Icarus Studios News

The Business of Being Social

(Continued from Part 1) 

Why should designers spend extra time making sure that their game has a quality community experience? Well, there’s the obvious response, addressed in the first part of this post: “Because it makes for a fun game.” A fun game equals player retention, which equals continuing revenue, and so on. But beyond that, a quality community can become an end unto itself; it can even become the primary reason a dedicated player sticks with a game for the long haul. Guilds, groups, and even one-on-one friendships all become reasons for the player to return to the world, eager to play the game day after day, month after month.

Players crave community involvement. Even with single-player-only games, enthusiastic fans create Web sites and message boards where they describe their experiences, exchange tips and strategies, and discuss ideas. MMOs take the chat room/message board experience to the next level by offering a fully interactive environment that players can experience. Community involvement can be casual, such as when players drop in to see if any friends are logged on. Or, it can be much more organized, such as when players set times to meet, organize groups, and plan strategies for large-scale events. A forty-person raid requires some serious organization if it’s going to succeed: A balanced mix of characters from different classes need to come together, using their abilities in tandem to downplay their weaknesses and emphasize their strengths. When players feel themselves part of such a group—especially when they know their role is important to the overall success—they’re developing the loyalty and devotion that a game is required to retain in order to operate year after year.

Community interactions encourage players to invest in games in other ways, as well. Players who buy or rent virtual properties to host online parties, set up virtual businesses, or simply create personal apartments that are open to friends and the public do so because they want to make their presence known in the virtual community. Some players enjoy laying out a private area with all the best gear they can find, just so others can drop by, have a look around, hang out, and chat. Community fuels community—players who interact with others’ virtual homes are more likely to get involved and set up their own showpiece areas. The more invested they are in their own areas and experience, the more likely they are to spread the word about the virtual world they’re involved in.

Even micro-transactions can be fueled by community interaction. The purchase of a great-looking suit of armor or a special hairstyle (assuming these are vanity items that don’t offer in-game boosts) make little sense in the single-player arena, as there’s no one to share them with. Players who pay a few dollars for a new outfit want a place to show it off, whether that is accomplished by walking the streets of a virtual world or by sharing snapshots with a friend. Having such communities can even be seen as a force that fuels micro-transactions, as some players will want that special item to stand out in a crowd of players all clad in simple attire. When an experienced player with an obviously customized set of clothes skips through a group of n00bs in drab t-shirts and boring hairstyles, everyone sits up, takes notice, and wonders where they can buy such gear for themselves.

In short, community provides yet another layer of interaction with the game, one that affords players the opportunity to build ties—not only to other players, but also to the game world itself.

(Continued in Part 3)

-Jason Cisarano, Virtual Worlds Team