Beyond Boundaries

The last article about the importance of community in online gaming that I read for my Game Design class this semester was "Online Game communities are social in nature" by Cindy Ahuna. This article is a little older and talks a lot about the past of online gaming and how multiplayer games started. Reading through the article, this paragraph stood out to me:

"In a global point of view, the Internet is the living organism that hosts many online systems. Boundaries of geography, economy, culture, degrees of education and family traditions have disappeared. Gamers are co-authors that take part in the experience. Communities are playing fields for social interaction. When gamers send messages to other gamers, they are free to exchange email addresses and meet beyond the game community. Communities have become an extension, a new medium of human touch."

I thought that it was interesting that Ahuna described online communities in this way. If I think about it, I'd say I agree, it is an extension of human contact. It breaks boundaries that previously held people back and lets people talk and learn with and from whomever they so choose. Community is probably one of the most important parts of online games because it exposes you to other people and lets you learn.