MMO Communities (was RE: [MUD-Dev] MMORPG Cancellations:Theskyisfalling?)

[Paolo Piselli]

--- Paul Schwanz <pschwanz at comcast.net> wrote:
> Tom "cro" Gordon wrote:
>> Paul Schwanz wrote:

>>   I don't have the time to get involved in forced grouping.

> Indeed.  I was thinking after sending the post that, for very
> similar reasons, the current model doesn't work any better for
> casual (or mobile--good point there) players than it does for
> introverts.  The amount of effort or of time required for
> socializing in the current model easily exceeds the threshold for
> these players, leaving them with no option but to solo.  To bring

To help give Sean's axe another inch into the stump, and to get
mildly self-referential, I think we should take a look at some
examples of online communities that lend themselves very well to
casual involement and introverted members: mailing lists and online
forums.

I would say that my lurking on this list is most certainly an
introverted behavior, and only takes a casual time commitment, yet
it is hardly anti-social. I don't feel ostracised by the die-hards,
and I don't feel like skimming the messages eats up a
disproportionate amount of time.  Certainly I won't become deeply
nested in the local social network, however I do feel like it helps
me stay current with relevant issues, and I am able to jump in and
make a meaningful contribution when the time is right.

Similarly, as a member of the Slashdot "community", I can stay
current on issues, occasionally posting, occasionally moderating,
feel in-touch with the community, and maintain a high level of
"karma" wihtout feeling like it is eating up my time, and without
ever having to jump on IRC to gather a group of slashdotters to plan
a posting excursion for karma pharming.  Yet without "forced
grouping", somehow Slashdot remains a thriving community.

Admittedly, neither Mud-dev nor Slashdot have subscription fees and
neither are "games".  However, they are both online diversions that
have thriving communities formed around them, yet only require
casual levels of time commitment, and are based around the the
inherently introverted behaviors of solitary reading and posting
(unless there are some IRC group-reading-and-posting discussions
that I don't know about).

Thus, by example, casual/introverted levels of interaction are not
antithetical to the formation of online communities.  The question
now becomes: what binds a casual or introverted individual to an
online community?  Is it enough for some players to solo for a few
hours a week and browse the VN Boards to feel connected and invested
in the community?

Just some food for thought.

-Paolo

=====
Paolo Piselli
ppiselli at yahoo.com
www.piselli.com , www.bestcoastswing.com
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