MMO - Online Communities.

I believe Multiplayer games such as LAN games, online shooters and MMOs are noticeable examples of social gaming and comprise a rapidly growing segment of the game market. Obviously vendors recognize that having a community of fans based around a game has a compelling impact on a game’s commercial success. So it is clear that online fan communities are consequential to the market success of a game. But how do vendors go about promoting a community of fans to support their games? Obviously, relationships are an integral persuasive attraction for online communities. I guess by gaining loose ties with many like-minded people rather than strong ties with a select few is more comfortable for some... This way, one can avoid the commitment, pressure and emotional investment associated with face-to-face contact. I am sure relationships do form online that are supportive, long-term and intimate also, but they will not be the initial attraction.

There is a binding relationship between the design features of the internet, new media, and game related industries and the customer loyalty of online communities. These communities are abundant in resources such as personal experience, knowledge and opinions, and give members the opportunity to share and gain status in their community. The relationships formed are also valuable to the companies that create and sell the games, because they can provide new ways to market a game and reinforce the members association with the game. Also, games become successful because members can play at their own skill level. If they are expert gamers or just amateurs, they can enjoy and feel rewarded by spending time with the game. This allows members to engage with the game and community on whatever level is appropriate to them and allow them to benefit from this engagement, at whatever level it is.

Based on the lectures and readings, it seems the MMO market is one that is dominated by large vendors and developers. I am sure for every Blizzard Entertainment (World of WarCraft) there are dozens of smaller independent developers that promote enjoyable MMOs... Though these independent developers do not get the notoriety of the major developers, they still seem to score high on entertainment value, and have displayed a strong staying power. I guess independent developers may market their games differently, and concentrate less on the relationships and more on the game design itself...