Trust is the invisible glue that holds thriving communities together. By prioritizing trust-building, we unlock healthier interactions, higher engagement, and a more sustainable ecosystem.
- Trust is essential for thriving online game communities. It promotes healthy player behavior as well as collaboration and a sense of belonging.
- Trust is a two-part process — we need to both understand the theoretical principles of trust-building in game design and actively assess how much trust exists within a specific game community in order to calibrate our efforts.
- High-trust communities are more resilient in the face of negativity, thus they can have a marked impact on the presence of disruptive behavior and dissuade bad actors.
What is trust?
Trust can take many forms, but at its heart it is confidence that interactions with other players, developers, and the game itself will be fair, consistent, respectful, and free from exploitation or betrayal. This can mean trusting that someone will do what they say, but it can also mean feeling safe enough to take a risk or be vulnerable in front of others.
We usually associate vulnerability with emotional disclosures such as sharing your feelings. In gaming, however, vulnerability can mean trying a new strategy, creative expression, admitting you don’t know something, owning a mistake, or revealing something about yourself with the expectation of acceptance and respect.
Trust allows players to engage more fully, fostering a deeper connection with the game and its community.
Trust is vital for game development
Trust both acts as a bridge for newcomers, determining how they show up in-game, and provides existing players a reason to stay and play together. Fostering trust can help:
- Community resilience — High-trust environments are naturally resistant to disruptive behaviors. Players are more likely to respect one another, resolve conflicts amicably, and offer a helping hand to those in need.
- Collaboration — Games built on trust encourage teamwork and strategic alliance. Players have greater confidence working together toward shared goals, whether it’s completing a tough raid or contributing to a guild’s success. This collaboration further amplifies a sense of accomplishment, belonging, and fun.
- Retention — When players trust the game, the developers, and their fellow community members, they are far more likely to stick around. This translates into higher retention rates, dedicated players, and the potential for organic growth through positive word-of-mouth.
- Safety and comfort — Trustworthy games prioritize and promote fairness, as well as protect players from harassment, cheating, scamming, and predatory behavior. This fosters a sense of security that is vital for maintaining an enjoyable and safe experience for everyone.
- Self-expression — In a trusted space, players feel comfortable being themselves. They’re more willing to experiment, try new things, be creative, and form meaningful connections with others. This leads to an engaged and diverse community brimming with player-generated content.
Trust and safety
In gaming, a fundamental tension arises between the need for trust and the vulnerability it demands. Players crave safe havens for connection and self-expression, yet they also grapple with the inherent risks of opening up in online spaces. Recognizing this, designers of virtual gathering spaces must embrace both the need for trust and the accompanying responsibility to invest in player safety.
Alice Hunsberger has an excellent discussion of the tension between expression, privacy, and safety in her article, Trust & Safety Is How Platforms Put Values Into Action.
Bad actors are adept at manipulating trust for personal gain, and we have a duty to shield players, especially the most vulnerable, from such harm. The ripple effect of feeling unsafe can permeate a community, hindering the formation of future trust. By proactively addressing these risks, we can cultivate safer, more welcoming environments that nurture genuine connection and collaboration
Important: If your game might attract young audiences, consult with child-safety experts. They will guide you in creating a safe and appropriate experience and ensure compliance with best practices and regulations.
You can learn more about trust and safety here:
When creating shared spaces, we have a duty of care to prioritize the safety and well-being of players.
What does trust look like?
Trust can be hard to measure directly, but communities and groups with high trust will exhibit certain behavior patterns that can be examined as a proxy for trust. The following provides an overview of what you might look for at the individual, group and community levels.
Note that no one signal is itself a marker of trust — these should be reviewed in aggregate, as well as by spending time determining how trust might manifest in your game, specifically.
| Success signs | Warning signs | |
| Individual | Time spent in game (longer sessions, regular logins) Friend referrals or in-game purchases Participation in optional activities Positive community sentiment around Prosocial behaviors | Increased time between games (can be a predictor of churn) Negative reviews or surveys Abandonment of long-term goals Shift toward cynicism Antisocial behaviors High solo or domineering play patterns |
| Group | Guild / clan formation & longevity High collaboration rates Group helpfulness, sharing Evidence of coordinated play Low inter-group conflict | Guild / clan fracturing or disbandment / abandonment Declining collaboration Increased aggression among players High antagonism and externalized blame |
| Community | Organic growth Content creation Positive sentiment analysis Player-organized events High use of emotes High relative density of connections Low report rates* | Increased reports of harassment Declining content creation Difficulty retaining new players Widespread negativity Hostile reactions Unwillingness to participate in community events Low relative density of connections |
This is only a very brief introduction to trust in gaming. There is a wealth of other resources both on this site and beyond. Designing to enhance trust can have a marked impact on the success of any play group or community. We encourage all developers to delve more deeply into trust in the links below.
Now what?
For a foundational and applied deep dive into trust in gaming, see Raph Koster’s The Trust Spectrum
Also see Project Horseshoe’s report on Social Design Practices for Human-Scale Online Games for a look at how trust can help in creating online games that foster meaningful social interactions and build strong communities.
See related content below for more! Or, see all articles on Trust.
References
- Cook. D. et al. (2016). Game design patterns that facilitate strangers becoming “friends.” Project Horseshoe.
- Gouldner, A. W. (1960). The norm of reciprocity: A preliminary statement.
- Koster, R. (2018). The trust spectrum. Raph Koster’s Website.
- Newcomb, T. M. (1961). The Acquaintance Process.
- Thibaut, J. W. & Kelley, H. H. (1959). The Social Psychology of Groups.
- Zajonc, R. B. (1968). Attitudinal effects of mere exposure.
