Blog Assignment #3
Kingdom of Loathing: Kingdom of Loathing didn’t really have any social dynamics to begin with... it felt like a vast world of doodles that you were stranded in on your own. To remedy that, I would add the traditional MUD conceit of “You are in a room. Also in this room are “usernamex,” “usernamey” and “usernamez.”
Sissy Fight: Sissy Fight already has a chat system, but I think there’s a lot of design space in tying the chat to the gameplay. For example: when you type out an insult, it would be the equivalent of imputing the insult command. This would require a pretty advanced text parser.
MSN Games: I’d say the ability to create a personal profile would add a new dimension of social dynamics, simply because you would be able to see who you were playing a given game with... having that profile would engender a sense of player agency.
Yahoo Games: Yahoo already has profiles, so the next step would be an avatar system. Customizable avatars and a rewards system (win games, earn points to purchase avatar items) would greatly increase player involvement. (“Look at that guy with the crown, that cost a millions points to buy! He must be really good!”)