Everquest, Community, and Social Networks in a Virtual Game World

We all share the same globe, we are born, we grow, travel, gain experiences, and acquire wisdom as we move through life, all of which takes place within the "world". What if there was another world, in fact many other worlds, where you could let your mind wander, experience adventures, meet other likeminded travelers and share some time as a hero or a villain, or just a virtual being.In fact, such places exist; they are called virtual game worlds. In one such world, Everquest, people from all over the planet have been entering this virtual game world and creating avatars, digital representations of themselves, that they use to interact with the graphically created digital world they see on their computer screens. The amazing aspect of these worlds is not the beautiful graphical landscapes or the stories that make up the game that the players play; it is the ability to meet others in a virtual space, avatar to avatar, mind to mind.This book is the result of research conducted entirely within the Everquest game world, and details the results of the study, providing a glimpse into the importance of player social networks in creating a virtual community.