TY - JOUR T1 - Computing, social activity, and entertainment: A field study of a game MUD JF - Computer Supported Cooperative Work (CSCW) Y1 - 1998 A1 - Muramatsu, Jack A1 - Ackerman, Mark S KW - combat MUDs KW - entertainment KW - games KW - MUDs KW - online communities KW - participant-observation KW - play KW - social worlds KW - system design AB -

Are game and entertainment systems different than work-oriented systems? What drives the user's experience in a collaborative game? To answer these questions, we performed a participant-observation study of a combat MUD, a game similar to Dungeons and Dragons. Our interest is in how this social world is arranged and managed (rather than, for example, in how participants form or display individual identities). The study explores the social arrangements and activities that give meaning and structure to the participants. We found that conflict and cooperation were the dominant social activities on this MUD, much more so than sociability. The game's management played a critical function in maintaining and promoting these activities. Moreover, novelty and entertainment were important for the design of both the system features and the sociality itself.

VL - 7 UR - Complete ER -