Due to this vastly increased demand for online gaming and social interaction, the genre of MMORPGs, otherwise known as Massive Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games, has grown dramatically, with some of the larger, more popular ones like World of Warcraft and Runescape claiming millions of players each. Within these games, players create their own character and embark on their quest, leveling up, questing, treasure hunting along the way. However, one other major thing happens during their adventure: they make friends. One of the major draw points for such games is that at any point in time you can team up with anyone on your server, to do anything from questing together, to treasure hunting, to simply exploring the game world of Azeroth. Over time, players can develop huge social networks through various social skills. As McGonigal states "Games build stronger social bonds and lead to more active social networks." (Reality is Broken, pg. 82) This concept is expanded even further through guilds, in which groups of players team up together to accomplish various tasks, establishing a identity over time.
On the flipside, players are not required to be a part of these social interactions at all. Many, many players chose to play the game by themselves, with little to no interaction with the other players occupying the world. These players "enjoyed sharing the virtual environment, even if there was little to no direct interaction" with other players. (Reality is Broken, pg. 89) For the players, the fact that they were just one of thousands of players on that server was enough of a multiplayer aspect. I am one of these players; I feel no need to search out groups to go raiding with. I am perfectly happy just exploring the world around me, doing quests as I find them and seeing the sights.
This expansive social network is seen as one of the biggest positive points of MMOs by critics, and is no doubt a defining feature of the genre. But the social networking aspect that exists within the game has effects that goes beyond the confines of the game world. Many of the same skills needed to build networks within the game, necessary for growing guilds and raiding dungeons, are applicable in real life.
1. Raids: Most dungeon raids in WOW have 40 people involved. Building a social network, then being able to use the lines of communication that have developed, is a crucial part of organizing a raid. Setting a time for the raid, tracking down all of the players who will be a part of it, and informing them is not easy task. Many of the same skills needed to organize a raid are directly transferable to real world applications such as social media.
2. Strategy: Wow is a strategy-heavy game. You as a player are more than welcome to wander the countryside dancing and goofing off, but most people will ignore you and move on to find people who know what they want and what they're doing. This is true in the real world as well. In the business world, if a company does not define an objective and build a strategy to help them reach their goals, they will quickly be left behind.
3. Guilds- Guilds are a crucial part of the game, based on the concept of the more powerful your guild is, the more powerful you can become. If you as a player put your effort into growing the guild and helping it to prosper, then you in return will reap the rewards from it. This is true in real life as well. Within any organization, the more effort you puts into a organization, the more you will benefit from it.
In closing, the social networks that are built through the playing MMOs such as World of Warcraft have an effect beyond just the in-game perks. The players themselves are developing the skills needed to have success in real life.
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