1. The case of TRAVIAN
“TRAVIAN is one of the most popular browser
games in the world. As a player in TRAVIAN, you
will build your own empire, recruit a mighty
army, and fight with your allies for game world
hegemony.” (Travian Games GmbH, 2013)

2. Community
• Where are the players?

3. Community
• Who are the players?
– In relation to their in-game roles
– In relation to other players
– In relation to the game

4. Critique
• Negative feedback loop in global server
• Strong suggestions
• Creative uses
if my
english not
vry good 

5. • ”This is a war game!” - really? Who said so?
– The game itself
– A ”Travianic culture”
• You must stay in an
alliance in order to survive.
• Traitors will be catapulted and farmed.
Strong suggestions

6. ...So I set up the unusual name ‘Noob’. Sounds very bossy And set out
to try to conquer the server. But I had no idea how travian worked. So to
my surprise we have ppl here with 3-6 years of experience asking
questions and Im most of the time
“Its my first ever game experience. Im not much of a gamer, never
touched MMORG except once for Eve online but that was 3 days. I
wanted to apply for an MBA and had no time. So I figured what better
way to learn the needed management skills and try out different tactics
than to simulate it?
Creative uses
Its a game, a simulation with real people. If I entered Harvard and wanted
to simulate leadign 100 people for several months it would cost sooo
much. Here, its like an awesome learning experience.”
(Noob, 2013)

7. Creative uses

8. Recapitulating...
• Players are defined in relation to the
game, its rules and its community.
• Both game and communities strongly
suggest how players should interact.
• Game and communities tend to exceed
the boundaries of game plattaform.

9. References
• Noob. (2013, April 13). Skype interview.
• World Wonder. Travian Wikia. Retrieved from
http://travian.wikia.com/wiki/World_Wonder on
April 14th, 2013.
• Travian Games GmbH. (2013). Retrieved from
http://ts9.travian.com/allianz.php?s=5&o=6 on
April 14th, 2013.
• Langton, C. (1995). Artificial Life: An Overview.
MIT Press.
• Salen, K., & Zimmerman, E. (2004). Rules of Play:
Game Design Fundamentals. MIT Press.