Online Socialization in Text-Based Role-Playing Online Games Communities: the Case of Games Based on the Book Series "Harry Potter"

The viability of any online community is determined by the activity of its members. That’s why the studies of online socialization (which means the process of involving of newcomers in the online community and their integration into social structure through the norms, values and accepted informal culture). are so important. This research project is devoted to the study of the features of online socialization in the communities of the text based role-play online games based on the book series "Harry Potter". The results of this study based on online communities concepts, created by A. Kim and R. Kraut, and principles of online ethnographic approach. It’s describe the main player’s strategies of integration into the game community, techniques, methods and technologies of newcomer’s socialization, key agents that determine the success of the engagement in the community, the barriers of player’s integration in the social structure of the game world and the practices of overcoming them. The results also determined the importance of the formal and informal social structure of the game world, player’s knowledge and skills in the success of socialization. Finally the results found the discrepancy of the player’s meanings in the designation of game success. The findings of the study are based on the results of the participant observation in the community of the text based role-play online games based on the book series "Harry Potter" and on the analysis of 20 interviews with players involved in these game practices.