[MUD-Dev] Re: WIRED: Kilers have more fun

[Damion Schubert]

-----Original Message-----
From: Marian Griffith <gryphon at iaehv.nl>
>Actually, what I wondered was why things are so vastly different between
>reality and games.  And what it is in reality that prevents the vast ma-
>jority of people to form rampaging warbands that loot and kill everybody
>and everything.  And hopefully find out which of these social mechanisms
>apply to games as well.


Things are so vastly different because people play games in order to
escape the tired life they lead in reality.  After taking orders from your
boss, you might be MORE than willing to jump to your empowered alter
ego, and go on a rampage. =)

However, I think what's more significant is what is the same between
reality and (online) games.  What is the same is that there is a class
of people who will do whatever they can get away with without losing
status or property.  Probably everyone knows of someone who only
works 6 hours a day, takes 2 hour lunches, and yet doesn't get fired, 
due to his importance or apathy/ignorance on the part of management.

The problem is, of course, what you can get away with is drastically 
increased in an online world with heavy anonymity.  People who would
never dream of working four hour days are more eager to empower 
themselves and abuse the system in a virtual world - because it is 
very, very easy to get away with it.

--damion