[MUD-Dev] On socialization and convenience

[Freeman]

> From: Koster, Raph [mailto:rkoster at verant.com]

> How much time do you think the average player should spend
> socializing in SWG?  Meaning, as opposed to "playing" however you
> define that--killing things, crafting, whatever. Chatting while
> recovering from a fight counts; chatting while forming a group
> counts too.

The disconnect I'm having here is that for socializers, socializing
*is* playing.

Also, I tend to socialize while I am playing.  If I'm "just
socializing and not playing or doing anything else", then I am
probably AFK, and so not socializing.

> Why do I ask this? Because we have contradictory goals for the
> game. We want to reduce downtime. But people get to know people
> during downtime. That's when they socialize.

Absolutely disagree that downtime = socialization.  I tend to meet
people and socialize while I am playing, and they are playing in the
same area/doing the same thing.  During downtime I read a book.

> friends. In fact, I'd go so far as to state that it is a Law of
> Online World Design: Socialization Requires Downtime.

Argh.  Resist the tempation.  It's not right!

> Let's take a bank as an example.

Yeah, we used that as an example of a social space in UO - people
socialize at the bank in UO.  But *that isn't downtime*.  Neither is
getting your armor repaired at the blacksmith shop.

> Let's take the example of community building. There's an oft-told
> anecdote (the precise source of which escapes me atm) about a
> company which was suffering from malaise because people weren't
> coming up with good new ideas to advance the business, and there
> was stagnation and loss of morale. When the office building the
> company was located in was reorganized such that there was a
> central courtyard type space that served as a crossroads, and the
> different departments were obliged to walk through the courtyard
> on a regular basis to do their regular work, morale boomed, so did
> ideas, and so did profits. Why? Because the fact that people were
> interacting with people (and therefore ideas) that they normally
> didn't sparked both creativity and community.

The lesson to learn from this is that the people were required to
come into contact with one another due to the new building layout.
They were NOT required to stand around in the foyer for hours a day
doing nothing.

> I have many fond memories of hanging out at town fountains in Diku
> muds.  Usually they were set in a town square, and the structures
> to the sides of the square were key to gameplay. The newbie hall,
> where everyone first entered the game, opened down onto this
> square. The inn, where everyone came to log out, and from which
> everyone logged in, was on one side. The guildhall where you had
> to come to advance a level was there. As a result, there was
> always a knot of people swapping stories about where they had just
> been, and making plans about where to go next. It's hard to
> imagine a more welcoming environment for a newbie to step into.

Right, that's all about traffic flow.  Not downtime.

> I look forward to seeing the discussion. :)

*Jumping up and down screaming noooooooo!!!!!!! as you ponder adding
that "law"*

People need the opportunity to come into contact with other people.
Crossroads are good.  Forced downtime is baaaaaad.

'My two cents.
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