[MUD-Dev] Life

[clawrenc at cup.hp.com]

In <3395ea73.5022142 at relay.mnsinc.com>, on 06/01/97 
   at 04:26 PM, caliban at darklock.com (Caliban Tiresias Darklock) said:

>'Within the context of the game' is the key there. Let me give you an
>example. A player I know decided it might be cool to play a six year
>old. Just a regular everyday six year old. She was having great fun
>with it for about six months; it opened a lot of RP possibilities for
>herself and others.

>The problem is, she ran into a character whose character background
>and concept indicated that he was a child molester. Entirely in
>keeping with his character, he kidnapped, molested, and killed her
>character. Just because she was a child. ...

To me the interesting question:

  What if the first player in question had instead played a 90 year
old hobbling grandmother who had been knocked over the head and done
away by another character playing a mugger?

I suspect that the majority of the upset was centred on the fact that
first player was playing a child, and thus if they had been playing an
adult it would have been viewed with much greater cynicism.  

Child molestation is a culturally charged item, more so than murder. 
Was the real "crime" the fact that that a child was involved, or was
it that a character had been done away with in a disfavourable manner. 
By your message content you infer the latter.  By your choice of
emotive adjectives you imply the former.  Which is it?

--
J C Lawrence                           Internet: claw at null.net
(Contractor)                           Internet: coder at ibm.net
---------------(*)               Internet: clawrenc at cup.hp.com
...Honorary Member Clan McFUD -- Teamer's Avenging Monolith...