This reading follows the Gathering of Uru, a group of many players who played the MMOW game, Uru Prologue. Initially, Uru Prologue was for only people who had applied for beta-testing. Numerous people found about the game or learned about through forums. After a short awhile, there were now mass invites for the beta. While there, people played together and enjoying the game. Within the game world, they became groups with an identity. The closure of the game was what made the community a very interesting case.
After the closure of Uru Prologue, the group, Gathering of Uru, had a mass Diaspora of players. First of all, after the end, player metaculture was seen as people began posting many forms outlets like poems of heartbreak over the game’s closure. After the game ended, players would gather into other MMOW games such as There.com and Second Life. In those worlds, the communities of Uru went into those games. At times, it conflicted with groups from those realms as Uru groups had to stand up together. As time passed, people created their own areas in those worlds. Of course, the gathering would lose numbers over the years. Still, all of this showed the power of communities with the game. It created relationships that passed the game to real life but also into different games as well.
Here is a little question: Is it possible to have major communities within game that is not necessarily an online game?
-Vircell D.
really interesting use of the word "metaculture." Were Uruvians engaging in culture or creating it outside of the game, or inside of the game?
ReplyDeleteYes i believe it is possible to have a major community for games that are not structured online. Games have brought people together for many years, before the internet was really used for gaming. People attended gaming conventions to submerge themselves within a group of people who shared similar interests and gaming talents. There are also tournaments in which gamers show their talent and knowledge of the game.
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