The social side of gaming: a study of interaction patterns in a massively multiplayer online game

  • Authors:
  • Nicolas Ducheneaut;Robert J. Moore

  • Affiliations:
  • Palo Alto Research Center, Palo Alto, CA;Palo Alto Research Center, Palo Alto, CA

  • Venue:
  • CSCW '04 Proceedings of the 2004 ACM conference on Computer supported cooperative work
  • Year:
  • 2004

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Abstract

Playing computer games has become a social experience. Hundreds of thousands of players interact in massively multiplayer online games (MMORPGs), a recent and successful genre descending from the pioneering multi-user dungeons (MUDs). These new games are purposefully designed to encourage interactions among players, but little is known about the nature and structure of these interactions. In this paper, we analyze player-to-player interactions in two locations in the game Star Wars Galaxies. We outline different patterns of interactivity, and discuss how they are affected by the structure of the game. We conclude with a series of recommendations for the design and support of social activities within multiplayer games.