When researching virtual worlds and the online communities that compose them for another article, I came across the story of Spreading Taint, a large guild that spans not only the World of Warcraft, but a wide expanse of many online games. In a notoriously intolerant environment comprising mostly of a heterosexual male audience, the players in Taint bind together to foster a “mature, friendly, open community of players.”

The formation of interest groups such as Taint in these larger online communities is becoming an increasingly more common phenomenon. In the past, players came together under the umbrella of shared goals within the game, level of commitment to the game, and skill. And while these elements of the game continue to factor into the group formation equation, these online games and communities are becoming more focused as large, elaborate social networking tools.

As these games continue to grow in popularity and develop in breadth, groups like these may become the priority over in-game goals and tasks. Maybe a Warcraft facebook isn’t too far off.