Understanding the Party

Structure and Leadership of Game Communities

Fokke Lingeman
3687627 – Workgroup 2
New Media & Popular Culture
1. Introduction
The Internet has massively changed the manner in which we play games. Where games in the nineties
were characterized by individual play, games in the current age are tending to more and more focused
on multi play; the joint participation of players within one game. This tendency has been a major cause
for the rapid development of online game communities. These communities seem to be increasingly
sophisticated in order to achieve mutual goals within the virtual game world. Having a business
administration background I will research a range of different games and communities that form
around them. The main focus will lie on the structure of game communities and how they relate to
examples from the business world. Apart from structure I will explore whether or not one could
recognize different leadership styles within these communities.

2. Research Question
How can online game communities around different game genres be explained by using organizational
structures and leadership styles from the business world?
2.1 Sub Questions
1. What is the reason for online game communities to form?
2. How do online game communities form?
3. Can one identify different organizational structures within different game genres?
4. To what extent can the structure of online game communities be compared to those of
organizations in the business world?
5. Can one identify different leadership styles within online game communities?
6. How do game developers respond to online game communities initiated by players?
7. How do online game communities change the rules of a game?

3. Theoretical Framework
3.1 Outline and boundries
This research project will focus on the structure of online gaming communities and forms of leadership
that manifest within these communities. These findings will be compared to organizational structures
and leadership styles that we see in the business world. Instead of looking at game communities as a
whole, a clear distinction will be made between different genres of games. Since games from different
genres vary in both gameplay and goals, my initial assumption is that communities that form around
these games differ as well. The motivation and grounds of players to form communities around First
Person Shooters (FPS) may therefore differ from those that form around Massive Multiplayer Online
Role Playing Games (MMORPG) or racing simulation games (SIM). This research will be limited to a
specific number of game titles representing each genre.

• First Person Shooter: Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 (Activision)

• MMORPG: World of Warcraft (Blizzard)
• SIM: Race On 07 (Simbin)
3.2 Leadership
In their report titled ‘Virtual World Real Leaders’ IBM (2007) identifies that the business world is
being shaped by increasing levels of virtual communication, recognizing the possibility that future
leaders will need to learn new skills and competencies to efficiently work in a virtual manner. IBM
creates a bridge between leadership within MMORPGs and that of leadership in the business world and
proposes that there is a lot to learn from the game world. IBM therefore proposes that organizations are
changing, in which there is a potential to learn from managerial practices within MMORPGs. Prior to
IBM, S. Kaagan (1999) analyzed 25 games that he promoted for experimental leadership training in his
book ‘Leadership Games’, showing that academics recognized the potential of leadership in games.

3.3 Structure
An initial assumption about online game communities is that these form with the rise of a need from
one or multiple players. These communities are assumed to take shape as players find themselves
unable to perform social activities within the technological foundation of the game itself. In his book
‘Images of Organization’ Gareth Morgan (1999) introduces the contingency theory, in which he
defines organizations as open systems that seek to balance internal needs and adapt itself to the
environment. This theory assumes that the organization takes shape while being under the influence of
the environment. When relating this to communities around video games I expect to find a gradual
transition process in which communities form from an initial to a well developed form. When we look
at games such as World of Warcraft, we can recognize that game developers are carefully analyzing
emerging trends and adapting their game to facilitate the players’ needs. One could assume that players
from different game genres have different needs, as their game and form of cooperative play may vary.
For that reason it is plausible that different game genres yield different organizational structures.

4. Method
The method of this research project will be an object analysis, carefully analyzing existing game
communities within the three genres, supported by literature to support the findings. The Contingency
Theory (Morgan 1999) will be used to identify the formation process of online gaming communities.
To comprehend the structures of online game communities I will assess in whether or not they
resemble organizational structures. Authors such as Thompson and Mintzberg will be used to recognize
patterns within online communities in order to link these to existing organizational structures.

4.1 General Concepts:

• Span of control: Span of control refers to leaders within a community. Main points of
attention are the number of leaders (and their respective levels) within a community and
which managerial tasks they fulfill. Additionally the ratio of members per leader is assessed.
• Task difficulty: The complexity of the to be executed tasks within an organization. These have
a direct influence on how an organization is structured.
 • Organizational performance: A term from the business world that refers to the difference of
generated output and predicted output. This can only be researched when communities take
part in online tournaments or competitions.

4.2 Organizational Structures

• Horizontal Organizational Structure: An organization with a limited amount of layers. In
many cases there is one (or a small number) of leaders under which employees are placed
• Vertical Organizational Structure: An organization that has multiple departments lead by
managers, which are subjected to higher management. The distance between
employee/member and ceo/leader is large.
• Pre-bureaucratic Organizational Structure: A centralized organizational structure that is
predominantly used within small organizations.
• Bureaucratic Organizational Structure: A structure that is often applied to complex
organizations which is characterized by a deep hierarchy and an increasingly large number of
managerial layers. Organizations that are structured in this manner often have a high level of
standardization.
• Post-bureaucratic Organizational Structure: This organizational structure replaces hierarchy
with dialog between its members. Shedding the focus on power relations within the
organization there is room for open dialog to stimulate participation and achieving the
corporate goal. This organizational structure can be recognized in non-profit organizations.

5. Argumentation Structure
To understand online gaming communities I will aim to identify similarities between its structure and
that of business organizations. Within gaming communities I assume that leadership plays a significant
role in shaping these communities. Leadership found within online gaming communities will thus be
compared with leadership in the business world and where possible identify different leadership styles.
To structure this research project I will aim to answer the sub questions using practical examples and
by making connections to management literature.

To understand an online gaming community, or any structured organization for that matter, one must
understand its origin and the motivation of its founders to initiate such a community. The fundament of
each online gaming community, and the manner in which it develops overtime as the environment
changes or its member base expands, is crucial to understand when it comes to explaining its structure
and forms of leadership. Earlier writings about leadership within computer games such as the article
written by IBM will assist me in answering these sub questions.

When I have managed to answer these sub questions I will attempt to answer the main research
question and seek to identify to which extent one could explain online gaming communities by looking
at business practices.
6. Scientific relevance
Since game developers are increasingly developing their games for multiplayer purposes, the need for
communities around these games seems to increase. By comparing the emerging organizational,
structural and social implications with those of the business world there may be possibility to
understand the existing communities that form around video games.

7. Social relevance
This research aims to understand online game communities and the leadership styles within them. The
social relevance that flows from this research could potentially be how online game communities
change play and reshape the player’s experience.

8. Sources
Game community websites and forums
• http://hellsgamers.com/
• http://www.paragon-wow.com/
• http://www.methodwow.com/
• http://simracing.nl/
• http://anarchistofgaming.com/

9. Literature
• Morgan, G (1999). Images of Organization. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
• Cao, Y (2009). A Community Success Model for Gaming Communities. Journal of
Multimedia 4(2), 87
• Steinmetz, R, Bergsträsser, S, Hildebrandt, T, Rensing, C (2009). Virtual context based
services for multiplayer online games to facilitate community participation. Multimedia tools
and applications, 25(3) 347-367
• IBM, (2007). Virtual Worlds, Real Leaders. A Global Innovation Outlook 2.0 Report, 1-32
• Ho, S.H., Huang, C.H (2009). Exploring success factors of video game communities in
hierarchical linear modeling: The perspectives of members and leaders. Computers in human
behavior, 25(3) 761-769.
• Szell, M & Thurner, S (2010). Measuring social dynamics in a massive multiplayer online
game. Social Networks 32(4) 313-329.
• Raessens, J (2005). Handbook of Computer Game Studies.
• Bohte, J, & Meier, K.J. (2001). Structure and the Performance of Public Organizations: Task
Difficulty and Span of Control . Public Organization Review, 1(3), 341-354.
• Thompson, J (2003). Organizations in Action.
• Kaagan, S. (2000). Leadership Games: Experiential Learning for Organizational
Development. The Journal of Academic Librarianship, 26(1), 71.