It's like army men for your sandbox.

In a speech at GDC, Jeffrey Steefel discussed how virtual worlds need games within them so as not to overwhelm players.

As the three "spheres" of social networks, virtual worlds and MMOs collide, their creators can learn from each other said Turbine's Jeffrey Steefel.

In a GDC discussion entitled "Gaming's Future via Online Worlds," Steefel, an executive producer for The Lord of the Rings Online, explained why "worlds" need "games."

Noting that the development community talks a lot about freedom of choice, lots of opportunities and infinite spaces, he nevertheless pointed out that structure is important for any open world environment.

"Coming into a completely open environment for a lot of people is completely overwhelming, especially when you reach out into a broader audience," Steefel said.

Read more at GamesIndustry.biz.