Collaboration via Cooperation and Competition: Small Community Clustering in an MMO

Although online communities as formed by guilds in online games have been an important research topic, to date little work has been done mapping the social networks in such games due to a lack of the right data. Using Sony's census for PlanetSide 2, the social networks for small outfits (guilds) were studied in a game where cooperation and competition are needed. Friend links mostly stay within the game's factions, but did cross faction lines. Small outfits typically linked to other small outfits of the same faction, but many had no links at all. A few may act as cross-outfit connectors. Despite the emphasis on large groups, small outfits of just two players were the most common. Communication affordances may play a large part in tie formation.