Koster Social Social-Mechanics GDC2011

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    Social Mechanics

    The Engines Behind

    Everything Multiplayer

    Raph Koster

    VP Creative Design

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    Social Mechanics

    The Engines Behind

    Everything Multiplayer

    Raph Koster

    VP Creative Design

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    GDC 2011: Raph Koster, Social Mechanics for Social Games

    What are we going to do?

    Go very fast.

    Over 160 slides.

    I could not restrain myself.

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    GDC 2011: Raph Koster, Social Mechanics for Social Games

    What are we going to do?

    Go very fast.

    Over 160 slides.

    I could not restrain myself.

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    GDC 2011: Raph Koster, Social Mechanics for Social Games

    What are we going to do?

    The core 40 mechanics

    of multiplayer games. Yes, all of them.

    No further designrequired -- ever.*

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    GDC 2011: Raph Koster, Social Mechanics for Social Games

    What are we going to do?

    The core 40 mechanics

    of multiplayer games. Yes, all of them.

    No further designrequired -- ever.*

    * For certain values of ever.

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    GDC 2011: Raph Koster, Social Mechanics for Social Games

    What are we going to do?

    Theyll be marked like this:

    For your tweetingconvenience!

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    What are we going to do?

    We will touch briefly ongamegrammar

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    What are we going to do?

    and on economic theory

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    What are we going to do?

    The famed psychologistStanley Milgram

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    What are we going to do?

    1940s science fiction

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    What are we going to do?

    a game called Werewolf

    And

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    What are we going to do?

    a somewhat lengthy

    discursion into

    structuralist

    anthropology,

    for which I apologize, but not asmuch as for the time spent on

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    What are we going to do?

    a little

    Derrida.

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    But first

    A good game should focus entirely on it's single-playe

    first and foremost. Then if it's a simple game like a shooteuse the remaining time and space to fit in a multi-player it In other words, multi-playing should never take awaysingle-player aspect of the game. Pure multi-player gam

    should be few and far between.

    -- the unfortunately named New Troll, Escapist Forum

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    True single-player

    1 v. self/system

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    Defining a single player game

    A game that is not played in opposition to, or in pwith, or collaboratively with, someone els

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    Defining a single player game

    A game that is not played in opposition to, or in pwith, or collaboratively with, someone els

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    GDC 2011: Raph Koster, Social Mechanics for Social Games

    Defining a single player game

    A game that is not played in opposition to, or in pwith, or collaboratively with, someone els

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    GDC 2011: Raph Koster, Social Mechanics for Social Games

    Defining a single player game

    A game that is not played in opposition to, or in pwith, or collaboratively with, someone els

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    GDC 2011: Raph Koster, Social Mechanics for Social Games

    Defining a single player game

    A game that is not played in opposition to, or in pwith, or collaboratively with, someone els

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    GDC 2011: Raph Koster, Social Mechanics for Social Games

    Defining a single player game

    A game that is not played in opposition to, or in pwith, or collaboratively with, someone els

    (In other words, hardly anything.)

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    Boundaries

    The boundary of a game is not the board, event, w

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    Boundaries

    Consider: is training part of the game?

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    Boundaries

    How abou

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    Boundaries

    The true boundary of a game is based on where actican legally affect gameplay stop. Training yes, dop

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    Boundaries

    The true boundary of a game is based on where actican legally affect gameplay stop. Training yes, dop

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    GDC 2011: Raph Koster, Social Mechanics for Social Games

    Helping

    The simplest form of multiplayer, present even

    player games, is simple advice and assisAn outgrowth of spectating.

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    GDC 2011: Raph Koster, Social Mechanics for Social Games

    Helping

    The simplest form of multiplayer, present even

    player games, is simple advice and assisAn outgrowth of spectating.

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    GDC 2011: Raph Koster, Social Mechanics for Social Games

    Helping

    The simplest form of multiplayer, present even

    player games, is simple advice and assisAn outgrowth of spectating.

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    Parallel symmetric

    1 v system vs 1 v system

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    Parallel symmetric games

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    Status

    Quantifying a players achievement against the syste

    opponent.

    Typically becomes multiplayer when relative status compared.

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    GDC 2011: Raph Koster, Social Mechanics for Social Games

    Status

    Quantifying a players achievement against the syste

    opponent.

    Typically becomes multiplayer when relative status compared.

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    GDC 2011: Raph Koster, Social Mechanics for Social Games

    Races

    The first user to reach a given status level wins.

    (The basic boardgame, and basic sport)

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    GDC 2011: Raph Koster, Social Mechanics for Social Games

    Races

    The first user to reach a given status level wins.

    (The basic boardgame, and basic sport)

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    GDC 2011: Raph Koster, Social Mechanics for Social Games

    Leaderboards

    Compete in asynchronous parallel with all historicaattempts.

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    Leaderboards

    Compete in asynchronous parallel with all historicaattempts.

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    Parallel asymmetric

    1 vs system, vs 1 vs another system

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    GDC 2011: Raph Koster, Social Mechanics for Social Games

    A hypothetical arcade game

    The player is playing nested games of

    1. Steering the ship2. Hitting the asteroids with lasers

    3. Dodging asteroids and bullets and UFOs

    4. Getting advice from her friend over the shoulder

    5. Getting as high a score as she can

    6. To brag to her friend that she beat him7. And competing against everyone who has played this particul

    machine

    This nesting quality will be important

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    Scaling parallel

    Scaling parallel symmetric play to large numbers is

    do in a time-bounded way. For example, a few people can play an arcade game on

    other and compare

    or an infinite amount can play against everyone everhigh score table

    But how do you do a medium size number?

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    GDC 2011: Raph Koster, Social Mechanics for Social Games

    TournamentsBrackets are often a game

    of their own distinct

    from the scoring orstatus comparison.

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    GDC 2011: Raph Koster, Social Mechanics for Social Games

    TournamentsBrackets are often a game

    of their own distinct

    from the scoring orstatus comparison.

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    GDC 2011: Raph Koster, Social Mechanics for Social Games

    TournamentsBrackets are often a game

    of their own distinct

    from the scoring orstatus comparison.

    Of course, tournaments

    are often used for

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    Opposition

    1 vs 1

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    Opposition

    1 vs 1

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    Rival and non-rival goods

    A rival good is something that cannot be used

    by someone else at the same time.

    A non-rival good is stuff likeinformation, or the public par

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    Flower-picking

    Non-zero-sum resource consumption: You compete

    stuff, but there is always more stuff.

    Speed-up arrows on a race track even pickups in many games.

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    Flower-picking

    Non-zero-sum resource consumption: You compete

    stuff, but there is always more stuff.

    Speed-up arrows on a race track even pickups in many games.

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    Dot-eatingZero-sum resource co

    (also territory, in a grap

    Players compete to get stuff, and whatever I get, you can

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    GDC 2011: Raph Koster, Social Mechanics for Social Games

    Dot-eatingZero-sum resource co

    (also territory, in a grap

    Players compete to get stuff, and whatever I get, you can

    f

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    Tug of war

    I can take your stuff, you can take my stuff.

    Exactly like zero-sum status.

    The engine behind all combat games.

    f

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    Tug of war

    I can take your stuff, you can take my stuff.

    Exactly like zero-sum status.

    The engine behind all combat games.

    H di i

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    Handicapping

    Artificially equalizing status in ordeprovide a tighter race.

    S

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    Secrets

    In game theory terms, imperfect information as a rivalrous good.

    Fog of war, hands of cards, etc.

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    Multifront opposition

    1 vs 1 vs 1 vs n

    G h

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    GDC 2011: Raph Koster, Social Mechanics for Social Games

    Gutscheras terms

    At GDC 2009 K. Robert Gutschera used different terms tha

    Orthogames: games with a statistical rating outcome

    Parallel symmetric games: races (OK, same term here)

    Brawls: gluing together 2 player orthogames.

    Politics start when you have a choice of whom to interact

    Ri l d h i

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    Rival goods mechanics

    Several forms of brawls depend on treating resour

    within the game, such as

    Health

    as rival goods.

    Ri l d h i

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    GDC 2011: Raph Koster, Social Mechanics for Social Games

    Rival goods mechanics

    Several forms of brawls depend on treating resour

    within the game, such as

    Health

    Survival

    as rival goods.

    Ri l d h i

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    GDC 2011: Raph Koster, Social Mechanics for Social Games

    Rival goods mechanics

    Several forms of brawls depend on treating resour

    within the game, such as

    Health

    Survival

    as rival goods.

    T k t f

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    Take many tugs of war

    L t t di

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    Last man standing

    Biddi

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    GDC 2011: Raph Koster, Social Mechanics for Social Games

    Bidding

    Mediate youtug of

    via a rivalro

    Biddi

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    Bidding

    Mediate youtug of

    via a rivalro

    S i l ff t d d h i ti

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    Social effects depend on humanization

    Numerous social science experiments have found thvariety of psychological effects only occur when wthe interlocutor is human, or like us.

    The Milgram buzzer experiment

    Zimbardos work

    (Mirror neurons are all the rage.)

    S i l ff t d d h i ti

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    GDC 2011: Raph Koster, Social Mechanics for Social Games

    Social effects depend on humanization

    Numerous social science experiments have found thvariety of psychological effects only occur when wthe interlocutor is human, or like us.

    The Milgram buzzer experiment

    Zimbardos work

    (Mirror neurons are all the rage.)

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    Deception and bluffing

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    Once secrets are treated as goods, misinformation bform of tug-of-war.

    Deception and bluffing

    Deception and bluffing

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    Once secrets are treated as goods, misinformation bform of tug-of-war.

    Deception and bluffing

    3rd party betting

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    3rd party betting

    3rd parties play a bidding game against a rivalrous repool, based on the outcome of a multiplayer game

    Prisoners Dilemma

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    Prisoner s Dilemma

    Teammates with secrets from each other who must independently to collaborate or both lose.

    Except by dpla

    Kriegspiel

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    GDC 2011: Raph Koster, Social Mechanics for Social Games

    Kriegspiel

    Credited to Von Reiswitz

    First used around 1812 as a form of training for the Pru

    Kriegspiel

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    GDC 2011: Raph Koster, Social Mechanics for Social Games

    Kriegspiel

    Credited to Von Reiswitz

    First used around 1812 as a form of training for the Pru

    Kriegspiel

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    GDC 2011: Raph Koster, Social Mechanics for Social Games

    Kriegspiel

    Popularized by science fiction writers H G Wells wrote Floor Games (1911) and Little Wars (1913)

    Which led to Fletcher Pratt designing naval wargames in the 1940s

    Kriegspiel

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    Kriegspiel

    Some of whom went on to invent the think tank.

    Kriegspiel

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    Kriegspiel

    Some of whom went on to invent the think tank.

    Gamesmaster pattern

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    Gamesmaster pattern

    A multiplayer game that relieson a third party to direct thegame an evolution of thenon-mechanic referee.

    (U

    Gamesmaster pattern

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    Gamesmaster pattern

    A multiplayer game that relieson a third party to direct thegame an evolution of thenon-mechanic referee.

    Leads directly

    to

    (U

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    Small groups

    n vs n

    Werewolf

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    Werewolf

    Aka Mafia, etc

    A game where players have secret roles Villager, werewolf, various other small optional ones

    Werewolf

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    GDC 2011: Raph Koster, Social Mechanics for Social Games

    Werewolf

    Aka Mafia, etc

    A game where players have secret roles Villager, werewolf, various other small optional ones

    Werewolf

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    GDC 2011: Raph Koster, Social Mechanics for Social Games

    Werewolf

    Aka Mafia, etc

    A game where players have secret roles Villager, werewolf, various other small optional ones

    Werewolf

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    Werewolf

    Wolves get to kill off villagers, Villagers get to lynch

    Tons of these mechanics are present: deception, PrisonDilemma, brawls, gamemaster

    Werewolf

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    Werewolf

    Wolves get to kill off villagers, Villagers get to lynch

    Tons of these mechanics are present: deception, PrisonDilemma, brawls, gamemaster

    Roles

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    RolesSpecialization into different games within one group

    Roles

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    RolesSpecialization into different games within one group

    Hot potato/ganging up

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    Hot potato/ganging up

    Rotation of roles within a multiplayer game (often acreating ad-hoc groups.

    Think of tag

    Hot potato/ganging up

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    Hot potato/ganging up

    Rotation of roles within a multiplayer game (often acreating ad-hoc groups.

    Think of tag

    Tag

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    Tag

    Layering of multiplayer mechanics gives way to whole new

    Add secrets: Blind Mans Bluff.

    Add dot eating: Duck Duck Goose (compete for the chair)

    Addflower-picking: Freeze tag.

    Addgrouping: Cops and Robbers.

    But then theres Olly Olly Oxen Free! (or whatever) whaabout?

    Rituals

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    Rituals

    Ceremonies marking significant role transitions witsocial structure.

    Rituals

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    Rituals

    Ceremonies marking significant role transitions witsocial structure.

    Functionalism

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    Functionalism

    Sociology and anthropology used to see all of groupinteraction as being about structure: groups as orthat make the body work.

    Today the field has moved on, but its a useful lens fmultiplayer game designers!

    Ritualism and lifecycles

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    Ritualism and lifecyclesCompare Robert Mertons theory of deviance to player lifec

    1. First, users try to conform to the rules as they work to understa

    2. Then they try to innovate and reach the goals in new ways.

    3. Then they keep doing things the right way but stop caring abobjective. This is called ritualism, and he has a great Hopi rain example.

    4. Then theyretreat and stop caring about the goal orthe metho

    5. Finally, theyrebeland start doing their own thing.

    Common rituals

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    Common rituals Transitions of state (birth, marriage, death, levelling up)

    Holidays (environmental transitions, commemoration of

    transitions of state) Religious (requests for intervention)

    These are often marked by mechanics such as

    Changes of uniform

    Gatherings But above allgifts.

    Common rituals

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    Common rituals Transitions of state (birth, marriage, death, levelling up) Holidays (environmental transitions, commemoration of

    individual transitions of state) Religious (requests for intervention)

    These are often marked by mechanics such as Changes of uniform Gatherings But above allgifts.

    Common rituals

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    Common rituals Transitions of state (birth, marriage, death, levelling up) Holidays (environmental transitions, commemoration of

    individual transitions of state) Religious (requests for intervention, comfort)

    These are often marked by mechanics such as Changes of uniform Gatherings But above allgifts.

    Common rituals

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    GDC 2011: Raph Koster, Social Mechanics for Social Games

    Common rituals Transitions of state (birth, marriage, death, levelling up) Holidays (environmental transitions, commemoration of

    individual transitions of state) Religious (requests for intervention, comfort)

    These are often marked by mechanics such as Changes of uniform Gatherings But above allgifts.

    Common rituals

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    C Transitions of state (birth, marriage, death, levelling up) Holidays (environmental transitions, commemoration of

    individual transitions of state) Religious (requests for intervention, comfort)

    These are often marked by mechanics such as Changes of uniform Gatherings But above allgifts.

    Gifts are ubiquitous

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    q

    We give away the bride

    Gifts are ubiquitous

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    q

    We give away the bride

    We give gifts at major holidays

    Gifts are ubiquitous

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    q

    We give away the bride

    We give gifts at major holidaysWe gift the land with a bride at solstice

    Gifts are ubiquitous

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    q

    We give away the bride

    We give gifts at major holidaysWe gift the land with a bride at solstice

    We give gifts to the dead to take with them

    Gifts are ubiquitous

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    q

    We give away the bride

    We give gifts at major holidaysWe gift the land with a bride at solstice

    We give gifts to the dead to take with them

    We give gifts at weddings

    Gifts are ubiquitous

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    q

    We give away the bride

    We give gifts at major holidaysWe gift the land with a bride at solstice

    We give gifts to the dead to take with them

    We give gifts at weddings

    We give gifts to babies

    Gifts are ubiquitous

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    q

    We give away the bride

    We give gifts at major holidaysWe gift the land with a bride at solstice

    We give gifts to the dead to take with them

    We give gifts at weddings

    We give gifts to babies

    We throw t-shirts at hockey games

    Gifts

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    Transferring a rivalrous good to another actor in ordincrease their status.

    Gifts

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    Transferring a rivalrous good to another actor in ordincrease their status.

    Gift theory

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    y

    Marcel Mauss in Essai sur le Don Gifts are never free to either party.

    Reciprocal exchange is typical. Failure to return a gift in Polynesia costs you mana.

    There are three steps: give, receive, reciprocate. Each ceach can have consequences.

    Gifts are inalienable they always retain their sourc

    Kashmiri anecdote

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    A Kashmiri tale tells of two Brahmin womtried to fulfill their obligations for alms-

    simply by giving alms back and forth toanother. On their deaths they were traninto two poisoned wells from which no drink, reflecting the barrenness of this wsimulacrum of giving.

    --Wikipedia, summarizing an anecdote itself summarized in Gift: Imagination and the Erotic Life of Property,who got it

    Reciprocity

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    p y

    In an iterativesimulation, the social

    expectation of afuture return of a gift.

    Reciprocity

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    p y

    In an iterativesimulation, the social

    expectation of afuture return of a gift.

    Tiers of economy

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    y

    Non-market economies: no concept of price

    Generalized reciprocity:just give, whee, no expectations! Reciprocity resides in satisfaction, social closeness. In western society this te

    gifting between family members, etc

    Balanced reciprocity: expectation of a return gift at an undefined futu Still pretty informal. This is where social game gifting tends to reside.

    Negative reciprocity: barter systems, which enable transactions betwe

    strangers. A way to establish friendly relations when meeting strangers.

    Mentoring & twinking

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    Onboarding and socializing group members via the giftinnon-

    Giving a

    Or Mwhen

    Anex

    soci

    y

    Mentoring & twinking

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    Onboarding and socializing group members via the giftinnon-

    Giving a

    Or Mwhen

    Anex

    soci

    y

    Mentoring & twinking

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    Onboarding and socializing group members via the giftinnon-

    Giving a

    Or Mwhen

    Anex

    soci

    y

    Identity

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    Means of displaying status and role via rivalrous goo

    Extremely important with groups, from skins vs shirts

    gear, etc.

    Ostracism

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    Group removal via denial of common resources.

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    Networks

    Scale-free social structures

    Clustering

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    Until now we have talked about groups, which kindlike this:

    In social networking theory, these are called cluster And they often have weak ties to other clusters.

    Clustering

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    Until now we have talked about groups, which kindlike this:

    In social networking theory, these are called cluster And they often have weak ties to other clusters.

    Clustering

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    Until now we have talked about groups, which kindlike this:

    In social networking theory, these are called cluster And they often have weak ties to other clusters.

    Networks

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    Technical term: scale-free networks.

    A very particular sort of structural pattern and unhuman society.

    Networks

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    Technical term: scale-free networks.

    A very particular sort of structural pattern and unhuman society.

    Oddly, social network gamesmakevery poor use of social

    network theory

    Preferential attachment

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    Rich get richer syndrome

    A new person coming into a network tends to pick the

    popular node to connect to.

    Preferential attachment

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    Rich get richer syndrome

    A new person coming into a network tends to pick the

    popular node to connect to.

    Power laws

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    The mathematical distribution of popularity of link destin

    There are consequences to this distribution. Median lower than the mean Unknowability of the network Unequal information dissemination Network longevity and hub vulnerability

    Bose-Einstein condensate

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    Aphase transitionwhere a networks power law getsextremely kinked that a single hub dominates:

    Windows operating system

    Tiger Woods win-loss record earlier in his career

    The winning kingdom in Shadowbane

    Channel capacity & sympathy group

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    Lots of evidence to suggest that your

    knowable part of the network is limited Robin Dunbar, monkeysphere etc

    This leads to special mechanics when

    dealing with nodes at different graphdistances.

    Trust

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    Trust up close and its non-transitive!

    Reputation at midrange

    Faith at a distance (aka social contract)

    Trustl d

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    Trust up close and its non-transitive!

    Reputation at midrange

    Faith at a distance (aka social contract)

    Homogeneity

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    Tightly linked nodes tend to be homogeneous likinsame things

    This also introduces interesting liabilities in gameplay

    As those with kids know, ones peer group carries msocial weight than authority

    Combined with trust and other network characterisget

    Guilds/tribes

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    Association of self-similar nodes into a multi-clustenetwork with its own social identity

    Guilds/tribes

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    Association of self-similar nodes into a multi-clustenetwork with its own social identity

    Guilds vs Neighbor Structures

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    T. B. Naik specifies these as the identifiers oftribes:

    social distance from other tribes

    frequency of contact

    community of interests

    scale

    compactness and self-sufficiency

    politically organized

    customary laws multifarious economic pursuits

    Impact of scale

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    Different social structures at different scales:

    BandsNo fixed home

    "Egalitarian" leadership

    No real bureaucracy

    No lawsUnstratified culture

    TribesA single home

    "Egalitarian" or "big-man"

    Organized resource extraction

    Still unstratified

    ChieMan

    Castes

    Cronyism

    Bureau

    Taxes, indens

    Public

    Luxuri

    Dozens Hundreds Th

    Impact of scale

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    Different social structures at different scales:

    BandsNo fixed home

    "Egalitarian" leadership

    No real bureaucracy

    No lawsUnstratified culture

    TribesA single home

    "Egalitarian" or "big-man"

    Organized resource extraction

    Still unstratified

    ChieMan

    Castes

    Cronyism

    Bureau

    Taxes, indens

    Public

    Luxuri

    Dozens Hundreds Th

    Segregation and genocide

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    Mathematical simulations show that given a petri dstructures always

    Self-segregate

    Annihilate each other

    Exclusivityh f d d h

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    The use of identity and otherearlier mechanics tomanipulate the value ofrivalrous and non-rivalrous

    goods.

    Also known as velvet rope.

    ExclusivityTh f id i d h

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    The use of identity and otherearlier mechanics tomanipulate the value ofrivalrous and non-rivalrous

    goods.

    Also known as velvet rope.

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    Massive groups

    Designing games at the societal level

    OK, I have to stop and say this.

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    Massive groups

    Designing games at the societal level

    Social games have the largest game canvasin all of HISTORY.

    And yet social games are designedprimarily at the single-player level, with

    minor multiplayer mechanics.

    From here on up, its uncharted territory.

    But it is also the potentialand the future

    and the GLORY of social games.

    Swapping models

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    The functionalist way to look at things is:

    Game systems that are problems of control andcoordination at a societal level

    -- Herb

    Resource distribution, goods production, etc.

    Structuralism

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    The sequel to functionalism! More of an emotional

    also now out of favor:

    Meaning produced and reproduced via practiceactivities that are systems of signification

    -- Claude Lvi-Strauss

    (Such as games)

    Guild vs guild

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    Large-scale interactions using available systems to ccompetition between social entities

    Trade and contract

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    Formalized means of allowing mutually beneficialinteractions between overly-distant nodes on the

    Trade and contract

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    Formalized means of allowing mutually beneficialinteractions between overly-distant nodes on the

    MMOs versus social games

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    MMOs developed stronger social structures than sogames, because they had shared economic particip

    despite not having constancy.

    Social games usually have constancy without sharedeconomic participation!

    Anthony Giddens

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    Social structure as game rules

    Ant farming or goldfish bowl

    Structure, Modality, Interaction Structure is the rules and resources

    Modalityhow structures become action.

    Interactionwhat the actor actually does

    This analogizes directly to the forms of rules in Ruleor to the MDA framework.

    Post-structural thinking

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    A challenge:

    A lot of post-structural thinking is about seeing pastand to shades of gray.

    Moving beyond dualities such as neighbor and not,

    not.

    Games do this poorly. But

    The PASES model

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    Five general ways of building large, shades-of-gray social structmultiplayer games:

    PoliticsArts

    Science

    Economics

    Sociology

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    Politics

    Influence and social control

    Actors of any distance from the

    Elections

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    Actors of any distance from the

    interaction apply a rivalrous good towards

    an objective metric that applies

    network-wide.

    orA

    the

    Reputation, influence and fame

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    Quantified signifiers for social currency, and formalspending of this rivalrous good.

    Conflict theory

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    The European post-structuralism:

    Structures are developed out of conflict betweenwith differing interests and resources.

    Bartle

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    Structure vs agency

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    The big question: are we locked into the game desig

    Structure creates habitus a structure of mind, a set o

    schemata what goes without saying for a group -- PBourdieu

    The same question as socialization vs autonomy.

    Structuration

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    Anthony Giddens in 1984 had an answer:

    Social life is both the small andthe big

    People constantly reinforce and extend the structure tactions

    And the structure constrains what they can do

    So theres a reflexive action that makes things changoverall, slowly.

    Which leads to interesting game problems such as

    Public goods

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    Like a multiple player prisoners dilemma. Public gonon-rivalrous, so there is a temptation to enjoy th

    with no contribution. For example, breathing. Pubparks.

    Tragedy of the Commons

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    Flip side of public goods: if they are rivalrous, then tget used up. Classic example, the commons in a v

    Or spawns, territory, etc. The game is insolving the

    unsolvable.

    Tragedy of the Commons

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    Flip side of public goods: if they are rivalrous, then tget used up. Classic example, the commons in a v

    Or spawns, territory, etc. The game is insolving the

    unsolvable.

    An

    Community

    h l O

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    Where we start playing games on YOU.

    A properly managed community is structuration and becomes the ultimate political game

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    Science

    Figuring out how things work

    ARGs and Puzzles

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    Ridiculously complex puzzles can be solved by hive brains.

    ARG puzzles such as image-based steganography hidden innoise in a poster. Combat system algorithms in an MMO

    Underlying logical rules discovered via experimental mequals

    Strategy guidesThe transformation of rule-based secrets into a pub

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    The transformation of rule based secrets into a pub

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    Sociology

    The guts of sociability

    MLS

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    Multilevel Selection Theory

    Natural selection can be affected by cooperationgroup level.

    -- David Sloan Wilson

    TeamworkThe aggregation of social mechanics leading to the emergen

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    The aggregation of social mechanics leading to the emergengreater across-the-board competence.

    Wisdom of Crowds, DPS system

    Interdependence and scaling issue

    S l f k hi hl i l d f f il

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    Scale-free networks are highly insulated from failure.

    But collapse occurs if hubs are suddenly removed.

    If your game design has hubs and one breaks

    (cfStar Wars Galaxies, Pirates of the Burning Sea)

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    Economics

    Fundamental multiplayer dilemma

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    The game equivalent of psychologys Fundamental Attribu

    The basic premise of economics is mutual improvemoptimal distribution of resources.

    Its a way for a group to level up.

    This is anathema to games.

    Veblen goods

    A d h l f f b i h i

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    A good where peoples preference for buying them ibecause of their price.

    Luxury cars Limited Edition virtual items

    See also: soulbinding, level limits, etc.

    Services

    Cl d l b f f t i

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    Classes and roles can be seen as forms of asymmetri

    Even mechanic #1, helping is a service!

    So are numerous others on the list.

    In other cases, mechanics are premised in unequalcontributions.

    All of these aregenerally non-quantifiable.

    Therefore, cheating

    R d F KidT d l

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    Randy Farmers KidTrade proposal Gifting Twinking

    Gifting + Multiple Chars/ServerMuling

    Gifting + Messaging + Trust Trading

    Trading Messaging Trust + In World Machinery Robust Trading

    Robust Trading + Scarcity+ Liquidity External Market (eBay)

    External Market Trust + In World Machinery GOM

    Gifts inevitably cause Real Money Trade, which is a

    Allowing unequal quantified valuations of the same

    Arbitrage

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    g q qarise within the system, and permitting trade thatthem.

    Allowing unequal quantified valuations of the same

    Arbitrage

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    g q qarise within the system, and permitting trade thatthem.

    Supply chains

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    Cascading inequal valuations of goodsin sequence.

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    Arts

    The act of invention

    Games Are

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    Games Are

    solving statistically varied challenge situations present

    opponent who may or may not be algorithmic within a fthat is a defined systemic model.

    -- me

    Statistical variations are handcrafted, randomized o

    User generated content

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    Forums.

    Character art.

    Roleplay narratives. Fan fiction.

    Player conventions.

    Weddings.

    Game maps.

    The game has to be designed to encompass and permit this so

    User generated content

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    Forums.

    Character art.

    Roleplay narratives. Fan fiction.

    Player conventions.

    Weddings.

    Game maps.

    The game has to be designed to encompass and permit this so

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    Deconstruction

    Taking it all apart

    Remember the quote?

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    A good game should focus entirely on it's single-playefirst and foremost. Then if it's a simple game like a shoote

    use the remaining time and space to fit in a multi-player it In other words, multi-playing should never take awaysingle-player aspect of the game. Pure multi-player gam

    should be few and far between.

    -- the unfortunately named New Troll, Escapist Forum

    DerridaAs a turning toward the presence, lost or impossible, of the absent o

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    g p , p ,structuralist thematic of broken immediateness is thus the sad, nenostalgic, guilty, Rousseauist facet of the thinking of freeplay of whNietzschean affirmation-the joyous affirmation of the freeplay of t

    without truth, without origin, offered to an active interpretation-wother side. This affirmation then determines the non-center otherwloss of the center.And it plays the game without security. For therefreeplay: that which is limited to the substitution of given and existpieces. In absolute chance, affirmation also surrenders itself togenindetermination, to the seminaladventure of the trace.

    -- Structure, Sign, and Play in the H

    DerridaAs a turning toward the presence, lost or impossible, of the absent o

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    g p , p ,structuralist thematic of broken immediateness is thus the sad, nenostalgic, guilty, Rousseauist facet of the thinking of freeplay of whNietzschean affirmation-the joyous affirmation of the freeplay of t

    without truth, without origin, offered to an active interpretation-wother side. This affirmation then determines the non-center otherwloss of the center.And it plays the game without security. For therefreeplay: that which is limited to the substitution of given and existpieces. In absolute chance, affirmation also surrenders itself togenindetermination, to the seminaladventure of the trace.

    -- Structure, Sign, and Play in the H

    Griefing

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    Griefing can be an act of game literacy: engaging in

    ultimate transgressive play with the system,Or the act of virtual soc

    For brawls and races, see Characteristics of Multiplayer Games: Lessons from the World of Paper Gam

    Hidden info

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    , f p y f f pGutschera, GDC2009.

    The MDA framework is described inMDA: A Formal Approach to Game Design and Game ResearchLeBlanc, and Zubek.

    I recommend Linkedby Albert-Lazslo Barabasi for an intro to social networks, and Influence by Robmore on influence structures. And of course you read Rules of Play and Designing Virtual Worlds rig

    For more on network structures, I refer you to my GDC2003 presentation Small Worlds: CompetitivStructures in Online Worlds and its extensive bibliography. Theres a series On Trust on my blog a

    I would start with Wikipedia for reading up on sociology and anthropology.

    You can read Randy Farmers KidTrade: A Design for an eBay-resistant Virtual Economy on his webshttp://habitatchronicles.com/Habitat/KidTrade.pdf

    More on interdependences issues at http://www.next-gen.biz/news/what-went-wrong-with-pirate

    You can read Derridas Structure, Sign and Play at http://hydra.humanities.uci.edu/derrida/sign-p

    Writing and Difference. If you really, really, really want to.

    All the art came from http://icons.mysitemyway.comin the royalty-free Rounded Glossy Black Icons set.

    Special Thanks to John Donham & Jenny Kropko and Patrick Ferland (for PASES)

    This presentation and dozens more are available in various formats on my website:

    http://www.raphkoster.com

    http://habitatchronicles.com/Habitat/KidTrade.pdfhttp://www.next-gen.biz/news/what-went-wrong-with-pirates-mmohttp://hydra.humanities.uci.edu/derrida/sign-play.htmlhttp://icons.mysitemyway.com/http://www.raphkoster.com/http://www.raphkoster.com/http://icons.mysitemyway.com/http://hydra.humanities.uci.edu/derrida/sign-play.htmlhttp://hydra.humanities.uci.edu/derrida/sign-play.htmlhttp://hydra.humanities.uci.edu/derrida/sign-play.htmlhttp://www.next-gen.biz/news/what-went-wrong-with-pirates-mmohttp://www.next-gen.biz/news/what-went-wrong-with-pirates-mmohttp://www.next-gen.biz/news/what-went-wrong-with-pirates-mmohttp://www.next-gen.biz/news/what-went-wrong-with-pirates-mmohttp://www.next-gen.biz/news/what-went-wrong-with-pirates-mmohttp://www.next-gen.biz/news/what-went-wrong-with-pirates-mmohttp://www.next-gen.biz/news/what-went-wrong-with-pirates-mmohttp://www.next-gen.biz/news/what-went-wrong-with-pirates-mmohttp://www.next-gen.biz/news/what-went-wrong-with-pirates-mmohttp://www.next-gen.biz/news/what-went-wrong-with-pirates-mmohttp://www.next-gen.biz/news/what-went-wrong-with-pirates-mmohttp://habitatchronicles.com/Habitat/KidTrade.pdf
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