Ok #gamedev folks, here’s my latest brain thought. Historically games created spaces in communities for social interaction, but those connections were usually not focused on the game itself. The game simply set a stage for people to connect. Are our multiplayer games too focused on themselves? - ThreadSky

hanser.bsky.social • 642 days ago

Ok #gamedev folks, here’s my latest brain thought. Historically games created spaces in communities for social interaction, but those connections were usually not focused on the game itself. The game simply set a stage for people to connect. Are our multiplayer games too focused on themselves?

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artursmiarowski.bsky.social•642 days ago

Hmm. I've been playing MUDs like Arkadia or MMOs like Tibia in my very young days, and I think all social activities were around the game. Roleplaying characters together, going to fight the bosses together, or PvP wars, etc.

talkandplay.substack.com•642 days ago

That kind of sounds like Roblox: a social interaction space with games that you can play with each other within it.
As for other games, I wonder how much of that is actually on the game to manage vs running a parallel social space eg playing with friends on discord?

hanser.bsky.social•642 days ago

There are other examples, Mario Party and Jackbox come to mind, I just find it curious that most popular multiplayer games give so little relative attention to things like lobbies or other tangential spaces that could encourage connection not directly connected to gameplay.

talkandplay.substack.com•642 days ago

It is odd, and lots of folks have bemoaned the loss of lobbies in more recent games. I guess it’s due to a perception that match made groups aren’t that interested in social interaction vs pre-made parties, since party spaces tend to have those social aspects more often.

talkandplay.substack.com•642 days ago

I’m thinking of stuff like the base in Deep Rock Galactic or towns in MMOs

singingpigs.online•642 days ago

I feel like this is key, understanding what kind of social interactions you want depending on how you're connected to those people. been thinking about this a lot irt social media as well - what kind of social interaction do you want with "the crowd" vs. with your friends?

talkandplay.substack.com•642 days ago

Yeah, because clearly there needs to be a delineation between ‘strange’ and ‘familiar’ social situations. Which is why I brought up stuff like playing with friends while talking with them on discord: do these social features have to be baked into the game itself vs being handled externally?

hanser.bsky.social•642 days ago

They don’t have to be baked into the game, I just find it curious that it often seems ignored by designers when that has been a significant part of why we played games in the past. It’s interesting to imagine what a game like Destiny, for example, might do to expand/encourage the social space.

singingpigs.online•642 days ago

(while also thinking about what sort of on-ramps you might want, if any, to *becoming* friends with someone from "the crowd")

singingpigs.online•641 days ago

I’m curious what examples you have in mind of games in the past that had those kinds of interactions? cause I love this line of thinking, I wanna know what modern games can learn from

hanser.bsky.social•641 days ago

I’m thinking beyond video games, to play in general. I’d theorize one of the driving forces of play was the social aspect, distinct from the game itself, and I feel like neglecting that aspect has left a lot of potential on the table.

singingpigs.online•641 days ago

ahhhh I gotcha. yes I think about that a lot, especially with tabletop games, and the way they offer a focal point with social interaction around it. I think especially for a certain breed of people (myself included), it's a more comfortable way to spend time with others

singingpigs.online•641 days ago

I wonder how much of that is because of the *absence* of things in games historically; less friction in social interaction. in a tabletop game it's a lot of motionlessness with brief spurts of activity (moving a piece or whatever). lots of empty space to fill with conversation, trash-talking, etc.

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