Researchers got ahold of the record from the end of beta in ArcheAge and asked whether the usual Prisoner’s Dilemma outcome holds: when the endgame is in sight, you defect rather than cooperate. Short story? “Apparently most folks would be nicer to each other.”
As reported at Reason, a little less than one half of one percent of players committed murder during the last two weeks of play. Leveling and questing fell off. And the longer people stayed, the more social they were.
: Zubon
End of beta? Isn’t that like the -beginning- of the world?
The interpretation and mapping to a possible real world scenario is questionable at best.
Archeage end of beta = no resources saved besides out-of-game relationships, soon-to-be beginning of a new world where those previous relationships might matter.
An “end-times” post apocalyptic scenario = limited resources where private or limited group ownership of those resources becomes critical over public good/friendliness.
An endgame prisoner’s dilemma implies you -keep- the benefits/resources of defecting. An in-game player wipe says you do not.
Also there is self-selection bias in that those who see no gain/benefit from socializing (and having realized they can’t bring any other resource gain with them) have already logged off to await the start of the new world, leaving the socializers to throw their party.