Massively multiplayer online games combined individual avatars with abilities designed for team play. In Germany, more than one million players held monthly subscriptions to online games at the time.
Player relationships increasingly extended beyond virtual worlds. Online acquaintances met in person, and friendships formed around shared game activities rather than remaining confined to the game itself.
Xchar.de launched a German social community for World of Warcraft players in May 2007. The founders said feedback showed that players wanted to meet the people behind their avatars.
The service organised Local Raids for players from the same city or region. It aimed to arrange such meetings in every major German city by the end of 2007 while providing the gaming community with communication and interaction tools.
