Sony's long-time logo for the PlayStation system is exceptionally applicable to multiplayer games. As online interaction between players increases, both by way of online play and online communication, so will the presence of a unified gaming environment. There is a very distinct culture among Starcraft players, among Halo players, and among players of just about any game with a large mutitplayer component. There are laundry lists of dos and don'ts for these games, completely independent from the actual rules of the game. The players of each game share a developed jargon - terms such as "Zerg Rush" have no meaning outside of certain communities, and some words take on completely new meanings.
Within these communities come good things and bad things. "Grief players," as Nielsen calls them, will run around actively trying to sabotage other players, whether it be by teamkilling, abandonment, thievery, or some other means. Such activity, while not forbidden by game design, is highly frowned upon by other players. Typically, the player culture of a game will contain countermeasures against such players, in the form of immense disapproval and bad reputation. If nobody joins a team with a grief player, he cannot cause anyone grief. On the other hand, it is highly encouraged in these communities to help others - players can become popular and well-known if they help newbies learn to play. Ironically, newbies are often frowned upon by most players until they have either quit, learned to play on their own, or are taught by such a person. As much as teachers are looked up to in such games, few people want to be one.
And communities don't just exist inside the games - there are forums, meetups, clubs, and tons of other ways to interact with fellow players. The Big Fish Babes is an example of one such group - they have developed a culture amongst themselves surrounding Big Fish games, and many of these people might not have met each other were it not for this group. The communities that games bring together can extend beyond simply the reaches of the game.
Have you been a part of some game community outside of playing the game itself? I was a member of a Metroid forum for quite some time - what are some examples from your experiences?
I was a member of Tekken forum before I came to USA. It was really great that we shared not only game information but also stories of daily lives, sickness, family issues, and school stuff. some of them were very willing to help me out for any problems, I still keep in touch with them. but surprising thing is that we don't talk about game any more, but just every issue about our life.
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