Unlike classical forms of
online communities or the newer phenomenon of social network sites, community structures of
online gamer
communities tend to be diverse, highly complex socio-technological structures centred around the organization, (meta-) communication, exchange (e.g., of virtual items) of game-related issues and events. Depending on the type of multi-player game,
online gaming communities can vary from relatively small
online interactions (e.g., in one dedicated discussion forum) to huge interconnected network activities encompassing clan homepages, clan networks, Weblogs,
gaming zines,
online forums,
gaming league sites and so on. So-called ? “LAN parties” are offline events directly linked to
online gaming communities, giving them a real-life representation.
Learn more in:
(Self-) Educational Effects of Computer Gaming Cultures