social networking in mmog‘s
DESCRIPTION
Presentation given at the Quo Vadis developer conference, Berlin 2008TRANSCRIPT
Social Networks in MMOG‘s
Df
Arend StührmannAssociate ProducerCCP Games
Social Networking in MMOG‘s
Outline:• How do we define a
social network?• How can we use it in
gaming?• Examples from EVE
Online• The Future...
How do we define a Social Network?
Need to differentiate between:
• Social Network
• Social Network Service
As the combination of both leads to the formation of virtual communities
PAGE 3
Social Network
A social network is a social structure made of nodes, generally individuals or organisations, that are tied by one or more specific types of interdependency.•Values•Visions•Financial exchange•Friends•Dislikes•Conflict•Trade
Social Network Service
A social network service uses software to build online social networks for communities of people who share interests and activities or who are interested in exploring the interests and activities of others.
•Primarily web-based •Various interaction methods:
– Chat– Email– Video – Voice chat– Blogging
Established Social Network Services
“Standard” social network services already have some elements of game play in them, even if they are not obviously game related:
• Number of contacts• Quality of contacts• Quality of content• Number of comments• Rankings (arbitrary or formal)• Games• And more...
MMOG Social Network - Specialities?
MMOG‘s can be argued to embody all aspects of Social Networks and Social Network Services:•They provide foundations of interdependency for the network.•The gameplay creates a framework for the network service.•And through playing, a virtual network for interpersonal interaction is formed.
MMOG Social Network - Specialities?
• MMOG Networks can require more and different interpersonal skills when compared to other online network services:– Leadership skills– Negotiation skills– Cross-cultural communication– Organisational skills– MMOG Networks can therefore actually teach
interpersonal skills and networking skills.
Player Quote: “Being CEO of an EVE corp, taught me a lot about how to recruit, organise, motivate and retain people from across the world.”
EVE Online‘s Gameplay
• Over 230,000 subscribers.
• Single-shard server structure: Over 43k players simultaneously in one cohesive universe.
• Players of EVE are the actual game content.
• Estimated over 250,000 manhours spent building structures in-game
• All major game-systems in EVE are driven by players– Market– Production– Raw material acquisition – Access to the raw materials– And more…
5000+ solarsystems
Communication
• Communication is key to any network• EVE includes tools to establish connections with
any player– Chat– EVE Mail– Voice Communication
• Searchable listings• External website: Forums
• Many interaction tools run through the Chat system.
Communication
• Communication with others is central to gameplay in EVE• Without team-work, higher level objectives are harder to
reach (if not impossible)• Learning how to use the communication interface and the
communication norms becomes essential to success.• Intelligence gathering• Trading• Diplomacy• Entertainment
Communication
Players develop network connections through channels other than the provided structure:
• Espionage• Escrow Services• Black Market• Advertising• “Can Art”
Communication
The question then arises: Do we install “official” mechanisms to accommodate these activities?
Other elements of gameplay that have evolved through player use:–Fleet formation system–Recruitment ads system–Contracts system
Social Structure: Corporations
• Basic social unit in EVE.• Anywhere from 2 to 6,500 members• Usual size is around 20 to 250
members• Members are assigned
Roles within the Corporation• Accountants• Logistics• Directors• Diplomats• Defense
Social Structure: Corporations
Corporations can specialise in certain areas:• Combat
• Mercenaries• Bounty hunters• Pirates• Pirate Hunters
• Industry• Resource gathering• Research• Production• Logistics
All these areas depend on each other to certain degrees. A corporation will need to either have these specialisations “in house” or hire external parties to provide them.
Social Structure: Corporations
• Employment History is important– A character‘s reputation is literally
priceless– Allows for unusual game play
mechanics such as escrow services– Your reputation is created by both
your actions and those of the people you fly with
• Corporations can give members Titles– Way of rewarding service or marking important deeds– Indicates rank and other information to outsiders– Helps establish reputation
Social Structure: Alliances
Social Structure: Alliances
• Involve thousands of players• Are able to declare sovereign territory in the outer
reaches of the galaxy• Function like nations with wars, diplomacy,
treaties, trade agreements and more...• Can achieve larger goals than corporations alone:
– Sovereignty– Outposts (permanent,
conquerable stations)– Titans (enormous combat
and logistics vessels)
Alliance Politics and warfare result in a constantly changing game universe...
PAGE 20
July 2007
PAGE
March 2008
Alliances Evolving
• Alliances existed before the formal mechanic was implemented in Nov 2004.
• Now we see that Alliances are forming Coalitions.• Larger player groups demand more management by
leaders– Will there always be players who wish to lead?– When does it stop being fun?– Can we avoid flux through
redesigning and adapting gamemechanics?
– Should we?
Alliances Evolving
Game design considerations:– Do we introduce more frameworks for larger
groups?– Are the in-game communication tools suitable
and sufficient?– Do we consider increasing the size of the
universe?– How do the goals we have in-game need to
evolve?– How do these large groups affect newer
players?PAGE 24
The Question of Fun
Some basic assumptions:• We enjoy interacting with people on our own
terms.• Virtual communities give an individual greater
control of his or her presented image.• People play games for entertainment, challenges
and diversion.
We need to bear this in mind when designing games and mechanics relying on social
interaction.
PAGE 25
The Question of Fun
Generating a sense of achievement from gameplay can require different elements:
– Rankings– Medals– Titles– Peer recognition– Loot– Or a combination of the above…
MMOG’s as Social Network Services are uniquely placed to be able to provide all of the above in one contiguous environment, while also facilitating communication about non game-play issues.
PAGE 26
Alliances set uptheir own specificawards and ranks:
The EVE API gives players the freedom create information displays that is important to them and their social network…
Different Alliances,Different Styles…
The Future...
• The line between Social Network Services and MMOG‘s will continue to blur.
• The Virtual Communities built around a game (or games) may develop greater cohesion than traditional social networks.
• The degree to which individuals define themselves according to which online social network they are most active in may increase.
http://www.mmogchart.com
Questions?
