I will look briefly at how the formation of social networks differs between those people who play role play games, and those who do not. I will examine in particular pen and paper role play games (RPGs) such as Dungeons and Dragons (DnD), and their later computer based descendants which include Might and Magic and World of Warcraft.

A role play game is any game where the players assume a role other from that which they occupy in normal life. It is usually marked by some sort of special and unrealistic characteristic, such as a capacity for magical spells or cybernetic implants, neither of which is regularly available in ordinary life. There are many varieties of role play game, but the most popular and well known are those that descend from Dungeons and Dragons, so these are the ones I will be concerned with here.

Dungeons and Dragons belongs to a category of games known as pen and paper role playing, because nothing is required to play them save a pen and some paper. A hallmark of all these role play games is the simplicity of the requirements, which one might say was carried on into the computer generation through requiring only the game to play, except that this is not the norm for games now. These pen and paper games have inspired large numbers of computer games, including Might and Magic and World of Warcraft, enough to be considered the founders of a genre which has become increasingly popular.

Pen and paper RPGs generally involve a small group of players, generally 4-7, gathering regularly to play. Because these games involve long term character progression, it makes it difficult to introduce new players to an ongoing campaign and so a group, once formed, rarely changes until it disbands. On the other hand, the close cooperation required of players in the game will serve to bring them closer together and form a strong sense of teamwork. This means that DnD players are usually much closer to each other then is usual for a group of friends, and so it can be very easy for one person to expand their network of contacts to include those of their friends. However, because at heart the purpose of the game remains playing out an entirely different character it is not unusual to find that it is used as a form of escapism, and the players prefer not to discuss their life outside. This serves to make them even more isolated because they build no contacts during the game, thus effectively wasting time that could have been used in another more inclusive hobby. In the end it depends on the characters of the players, and seems to have no impact other then to bring like-minded people together. So if the group is very social, it will greatly aid the expansion of their social networks. If it is introverted, then it will do nothing for them.

Single player computer games can be dismissed instantly, as there is no real difference between a single player RPG and any other single player game. Unlike pen and paper games, computer games are theoretically played in isolation. However, in actuality the large internet community means that they are never really alone. MMORPGs naturally involve huge numbers of people (hence the name Massively Multiplayer) and the renowned anonymity afforded by the internet makes it easy for people to start conversations. It is entirely usually for a person to have a hundred friends around the world, and not know what a single one of them looks like in real life. In addition to this, online RPGs support player run organisations known by various names, although usually as clans or guilds, which give a structured system for them to provide support and help for each other. The long term members of such a group usually know each other extremely well, and often organise times to meet online.

Membership in a clan will sometimes extend into real life, but usually not as because of the anonymity of the internet it is impossible to know if someone you meet is a fellow player, much less in your clan, and in any case clans will encompass players from across the world. From a networking aspect, it is rare for one player to be introduced to another because there is usually no reason to although large numbers of players will be contacted in the course of normal interactions. So networks built will typically be very large, but extend to only a single level, and not apply to life outside the game.

So the formation of social networks is greatly aided by playing online role play games, but this network is separate and distinct from the one occupied in real life, outside of the game. It is considered bad form to publish contact details or webpage addresses online, but friendships are often maintained through instant messaging. As instant messaging is also often used to maintain real life social links, this can lead to an overlap between the online and offline networks.

While pen and paper role play games have really had no effect on social networking, massively multiplayer online role play games have. MMORPGs allow people to come into contact with far more people of similar interests then they would in real life, and leads to building a large network of contacts online although few of these carry over into real life. As people gradually shift more and more of their operations over to the internet, it is really only natural that their social life should shift with it, and so it should perhaps not be surprising that so many contacts are formed in online games. So in conclusion, MMORPGS greatly stimulate the growth of social networks on the internet, although they have little impact on real life. Pen and paper RPGs also have little to no impact on ordinary life save perhaps to extend the effects of an otherwise normal social gathering.