Online games
I just watched a session of an MMO game called EVE online , where a friend of mine tagged along 149 other people to launch a coordinated attack on an enemy faction. The team communicated via live-voice where a couple of commanders gave out instructions to the rest.
There were two things that struck me as particularly noteworthy. First, during the session there was a distinct two-layer chain of command which was respected by all – the commanders were the only ones doing the talking even though anyone could talk at any time. Second, I was very surprised by how exciting the whole thing was. At some point 150 ships were about to storm 90 others (all human-controlled) and the commanders were frantically giving instruction to everyone to get in formation or withdraw to some distance or what have you. Those moments offered me significant thrills even though I had no stake in the outcome (unlike my friend!).
I felt obliged to offer this commentary as my previous involvement with the incredibly boring WoW had left me disillusioned with MMOs. EVE has restored my faith in online gaming and I would urge you to check it out if you like that sort of thing.
