Älone together?": exploring the social dynamics of massively multiplayer online games
Proceedings of ACM CHI 2006 Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, volume 1 of Games and performances, page 407--416. (2006)Best paper nominee: This paper presents a longitudinal empirical study of a Massively Multiplayer Online Game (MMOG) by analyzing actual usage logs of a game. A more refined understanding of the social nature of these games (more for audience than for collaboration) is articulated, suggesting implications for the design of social interaction in these games..Abstract
Massively Multiplayer Online Games (MMOGs) routinely attract millions of players but little empirical data is available to assess their players' social experiences. In this paper, we use longitudinal data collected directly from the game to examine play and grouping patterns in one of the largest MMOGs: World of Warcraft. Our observations show that the prevalence and extent of social activities in MMOGs might have been previously over-estimated, and that gaming communities face important challenges affecting their cohesion and eventual longevity. We discuss the implications of our findings for the design of future games and other online social spaces.