[MUD-Dev] Re: MMO Communities

[Koster, Raph]

Freeman, Jeff wrote:
> Byron Ellacott wrote:

>> That's true, but Raph was speaking about retention.  Force,
>> encourage, require social interaction and you presumably forge
>> bonds that people are reluctant to sever by leaving the game.

> I have a hard time accepting this as fact, personally, because it
> hasn't ever worked to keep me playing a game.

Knowing you personally, I know that the group of folks you play with
move pretty freely from game to game most of the time. I've also
seen you stick with a game just because your play partners were
still interested. I suspect we're speaking here of a matter of
degree.

> I play with the one or two other people that I came to play with,
> and if the game forces me to play alone or with people other than
> those, then I quit.

> I understand that I might be atypical, when I am in an
> understanding mood.  The rest of the time I think the 'evidence'
> of this effect is pretty weak.

I don't actually think you are atypical. Quite the contrary--I think
there's probably quite a lot of you. Most people are not gregarious
with strangers, after all. That does not disprove the general
principle, it merely speaks to its general applicability.

Whether there's ANY game that can retain you for a long period of
time is another entirely different question. :)

-Raph
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