YouTube users "BlueXephos" and "Honeydew" discover the "no-clip" bug in the game Dead Island
Ease of communication through the internet can bring out the good nature of users in online communities. The quality of user-to-user assistance rivals the service of professional technical support. Examples of this can be seen with the release of “Dead Island” (mentioned in the article), “Fallout: New Vegas” (another game plagued with bugs upon release), and even various Windows operating systems. Noncommercial factors motive the users of these online communities to fix bugs the original programmers missed and even further optimize performance. One factor is the individual commitment to software. An end-user's investment in software pushes him/her to get the most use out of it (even if it requires the opening of data files to fix it). Another factor is the desire to contribute, stand out and prove our individual worth in groups (especially in this case with online communities). If an end-user discovers a bug fix or optimization for a program, he/she won't hide this newfound knowledge. Instead, the end-user shares it with friends, coworkers, online community members, or anyone else who could benefit from it. Even though the act may be selfless, helping others always provides a boost to one's self-esteem and feelings of self-worth. The combination of these two factors fuels end-users to band together and solve problems when software companies come up short.
This article was written for BYU CS404, for the current events assignment due Sept. 20th.
You raise an interesting point about people sharing because they feel satisfaction. I know that I've felt this way many times. There is just something nice about figuring out something and then being able show "your expertise" to help others. It is like a selfless way of showing off.
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