The social aspect of video games has been present from the early days of their development. From the communities and culture that arose around the early video arcades in the 1980’s (Skolnik & Conway 2019), through to the proliferation of social games such as Farmville on Facebook during the mid 2000’s.
Due to the immersive and passionate nature of modern video games, the publics that arise around them have the ability to develop into some of the most passionate digital communities, with unique modes and preferred platforms of interaction which are guided by the nature of each specific game.
MMO Communities
A great example of this is Eve Online, an online space based massive multiplayer game which boasts a player base of over 8 million players worldwide, and is currently the 15th most popular online game (MMO Population 2021). The complex nature of the game allows for many modes of gameplay that put players into direct conflict, and this has the potential to generate disputes and controversy within the player base.
The Icelandic developers of Eve Online, CCP Games, have developed an innovative system to ensure that the game policies are enforced fairly, and are in compliance with the intentions of the majority of the player base. This system is enacted in the form of a virtual council called the Council of Stellar Management(de Zwart & Humphreys 2014) which is involved in setting and enforcing policy decisions, and modifying the end user license agreement (EULA) which acts as a mechanism to help enforce and control the game environment.
This system has worked well, but such a dynamic environment still provides a fertile environment for controversy, such as an incident called “Monoclegate’, which saw high priced items being sold inside the platform, alienating a large percentage of the player base.
Fortnite Communities
Large communities with unique customs and cultures can arise in games with less persistent environments. Since its launch in 2017 (Epic Games), Fortnite, with it’s Battle Royale gaming format has appealed to both casual and hardcore gamers with fast action and a never ending stream of other players to fight.
The difference between Fortnite and a traditional MMO is that each game session is a contained experience, although there is a loose meta narrative that provides some sense of continuity for players.
Due to the massive player base of the game, a huge online community has been built. In addition to the huge number of YouTube and Twitch streamers, there are multitudes of blogs, forums and Discord servers all dedicated to the game.
Most of the actual interaction that occurs in each game session has no permanent record, as it is all done via voice chat. This lack of permanent record has made the policing of anti social behaviour difficult. Epic provides a way for players to turn of voice chat, or report players who they believe are in break of the games EULA, but these are enforced on an ad hoc basis.
The community around Fortnite is always evolving, as the developers continually change rules and add new features to keep the game fresh, with new creative modes allowing people to create their own sub games and communities(Marlat 2020) . This allows for the continuing evolution of social norms within the game, keeping players engaged, and also facilitates the game having an influence on wider popular culture, as can be seen with the popular dance the Floss, which gained popularity after being featured as a player emote.
People have even suggested that Epic games may use Fortnite as the basis for a VR metaverse in the future (Park, 2020) a fully immersive digital environment that futurists have been predicting for decades.
REFERENCES
Epic Games , <https://www.epicgames.com/>, viewed 14/9/2021
Marlatt R 2021,Capitalizing on the Craze of Fortnite: Toward a Conceptual Framework for Understanding How Gamers Construct Communities of Practice, SAGE Publications,Journal of education (Boston, Mass.), 2020-01, Vol.200 (1), p.3-11
MMO Population 2021, <https://mmo-population.com/r/eve>, viewed 15/9/2021
Park, G 2020, Silicon Valley is racing to build the next version of the Internet. Fortnite might get there first, <https://www.washingtonpost.com/video-games/2020/04/17/fortnite-metaverse-new-internet/>,Washington Post, Viewed 13/9/2021
Skolnik M R, Conway S 2019, Tusslers, Beatdowns, and Brothers: A Sociohistorical Overview of Video Game Arcades and the Street Fighter Community,SAGE Publications, Games and culture, Vol.14 (7-8), p.742-762
de Zwart M and Humphreys S 2014a,’ The Lawless Frontier of Deep Space: Code as Law in EVE Online‘, Cultural Studies Review, vol. 20, no. 1, pp. 77-99.
IMAGES
Buzz Feed News, A teenager plays an arcade game on Dec. 27, 1981., <https://img.buzzfeed.com/buzzfeed-static/static/2018-01/22/13/asset/buzzfeed-prod-fastlane-02/sub-buzz-15003-1516646560-12.jpg>, viewed 14/9/2021
Polygon 2017, Eve Online alliance crumbles thanks to coup, online tumult bleeds into real-world threats, <https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/WxUpnmDzRT5eHlU17VVWBsC97SU=/0x0:1920×1080/920×613/filters:focal(807×387:1113×693):format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/56644647/keepstar.0.jpg> , viewed 14/9/2021
VIDEOS
Resurrected Starships 2019, Eve Online Explained in Five Minutes! , <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D76acXPGK7I>, viewed 14/9/2021
Epic Games 2021, Fortnite Chapter 2 Season 8 Story Trailer <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2lBFoxLvYHs>, viewed 14/9/2021
Hi Steve,
I had never heard of Eve Online until this week (which seems crazy considering the 8 million players and the game being so popular), so the video explanation was really helpful in understanding what it is as simple terms!
It was also interesting to see it compared with Fortnite (something I’m a little bit more familiar with, but still have never played!), where the interactions during play sessions have no permanent record, making it a breeding ground for anti-social behaviour. However, it’s good to hear that players can report others, but whether that’s effective is a whole other question! It makes us question how we can best control and minimise this anti-social behaviour happening in gaming communities.
Fantastic work as always, Steve! I’ve really enjoyed reading all your posts over the teaching period. Best of luck with the rest of your studies!
Hi Steve,
Another fantastic and fascinating blog post! I loved reading the comparison of Eve Online and Fortnite. I’m someone who doesn’t really know many online games but after reading your post, I have a much better understanding of what both Eve Online and Fortnite are (I’ve heard of them but never actually played them). I like how you added YouTube videos of both games as this also helped me have a visual understanding of what they are.
It was interesting to learn that Eve Online have created a system that ensures game policies are enforced in a fair manner. Unfortunatey it’s understandable that it has received some backlash but it’s great to hear the system has overall worked well.
I didn’t know that Fortnite has such a free and in a way, (partly) let loose system but it’s good there’s still the option to report something if needed. It sounds like Fortnite has a huge fan-base and since there’s always updates and new features that keep players engaged and communicative, I can only assume it will continue to grow.
Well done on all of your posts being really interesting and engaging. I’ve loved reading them all!
– Emme 🙂
Hey Steve,
Fabulous article, I had not previously heard about Eve online. It sounds like a fabulous social game that has introduced fair rules.
The comparison with fortnite is quite interesting. Fortnite has grown into such a large community, I had not though about the good social impacts this had on video game streaming and online discussions! I can imagine this has helped many people through lockdown.
I also wrote about fortnite, however I was making reference to its use of monetisation and the way social pressure can cause certain gambling issues.
Great Post as usual!
Caitlin
Fantastic job here Steve. The story of EVE Online is incredibly interesting and revealing. I do sometimes think of how undercooked harassment mitigation is in many popular games – I do hope better systems are developed as gaming does not seem to be going anywhere but up in the future. Rocket League does a decent job by not using a voice chat feature, only quick chat/text chat in game which can then be reported as proof of harassment.
The social dynamics are only going to become more and more complex as the games, and our immersion in them, become more complex too.
Great work, and all the best.
Robbie
Hello Steve,
Great work in covering this article in depth with different social gaming communities.
As a gamer I can definately agree that the depth and types of social gaming truly depends on the player base and game.
Like you mentioned fortnite is a more younger audience meanign there are more trolls whereas eve is a more mature game bringing a mature audience who love sci fi/science fiction.