[MUD-Dev] You, the game of philosophy.

[JC Lawrence]

On Sat, 27 Dec 1997 15:49:27 PST8PDT Ola wrote:

> Hey, this is a great idea.  Let the world consist of a fixed set of
> characters, let people pick up available characters and play them.
> Let the characters have system controlled instincts that will
> constrain what they can do to avoid powergaming deaths and exchange
> of items.  Force the player to read the logs of the character when
> he picks it up. Logs should be describing everything that has
> happend since the last time the player played that particular
> character.

Its definitely a "neat" idea, and very attractive intellectually,
however I'd have a hard time ever thinking of this as either "fun" or
a game.  The human player has largely been reduced to a
behind-the-scenes activist, an agitator, attempting to goad his
character (and thus the game) into doing what he wants or considers
enjoyable through a very imperfect and imprecise interface.  Rather
than being "the head" he's now the "little voice in the back of the
head".

<shudder>

>> Everyone's an actor, more or less. :)

> Hehe, but some people have a very limited repertoire. (themself)

Others define the "self", or character used in an endeavour by the
activities required to achieve the goal.  Character, in the sense of
characterisation or personality, then becomes a tool like any other;
something to be crafted, manufactured, and manipulated as deemed
necessary in order to achieve the desired effect.  The question is,
"What must I convince others of, as to my identity, my personality, or
other dubious facts, in order to achieve this goal?"  The rest follows.

Some here accuse me of being a closet RP'er.  I'm chary of the
assertion.  I don't assume characters, or attempt to live others or
their lives.  I do occassionally aggressively work to create the
illusion in other human player's minds that I'm someone that I'm not
(personality or identity) or to otherwise convince of whatever my
truth/lie/trick-de-jour is.  The thing is that the idea is to control
the other human player's beliefs, to manipulate their actual
perceptions and concepts of veracity, not to assume an identity and
play as it -- and thus my disquiet at the assertion.

But, getting back to the point, the repertoire is infinite and
endlessly malleable.

--
J C Lawrence                               Internet: claw at null.net
                                           Internet: coder at ibm.net
----------(*)                        Internet: jc.lawrence at sun.com
...Honourary Member of Clan McFud -- Teamer's Avenging Monolith...