not to create an "official" community and just let people do their own thing. Actively managing your community can consume resources, so you may want to put a limit on how much you're willing to devote to the task - but the answer should not be "nothing"
Presently, the topic of online communities is very much in vogue, and social media is gaining in popularity, so it's likely that game communities will grow and flourish - maybe not to the degree that they are being hyped, but it certainly isn't' a "fad" that is going to fade away.
Griefing
Some individuals seem to take delight in causing others grief, but ignoring this behavior can be detrimental to the community and the game, so the designer should consider preventative measures when developing a game, and the studio should consider policing the community afterward.
Some systems that need particular attention are:
- PvP Combat - Many players enjoy competing with other players, so it's a worthwhile component, but take steps to ensure that a "duel" is by mutual consent and, inasmuch as possible, that players fight fairly
- Allocation of experience and items - In games where "points" are awarded to the last person to strike an enemy, or where items can be picked up upon an enemy's death, there will be players who attempt to "steal" the benefits of others' actions
- Trading/gifting - In any instances where items can be traded, there will always be those who try to make unfair trades, either by trickery or by begging and whining
- Chat - Abusive and obscene conversation is a constant problem. There are a wide array of techniques that can be used to minimize this.
- Obstruction - There are instances in which players, alone or in groups, will attempt to use their avatars to physically block access to other players. Pool's closed.
Griefers are keen on finding loopholes or exploits in the game and developing hacks to annoy other players - you should devote some resources on an ongoing basis to fixing bugs and combating hacks.