RP thesis...

[Jeff Kesselman]

Some opinions.  This is destileld fro ma larger talk on deisgning
world-games i just gave at the computer game develoeprs conference.

(1) Rp is by definitio nsocial. if yo uwant to encoruage Rp first yo uhave
to encourage social behavior.

(2) Social behavior is foistered primarily when 2 things happen between
people;
	(a) Communciation
	(b) mutual respect

Some ways to caue this to happen:
(1) Design your game with interlocking dependancies, players must need each
other.
(2) Design so that groups are mroe efective then individuals.
(3) Design os that just HAVIGNa group isnt enough, that to be effective a
group must coordinate (encourages interraction).
(4) Do NOt design your game so any single player can., on their own,
acquire everything they need to be succesful. if yo udo, they wil lstop
socializing and focus on solo accomplishment.
(5) Design out "dominance games", (Im higher level and can beat you up,
etc...)
Tehre is a snmall, EVRY destructive component that wil lotherwise domiante
your game and ruin almos tal lsocial interraction.
(6) Make sure that posuitive social behavior is a "winning" strategy and
that negativ social behavior is a losign one.
(7) DEFINE the goals of charactrs in your game (in the large) and make
palyers aware of them.  The "its just a great big real world" DOESNt work,
players end up at cross puproses and having no fun.
(8) DONt expect your players to dveelop a society, most americans dont even
have basic people skills.  CREATE asociety that they are integrated into in
the structure of your game.

Tehre are alot of other thoughts but theres some thinsg to get the
discussion started.

JK