Are the massively multiplayer environments Second Life and There games? No, say their creators, because they don't come to a 'quantifiable conclusion'. But Costik has a problem/rant with their definition of "game", and suggests that games provide goals. Then he goes further to say that successful MMGs will necessarily be games-which-provide-goals because
[i]f an interactive structure doesn't provide those who play with it with goals, then players will play with it for a time, realize there's nothing to achieve and nothing much to do--that it is, in fact, pointless (=goal-less)--and quit.And, in an interesting aside:
I have no problem with games that provide social status or popularity as a goal; in fact, I'd love to see a good MMG implementation of such a game (and, in fact, tried to get funding for one, some years ago). But you can't do it through leaderboards; you need a system of ranks, with promotion to a higher social status by achieving intermediary objectives. A massively multiplayer version of En Garde!, if you will. It would work, I have no doubt.Elsewhere: How to break into the games industry:
The first thing to do is figure out why you are unique. [...] From here on out, it is all about who knows you.
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