Are MMOGs Team Sports?

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  <a href="http://www.worldofwarcraft.com/">
   <img src="/space/wow_logo.jpg" /></a>
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I love games. I love game development, gaming culture, games as an art form,
and the game industry.

I don't have much time to
[play games](http://snarfed.org/space/games), though, so my firsthand
experience is somewhat spotty. For example, I've never really played an
MMOG. So when I found myself talking with
[a friend and coworker](http://armory.worldofwarcraft.com/character-sheet.xml?r=Eitrigg&n=Olwen)
who plays [WoW](http://www.worldofwarcraft.com/), I jumped at the
chance to pick his brain.

He plays with a [high-level raiding guild](http://www.weknow.to/), so he
spends most of his time in large groups of 10 to 25 people. I was fascinated
to hear how much teamwork the group raids require. Each person has a specific
role, and each is vital to the group as a whole. The group members all support
and depend on each other, coordinating tactics with split-second timing at
critical moments.

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  <img src="/space/hockey.jpg" />
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Granted, multiplayer FPSes and RTSes have always demanded skills like these.
Games like [Counter-Strike](http://counter-strike.net/) and
[Starcraft](http://blizzard.com/starcraft/) series have established ladders
and tournaments, and leagues like [CPL](http://www.thecpl.com/) and
[CGS](http://www.thecgs.com/) have turned the best teams into professional
organizations. Top Counter-Strike teams keep strict training regimens, run
tactical drills, and study their opponents' game footage before matches.

I'd never considered MMOGs in the same vein, though. My friend plays ice
hockey as well as WoW (friend: 1, stereotype: 0), so I asked him what he
thought of the team sport analogy. He saw the parallels, but he said
they didn't quite feel the same.

He described his hockey team as much more tight-knight and consistent than his
WoW guild, which is fairly big and loose. He plays hockey with more or less
the same people every week. By comparison, his WoW raid one night might only
have a few people in common with the group the next night.

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  <a href="http://flickr.com/photos/mbostock/244994628/">
   <img src="/space/corgi.jpg" /></a>
</div>

He also mentioned the difference in immersion. Unlike hockey, even the most
difficult raids in WoW don't always require his full attention. Whether it's
his girlfriend (friend: 2, stereotype: 0), his phone, or his
[dog](http://flickr.com/photos/mbostock/sets/72157594287115788/), real life
can interrupt WoW much more easily than hockey. (Interestingly, he said his
team's adoption of [TeamSpeak](http://www.goteamspeak.com/) both added _and_
detracted from the game's immersion. The always-on voice communication made
his teammates feel much more present, but it also exposed him to many of their
interruptions.)

OK, so even in large group raids with a top-tier guild, WoW might not rise to
the level of good hockey game. Still, it's far beyond the grinding,
socializing, and gold farming that the rest of us usually associate with
MMOGs. That alone was enlightening.

<div style="float: left; margin-right: 10px">
  <a href="http://www.capcom.com/phoenixwright/">
   <img src="/space/phoenix_wright.jpg" /></a>
</div>

Personally, I think this speaks to games' untapped potential as an art form.
With the more static art forms - film, literature, music - the basic
experience doesn't change much. In a game, though, interactivity means the
basic experience can vary widely. There's the team sport experience, but
there's also problem solving, socializing, creation, storytelling,
strategizing, role playing, and my personal favorite, exploration.

So far, the game industry has taken only half-hearted steps toward realizing
this potential. It's spent the bulk of its effort iterating on the same tired
themes: racing, fighting, shooting, sports, and adventure. Recently, though,
we've seen the rise of more unusual themes.
[Socializing](http://thesims.ea.com/), for one.
[Music](http://www.guitarherogame.com/),
[medicine](http://www.atlus.com/trauma_center/), and
[law](http://www.capcom.com/phoenixwright/), to name a few others.
[Emotion](http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=136645717206489131) may well
be next.

<div class="img-shadow" style="float: right; margin-left: 10px">
  <a href="http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=136645717206489131">
   <img src="/space/heavy_rain.jpg" /></a>
</div>

Personally, I think this is awesome. Microsoft, are you listening? Sony?
EA? Activision? Bring on the new experiences, and I'll fork over the dough. I
can't wait, and I know I'm not the only one.

Related links:

- [World of Warcraft: Endgame Ups and Downs](http://www.mmorpg.com/gamelist.cfm?GAMEID=15&SETVIEW=features&LOADFEATURE=1020&bhcp=1)
(on [mmorpg.com](http://www.mmorpg.com/))

- [game industry articles](/space/game_industry_articles)

- [GDC 2007](/space/GDC+2007) and [GDC 2006](/space/GDC+2006) writeups