| A code of conduct has multiple functions: -
The primary purpose of the code of conduct is to inform the player population as to what kinds of behavior are considered permissible and to establish a social norm. Most players, if given a structure or set of boundaries, will willingly conform to them, especially if mild incentives are provided. -
A few individuals will, of course, rebel against the restrictions in the code of conduct. Thus, the second function of the code of conduct is to establish a basis for taking corrective action against these recalcitrant users. The goal is to have users that conform to the code, with a minimum use of force or penalties. -
Finally, a third function of the code is to assure parents or legal guardians that the environment we are creating is a wholesome one for their children. (This also applies to individuals who are considering joining for themselves but are not sure that they will feel safe within the environment.) In a real online game there will, in fact, be two codes of conduct: an explicit, written code that is imposed by the designers of the system, and an implicit code that will emerge from the social interactions within the game itself. This second code is an important component of a rich and diverse play experience, possessing a homegrown feeling of authenticity that may be lacking in the first, explicit code. Thus, the growth of this implicit code of conduct should be watched and nurtured. However, the code of conduct is more than just a set of rules. It is an integral part of the game's social discourse . In an MMORPG, most conversations tend to be "about" the goals of the game ”leveling, getting better weapons, and so on. In an ideal situation, the codes of conduct, both formal and informal, are an important part of these conversations. By establishing goals, the designers of the game define an omnipresent context in which all actions, and in particular all conversations, take place. A Mild Tangent I like to visualize this as a "gradient" in the mathematical sense ”that is, at any given moment in a multi-dimensional realm, you can always tell which direction is "up" and which is "down" by the gradient ” sort of like standing on the slope of a hill in the fog; you always know which direction will take you higher. Thus, applying this metaphor to a game experience, it means that no matter what situation you find yourself in, you can always determine which actions will lead you nearer or farther from a specified goal, at least locally. And you can converse with those near you about the nearness of the goal and the direction to it, since you are in a shared context. We can talk about "unipolar" worlds , in which there exists a single overarching goal to which all other goals are subsidiary [such as leveling in EQ ], versus "poly-polar" worlds, in which there are multiple orthogonal goals, another time. | Of course, in order for a code of conduct to be effective, it has to be enforced. Two steps for doing that are detection and corrective action.  |
