Befriending ogres and wood-elves: Relationship formation and the social architecture of norrath

Abstract

Creating virtual worlds necessitates the articulation of physical and interaction rules that we take for granted in the physical world. Virtual worlds designers have to explicitly state how far voices carry, in what ways two people can help each other, and how many people can be in a group. This paper explores how the social architectures in virtual worlds can lead to behavioral changes at the community level by shaping norms and expectations. ©2001 - 2009 Game Studies Copyright for articles published in this journal is retained by the journal, except for the right to republish in printed paper publications, which belongs to the authors, but with first publication rights granted to the journal. By virtue of their appearance in this open access journal, articles are free to use, with proper attribution, in educational and other non-commercial settings.