The (drop) party revolution

Egalitarianism is an essential prerequisite to, and direct consequence of, experiencing collective joy and Turner’s communitas during parties. Unsurprisingly, this egalitarianism extends to digital party games, which can feature game mechanics and elements that force some degree of egalitarianism between players to facilitate social connection and shared joy. While arguably an essential characteristic of parties, egalitarianism can pose an unwelcome threat to established structures of hierarchy, and those who hold material and social power will often attempt to suppress or control the festivities to maintain the status quo. Interestingly, the threat of party egalitarianism and communitas also extends to player-created parties in non-party games, as evidenced by drop parties in the early years of the MMORPG RuneScape and Jagex’s subsequent attempts to control drop partying. The relationship between egalitarianism and the experience of joy at parties is powerful—intentionally designed for in some party games, yet actively discouraged in other games that organize players into hierarchies.