Principles of Emergent Design in Online Games: Mermaids Phase 1 Prototype

This paper the first phase prototype of Mermaids, a massively multiplayer online game (MMOG) being developed by Georgia Tech's Emergent Game Group {EGG}. We describe Mermaids in the context of the group's research mission, to develop specific games, techniques and design features that promote large-scale emergent social behavior in multiplayer games. We also discuss some of the innovative design features of the Mermaids game, and describe the rapid prototyping and iterative development process that enabled us to create a working prototype in a relatively short period of time on a zero budget project using a student-based development team. We also discuss the special challenges encountered when trying to develop a nontraditional game, one of the whose stated research goals is to interrogate MMOG conventions, using a relatively conventional game engine.