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PaperclipPerfector  2d ago (text post)   1963 thread views

Friday Fun Thread for January 16, 2026

Be advised: this thread is not for serious in-depth discussion of weighty topics (we have a link for that), this thread is not for anything Culture War related. This thread is for Fun. You got jokes? Share 'em. You got silly questions? Ask 'em.

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I think the first point is wrong, gamers respond to incentives, and you need to worry about attracting the right people in the first place. And a game with betrayal mechanics will attract gamers that want to betray.

I think what is needed is downtime. A time and place for people to just talk and shoot the shit. Hopefully while doing something fun or productive feeling. Humans are naturally social creatures, they just need a space for it to happen.

Star Wars Galaxies nailed this community aspect in a way no other MMO has before or since. There were entire entertainer and doctor and crafter classes that didn't participate in combat at all. And because it was an entirely player-driven economy where almost every weapon and piece of armor and stat buff had to be crafted or traded between players, specialization and cooperation were heavily encouraged. I probably spent more time hanging out with people in cantinas and engaging in productive, mutually beneficial commerce than I did exploring or fighting.

EVE online was somewhat similar. Lot of activities in it were time gated and required you to be paying attention but didn't require you to actively do anything. So socializing with a group of people that were all paying attention was perfect.

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