Ray Oldenburg The Great Good Place Analysis

In the late 20th century Ray Oldenburg noticed a rise in boredom, loneliness, and alienation within individuals and attributed this to a shift in culture towards more materialistic and individualistic lives. In his text, The Great Good Place (Oldenburg, 1999), Oldenburg suggests that for people to be relaxed and fulfilled in daily life there are three spaces that need to be in balance; the domestic (home), the gainful or productive (work) and a third space that is inclusively sociable and offers both the basis of community and the celebration of it. Unfortunately, he goes on to say that, in Western cultures, these spaces are decreasing. However many researchers have suggested that virtual worlds and online communications have the potential

As the first of the eight characteristics of a third place states “Third places are neutral grounds where individuals are free to come and go as they please with little obligation or entanglements with other participants.” (Oldenburg, 1999). Not only are individuals technically able to log in and out when they choose, but Steinkuehler demonstrates, through a chat log showing players reactions to others logging on and off, that it is a socially acceptable practice, barely noteworthy to players. Extending upon this lack of obligation to other players, MMOs also allow for a great degree of anonymity. In game, individuals are recognized by character names they can choose themselves. This anonymity supports Oldenburg's requirement for the characteristic of neutral ground, as within MMOs “...there is a general understanding that meaningful, trusting interaction between members of the community is dependent on anonymity” (Albrechtslund, 2011). The quoted notion stems from an article on the “Real ID battle” at a time when Blizzard, publisher of MMO World of Warcraft, was attempting to de-anonymize their official forums that were a core part of how the game's community communicated. This was at the heart of a discussion on why anonymity is important to the individuals

Given the vast number of players in different time zones and with different lifestyles, there is almost always other players online (Steinkuehler & Williams, 2006). In the game World of Warcraft it was reported that players spent an average of 22 hours per week in game (Yee, 2006), and on German servers for Ultima Online the average play session was 3-9 hours at a frequency of 5-7 times per week, with 0% of players playing less than an hour or less than once a week (Kolo & Bauer, 2004). This certainly fits Oldenburg's description of the fourth characteristic of third places as a place “which one may go at almost any time of the day or evening with assurances that acquaintances will be there” (Oldenburg 1999). However, it is also within the definition of this fourth characteristic that the MMOs of the early 2000s and even today may not quite meet. While to many of us switching on an Internet connected computer, with the requirements for most of these games, may be of ease, it is still not wholly accessible to all. Both the hardware and services can carry a financial barrier. Unlike the early 2000s though, there are many free MMOs so the financial barrier of a subscription fee is nonexistent, and Internet access is not as costly. There has even been a non-binding resolution from the