"Tonight let us send a message to that army. Tonight let us shake this cave! Tonight let us tremble these halls of earth, steel, and stone! Let us be heard from red core to black sky. Tonight, let us make them remember. This is Zion! And we are not afraid!"

-- Morpheus

In the ever-growing world of online gaming, and specifically the world of MMORPGs, there has been a trend in recent years to watch the game culture stagnate as players fell into what we refer to as “The Grind”. This is not so loving a term, to be quite honest, and describes the highly repetitive nature of most MMORPG play. We've all been there - level, level, level, grind, grind, grind. Bored out of our minds, we soon become disenfranchised with the game and move on to the next new thing.

It always seems like a waste, to have a highly dynamic, hugely populated game world fall into a pattern of repetition. You have hundreds of thousands of people, all playing a game together, and yet they all feel disconnected from each other by the fact that they have to go through the mechanics of playing the game. Sure, the game must be played, but the point of any MMO game is to play with others, right?

Over the last two months, an interesting trend has emerged inside The Matrix Online community that points to a markedly different mindset for MxO players. An entire sub-culture within the game has developed, based around an analogue of the real-world DJ and club culture, and it shows amazing promise for MMORPGers looking for a more interactive experience.

Morpheus made an impassioned speech to the masses of Zion, calling them to dance and party in order to show the spirit that still lived in Zion and in humanity as a whole. The players of The Matrix Online community have taken a similar stance, and are sending a message to game developers that says that MMORPGers will not be forced into yet another grind. Gamers will find a way to interact and socialize, and in MxO, it is through the nightclubs in the game.

On any given week, you will find players organizing events based in the game's nightclubs - fashion shows, pageants, duel tournaments, and even rave parties. No game-based goals are satisfied through these events. Players receive no experience points, players do not "level up" based on their socializing, and yet more and more players each week find themselves gravitating toward this club culture. They are going to the events merely to have fun, and that is the whole point of playing a game.

This author thinks that it is obvious that players want more interaction - not with the game, but with each other. Any game that gives us a vibrant, dynamic world in which to meet each other and forge the very bonds of friendship and camaraderie that we look for in the Real World will be successful, merely because it enhances our ability to interact with each other. The club culture of MxO is a parallel to the club culture that exists all around us in daily life: a place for people to meet, for friendships to form, and for fun to be had.

As the community grows within MxO, and especially after the game is released this spring, players will find more and more of these events being organized by other players for the express purpose of socializing. It is a very promising trend to see in an MMORPG, for it shows how much time players are willing to invest in getting to know their fellow red-pills. Bonds are forming, friendships growing, and a real, dynamic society is developing within the game. To be sure, the developers at Monolith are probably thrilled to see their world filled with such vitality and activity. The players most definitely are pleased as well, and new ways to interact will continue to develop.

From my personal viewpoint, I cannot wait to see what the next player-organized event will be - I thoroughly enjoy the various events that happen each week, and look forward to each one with a sort of childlike glee. The club culture, and indeed the complete society, that is building within The Matrix Online is an incredible thing in which to participate. This community is the most active gaming community I have yet to see, and it will be interesting to watch as it moves into its fullness over the coming months.

If you have not experienced this side of The Matrix Online, I highly recommend that you read the forums and find your way to these nightclub events. You're missing out if you don't. This club culture has so much to offer, it would be a pity for anyone to miss out on it.

Late at night, as the rave continues in some crowded nightclub in The Barrens, you can almost hear the voices of those players raised up in chorus, to send a message to game developers and players everywhere: "This is our game, and we will not be denied fun!"

Sundog is a founder of the club movement in MxO, and the founding voice of Radio Free Zion. He can often be heard on-air there, spinning tunes for club events.