The PlayOn Group is a research group at the Palo Alto Research Center (PARC) that explores the social dynamics of Massively-Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games (MMORPGs). The original PlayOn blog content (circa 2005) can be found at this archive. The current blog is based on findings from a newer study that began in spring of 2010.

Selected Published Articles:

Yee, N., Ellis, J., & Ducheneaut, N. (2009). The Tyranny of Embodiment. Artifact, 2, 1-6. PDF

Ducheneaut, N., Yee, N., Nickell, E., Moore, R. (2007). The life and death of online gaming communities: a look at guilds in World of Warcraft. CHI 2007 Proceedings, 839-848. PDF [Best Paper Nominee]

Ducheneaut, N., Yee, N., Nickell, E., and Moore, R.J. (2006). "Alone Together? Exploring the Social Dynamics of Massively Multiplayer Games." In conference proceedings on human factors in computing systems CHI 2006, pp.407-416. April 22-27, Montreal, PQ, Canada. PDF [Best Paper Nominee]

Ducheneaut, N., Yee, N., Nickell, E., Moore, R. (2006). Building an MMO with Mass Appeal: A Look at Gameplay in World of Warcraft. Games and Culture, 1, 281-317. PDF