by John Hoskin on Apr 17, 2007
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14 wins to go! (Then the Sabres Stanley Cup Parade)
I hadn't been making my daily rounds of favourite blogs and was punished for it. Grimwell posted a pieced titled, Designing For Community in which he preaches what I've been preaching for a long time, that MMO games are at their core about building a community.
I've been pushing to integrate the community building system in networks like Ten Ton Hammer into games at launch. Give the players a means to stay connected to their friends even when they are not in the virtual world of their choice. Just because I'm sitting at my desk poking at keys trying to write a Loading... column in 15 minutes doesn't mean that I don't want to know that our guild just kicked some serious butt in Vanguard. In fact, I really want to know, but because there is no way for me to easily stay connected I become, wait for it...disconnected from the game and eventually move on to something else.
For the short time that I have been a part of Ten Ton Hammer I've been preaching the same sermon, over and over and over again; community is the most important aspect of a MMOG and as an extension, a MMOG website. All the content coupled with the best gameplay in existence is just a fancy single-player game without the community.
If you think back to your favourite moments playing a MMOG inevitably they involve other players. Why? Because it was the other players who gave your accomplishment or your moment of glory the audience that made it something more than just another game experience. If you think about it, they didn't even need to be in the same location as you in the virtual world. They just needed to be in a position that you could communicate with them. They don't even need to think that your accomplishment is of value. The loudmouth schnooks who make derogatory remarks justify it in their own way. It's fantastic really.
What might be even more important however, is that other players, be they guild-mates or group-mates can share in these experiences and feel as if they were a part of them. The accomplishment is transferred to those around you, virtually and literally. I liken MMOG community to that found in a team sport dressing room. Am I wrong? Damon Schubert thinks so.
What do you think?
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Today's Exclusive TenTonHammer.com Content!
04.17.2007
IMGDC: A Video Interview With Richard BartleHot Content
IMGDC: A Video Interview With Richard Bartle IMGDC: Why We Should Watch The Little Guy Vanguard: SoH - Interview - Norm "GM_Volson" Freeman FireFly: IMGDC - The Verse Behind Firefly IMGDC: Would You Rather Have Class Or Skill? IMGDC: Josh Williams Keynote - Outlook For Indie Games IMGDC: Ten Ton Hammer Kicks Off LIve IMGDC Coverage Dreamlords: Review Vanguard: Saga of Heroes - UI Database NetDevil Celebrates Auto Assault Anniversary With Q&AReal World News - You Can't Make This Up
Days Numbered For Tax-free Net Sales [Thanks Matt]Vin Diesel Fact: Vin Diesel's favourite colour is violet because it only one letter from being violent.
Thanks as always for visiting TenTonHammer.com
- John "Boomjack" Hoskin