Re:Lively, Google’s virtual world, has been a flop
by stcredzero on Friday August 22, 2008 @11:17AM
(#283764)
Actually, this is what lots of MMOs end up being anyhow. Being a leader of an alliance in Eve or a merchant, the most used tools are TeamSpeak and the chat rooms. Lots of tabletop Role Playing Games also end up being social gatherings where the primary enjoyment is the resulting laughter, and the game was just a pretext.
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Re:Lively, Google’s virtual world, has been a flop
by minstrel on Friday August 22, 2008 @12:16PM
(#283835)
"[...]and the game was just a pretext."
Which is exactly the point. Without the pretext of the game, less people would show up for the gathering, resulting in a lower "resulting laughter" quotient.
As one of the "shy ones", I can confirm that having a shared activity encourages me to come to the event, and ensures that noone is "left out" (as their character has something to do, even if they personally have nothing to add socially). An interaction within the confines of the 'game' encourages more voluntary interactions, not to mention giving people a pretext for conversation, etc.