On the Quest – Standards & Practices for User-generated Online Games & Their Communities

Abstract

We report on the progress of an effort, the Role Play Nexus, to identify best practices and develop de facto standards for user-created and user-managed role playing games using the medium of Second Life. The case of the Nexus indicates the ability of spontaneous, non-commercial, informal game and community development to identify issues and practices, and generate concepts, mechanisms, and standards of significance for educational, research, and commercial online game design and operation.