A sense of community
I can’t generalize, I know, but I just can’t help but feel that players in Asian MMOs gel better than those playing Western MMOs or Asian-made MMOs in Western markets.
Of course, I’m only basing my assumption on perception—that is, what I see and hear. I do know, however, that communities that spring up from MMOs running in my hometown are stronger than even time-tested friendships.
These communities have spilled over from the realm of MMOs to social networking sites, especially Friendster, which remains the Filipinos’ domain.
My clan in the highly popular Perfect World, for example, has its own website, active threads in several forums, a few blogs, and (what else?!) a Friendster account.
Ever since some enterprising members started the social networking craze within the clan. everybody naturally followed suit, posting photographs of themselves and their characters, and allowing others to comment (mostly negative but most assuredly done in jest).
This once-unconventional way of forming not just communities but strong friendships has also done wonders for the clan’s morale since members are interacting on a more personal scale rather than just “faceless” avatars representing living, breathing persons.
The social networking explosion holds true even for regional MMOs, such as Lineage II and Granado Espada. Guilds, clans and factions not only have their e-groups up and running but also Internet sites and forums.
The closest interaction I’ve seen in Western MMOs is some middle-aged lady offering “certain services” in exchange for items on World of Warcraft.
Tags: Asian MMO, Asian-MMOs, Friendster, Granado Espada, Lineage II, MMO, MMORPG, Perfect World, Social-Networking, World-of-WarcraftRelated Stories
POSTED IN: Asian MMO, Asian MMO Players, Random Rants
0 opinions for A sense of community
No one has left a comment yet. You know what this means, right? You could be first!
Have an opinion? Leave a comment: