Persistent Game Worlds

Game worlds that exist independently of players' game and play sessions.

Through having people or servers dedicated to them, some games can have game worlds that are always available for players to enter them. This means that these Persistent Game Worlds exist independently from players' game and play sessions. This does not necessarily mean that everything that happens in them affect its future, parts of the entirety of them can be reset but this does not change that they are available continuously (with the exception for temporary server restarts).

Examples

Each Tabletop Roleplaying Game (e.g. Call of Cthulhu and Hârnmaster) spawn many different Persistent Game Worlds as game masters start campaigns. These game world can easily survive changes in player composition and even changes in whom does that game mastering.

MUDs (e.g. Kingdoms and DragonMud) and Massively Multiplayer Online Games (e.g. Ultima Online, World of Warcraft, and Entropia Universe) have complex and dynamic Persistent Game Worlds where players' game sessions with a single character can last for years. Similarly, Massively Single-Player Online Games such as FarmVille continue updating for all players regardless of which players are playing. The life time of game instances for these kinds of games are mainly determined by how popular or commercially successful the games are, and these Persistent Game Worlds can even survive software generations.

Alternate Reality Games such as Prosopopeia and Conspiracy for Good hide in the real world and thus makes it part of them. This of course means that these parts continue to exist independent of game and play sessions.

Using the pattern

Persistent Game Worlds are basically Game Worlds that have Dedicated Game Facilitators maintaining them so they are available when players wish to enter them. This is most easily done by computer programs but human Game Masters can also provide this service although the accessibility may be more restricted. They make most sense for Multiplayer Games, especially Massively Multiplayer ones, but are also needed for Massively Single-Player Online Games that are Tick-Based or support Visits.

Existing independently of players' play sessions is rather pointless if players need to synchronize when they should all interact with the Persistent Game Worlds. For this reason, use of the pattern implies giving support for Late Arriving Players and supporting Drop-In/Drop-Out gameplay.

Private Game Spaces Characters Freedom of Choice

Extra-Game Consequences Internal Rivalry Evolving Rule Sets

Persistent Game Worlds have game elements that stay in the world even though players start and finish their game sessions. The life time of a game instance is usually counted in months or even decades.

Persistent Game Worlds almost always rely on Dedicated Game Facilitators to maintain the game state independently of the players, although in some cases, especially in tabletop and live-action roleplaying games, this task might be shared between the Game Master and the players.

The game elements of Persistent Game Worlds can have a long life time enhancing the sense of Ownership. Many current MMORPGs have recognized this fact and afford players the opportunity to own and modify even buildings and areas in the game. The sense of Ownership is heightened even more by allowing the players to personalize their own items, Avatars, and locations in the game thus giving them Creative Control over their personal game elements. Even permitting players choose their own Handles in the game increases the player commitment. More complex Construction activities can lead to Player Constructed Worlds, which is one of the strongest features of text-based MUDs.

One way to achieve Identification and the sense of Ownership is to provide the players with Characters represented by Avatars and base the gameplay on Character Development. The effort the players put into developing their Characters deepens the Identification and the sense of Ownership. The Characters can, in the end, feel more like a part of the players' personality than just game elements.

The persistent nature of game elements that are shared by many players makes it almost impossible to have Reversability within players' game and play sessions, which usually do not even overlap, making the game an Asynchronous Game.

These games offer players the possibility to enter another world, and when these shared fantasies are constructed with care the Emotional Immersion and commitment from the players can be significant. Tabletop roleplaying games create these shared fantasies through Storytelling by the players and the Game Masters. The games usually have loose Narrative Structures with no definite ends, making the tales told by the players and to the players Never Ending Stories. This kind of Storytelling is usually based on the players doing Roleplaying with their Characters. As much of the Storytelling does not have an immediate effect on the state of the Game Worlds, these worlds typically generate significant Extra-Game Actions and Extra-Game Consequences.

Relations

Can Modulate

Game Worlds, Massively Multiplayer Online Games, Multiplayer Games

Massively Single-Player Online Games that are also Tick-Based Games or support Visits

Can Be Instantiated By

Dedicated Game Facilitators, Game Masters

Can Be Modulated By

Drop-In/Drop-Out, Late Arriving Players

Potentially Conflicting With

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History

An updated version of the pattern Persistent Game Worlds that was part of the original collection in the book Patterns in Game Design.

Acknowledgements

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