I feel this is incomplete because it omits some cases where the publisher is the "bad guy" and their interests oppose the community.
For example, the players may want to wants to mod the game-server with features, bug-fixes, or moderation-tools, while the publisher wants a strict lockdown to their artificial monopoly on "digital goods."
> Now remember that online gaming is an extremely low-trust environment.
Tied to the above point, I believe this trust was slightly-but-meaningfully higher when people could form their own servers/communities and be "regulars".
However publishers didn't like that arrangement, because it threatened their ability to sell cosmetics, collectibles, and sometimes outright gameplay advantages.
For example, the players may want to wants to mod the game-server with features, bug-fixes, or moderation-tools, while the publisher wants a strict lockdown to their artificial monopoly on "digital goods."
> Now remember that online gaming is an extremely low-trust environment.
Tied to the above point, I believe this trust was slightly-but-meaningfully higher when people could form their own servers/communities and be "regulars".
However publishers didn't like that arrangement, because it threatened their ability to sell cosmetics, collectibles, and sometimes outright gameplay advantages.