Online Gaming: Building and Nurturing Vibrant Communities

This paper investigates online gaming. It looks at the communities formed around it and the people who play it. It will show the many types of communities around online gaming and gaming platforms. It will argue that these communities are in most online games. They have as significant an effect on gamers as any real-world community. For instance, as soccer enthusiasts might gather to discuss soccer predictions for today, gamers come together in various online communities to share their experiences and insights about their favorite games.

People argue against the validity of gaming communities. This paper seeks to argue that these communities are important to gamers and as valid as any other community in a gamer's life.

In recent years, online gaming has become popular with people of all ages worldwide. Millions of people play online games daily. They share the experience with thousands of other gamers. Many online games have the same server. Thousands of players share a server in games like World of Warcraft or RuneScape. This leads to the players forming relationships with each other.

As a result, communities form in these games. They consist of groups of players ranging in size from a few people to thousands. Gaming communities are not always tied to a single match or game type. Many groups of gamers in Guilds or Clans play many different online games together. They could stick together for many years.

Another community forms around popular online games. It is a strong community outside the game. Gamers in these communities love the game. They share info and experiences on external platforms. These include Reddit and Steam. Online games also have a third form of community. It is created and kept in the game itself. Many popular online games encourage users to join guilds or clans. They offer ways to talk and group up with other players in the guild or clan. Online gaming is increasingly popular. The communities in and around popular games are as strong and valid as any in the real world.

Many games are online, causing gamers to switch between them every few months. They try new ones or revisit old, unplayed games. Gaming communities form around players who like sharing their game time. They stay present and relevant, no matter the game.

Clans and guilds can have any number of people, sometimes reaching into the thousands. Players in them form long-term relationships and friendships. These last longer than the time spent playing one game. These groups exist outside any single game. They often use third-party tools like Discord to connect. They use them to share news and contact each other. Some major gamer clans share information about their clan on public websites. They also encourage gamers to apply to join. They do this to grow their clan.

Having a large community gives them the chance to host guild events. These events can be within a single game or entirely outside of games. Counting the online games is hard. However, Steam, a significant video game store, had over thirty thousand in 2019 (PCGamer, 2019). This is why many gamers seek a spot in the broader community. The community is interested in gaming rather than relying on a single online game.

• Online game categories vary a lot. So, people are only passionate about some categories.

• These communities allow people to bond over the games they love. They can also make friends with people who share their gaming experiences.

• Like all communities, gaming ones can have arguments and aggression. However, there is more often the chance to meet lifelong friends.

These groups show how gamers find and create communities. They use them to share game time, but communities can also exist in many other forms.

Many people play games online. This is clear from counting the number of people playing at once. An example is PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds. At the peak of its popularity in 2017, it hit over three million players at once (Polygon, 2017). Games with many concurrent players usually develop a significant online presence. There, players talk about the game but outside the game.

Gamers share gaming tutorials and funny clips on sites like YouTube, post humor and info on sites like Reddit, and talk on gaming forums like NeoGAF. This presence in the game creates a vast community. Players share their activities and experiences with others who love playing, too.

Case Study: Old School RuneScape

An example of this form of community is Old School RuneScape. The RuneScape community has hundreds of thousands of users. They connect over hundreds of sites and groups to discuss the game. Searching the game's name shows some popular community websites. They are around the game, such as Reddit and YouTube. Settled is a content creator in Old School RuneScape. He uploads videos of his gameplay to YouTube. They are often seen by hundreds of thousands of viewers. His YouTube series, Swampletics, is top-rated in the RuneScape community. Almost everyone who plays the game knows it. Every video in the series gets over 300,000 views (PC Gamer, 2019).

This demonstrates how strong the connection to an external gaming community can be. This community exists outside the game's bounds. Gamers create and support it by talking outside the game. Many separate sites, such as Reddit and YouTube, have nothing to do with each other. They support this community. They are platforms for gamers to share their content and experiences.

Not only active players do it. Many people without the time or desire to play the game do it, too. They enjoy being part of the game's community. Gamers enjoy being part of a community. They can meet others with similar interests. There are many types of communities other than those within the game.

Many popular online games encourage players to create or join guilds. Guilds help players find others with whom to enjoy the game.

World of Warcraft is a popular online roleplaying game. It has a significant focus on group content in both PVE and PVP. PVE means player versus environment, and PVP means player versus player. Some PVE dungeons in World of Warcraft are for up to forty players. These players must work together in a large group to do complex tasks. These dungeons are challenging. So, it is beneficial for players to form a group or join a guild. This helps them coordinate and organize people. They find times and events that work for everyone.

Many players need help organizing these times and events. Joining a guild is required. Yet the guild also does many other things for the player. Guilds are also helpful for connecting with other game users. They help form small groups to do quests or dungeons together. They let people play the game together. Joining a guild is not a rule for playing the game. However, many players join one to find others to play the game with.

Community and Well-Being

Guilds are sometimes small groups or very large. They can be great communities within the online game. They let people build relationships with the people they enjoy playing with. Research suggests that people are happier and more relaxed when playing games. This is true when they are part of a community where they belong. The ability to talk to others and make lasting friendships in an online game is essential. It is vital to a person's lasting passion and interest in the game (The Conversation, 2020).

Gaming has many forms of community; many online games encourage players to form them. Friendships and relationships formed through gaming can last for many years. Many gamers build these connections through the communities where they meet new people.

Over the years, how people see the community has changed. However, it has always been an essential part of life. Gamers need to find their place in an active online game community. It is vital to keep using gaming as a haven to relax and be happy. Communities exist in many forms around the gaming world. There are many ways to join them. Playing games with others encourages people to form close relationships. The bonds hold them together for years. Some friendships from gaming last for life. Real-world and gaming communities are different. However, they are essential for people to express themselves and chat with others who share their interests. Gaming communities are growing. It is essential to understand their impact on gamers' lives.