Thu 10 Sep 2009
(Click for a larger image.)
I'm a gamer. I play video games. But unlike many gamers, I play only one game. So, I guess I should say 'I play video game.' I've dabbled around in others, but mostly it's just the one. I play Team Fortress 2 (TF2, for short), created by Valve. I bought this game a few years ago, and I've been hooked ever since. But, you know, I'm not addicted. I could quit any time.
I continue to be amazed at how it keeps my attention over time. In fairness, I was enabled in this time-sucking pursuit by an unlikely conspirator: my academic adviser, Coye Cheshire (also a closet gamer). As it happens, being directed towards this particular game was fortunate given my areas of research. For someone who studies online collaboration, social psychological incentives, and computer-mediated communication, TF2 is like a giant sandbox with one of those amazing lever-operated wooden backhoes. Engaging deeply with TF2 has convinced me of these things, which I hope also to convince you of:
- Valve is brilliant. Team Fortress 2 is brilliant.
- With respect to incentives and community management, Team Fortress 2 is the most socially advanced game of its type.
- TF2 should be a model for designing and implementing effective incentives for online participation.
Over the next few weeks I'm going to post on a variety of topics and, I hope, 100% convince you of these statements.
Arguably, it is not TF2 that is brilliant in terms of incentives, but Valve which built a wonderful incentive engine which many apps use or emulate.
I agree that the incentive engine is brilliant. The system is so well instrumented, it captures so much detail about game-play and behavior, that it really opens the door to reward players in different ways.
But it's not the technical side that excites me so much, it's what they do with it on the social side. TF2 succeeds in ways that Left 4 Dead doesn't, even though L4D came later and could benefit from lessons learned. More on that soon!
how can you possibly say that you only play one game and then say TF2 is the "most" anything?
Joe,
Let's not quibble over adverbs – we're not evaluating hypotheses here. The point is to say that Valve handles incentives and community management in what I think is a brilliant way.