[MUD-Dev] Is difficult communication the barrier to community in MMORPGs? (fwd)

[J C Lawrence]

------- Forwarded Message
To: <gamedesign-l at yahoogroups.com>
From: "Drew Torrens" <drew.torrens at sympatico.ca>
Date: Tue, 11 Jun 2002 21:35:18 -0400
Subject: [gamedesign-l] Is difficult communication the barrier to community in MMORPGs?

On reading and contemplating the responses to my "soul meter" thread,
I've come to wonder if there is a fundimental barrier to the RPG element
of MMORPG's: Communication

No matter how streamlined your game's communication system, it still
takes a lot more effort to carry on a conversation than it does to just
say "follow me" or "looking for _____"

I think if there was some way to streamline meaningful info to minimize
the effort for the player, people would be more willing and able to role
play than simply go monster bashing.

One thing I was thinking earlier is a vaguely spruced up version of IRC
with a handful of features to make it easy to play a pen-and-paper RPG
on the net.  Does anyone have any thoughts on how to create a MMORPG
with efficient conversation between player characters?

Drew
------- End of Forwarded Message

--
J C Lawrence                
---------(*)                Satan, oscillate my metallic sonatas. 
claw at kanga.nu               He lived as a devil, eh?		  
http://www.kanga.nu/~claw/  Evil is a name of a foeman, as I live.
_______________________________________________
MUD-Dev mailing list
MUD-Dev at kanga.nu
https://www.kanga.nu/lists/listinfo/mud-dev