[MUD-Dev] Re: Affordances and social method (Was: Re: Wire d Magazine...)

[Caliban Tiresias Darklock]

On 05:10 PM 7/29/98 -0700, I personally witnessed S. Patrick Gallaty
jumping up to say:
>
>I do think that his point about this list being
>primarily composed of competitive game designers is completely
>correct, but that doesn't make him unwelcomed I would hope.

I thought I'd take a moment here to say something that's been on my mind
for the past couple of days. I don't think I've said this before, and it
probably ought to be said.

I really like this list. For all the minor gripes that you may be able to
pull out about it, this list is just packed with active, thoughtful posters
who really do have some brains up there. A whole lot of people on the list
are or have worked with major names in the industry, and somehow they still
find time to come in here with people like me who have never done anything
that even the most liberal definition of 'commercially viable' would
include. We have a list owner who isn't a big jerk, and in fact would be
rather easily described as fair and reasonable, which is a real rarity
these days. 

I've complained here and there about the sort of views and perspectives on
the list. A lot of other people have complained about it. But I was reading
some of the older messages on this list, and it occurred to me that
virtually all of the people on it are people that I'm quite proud to be
associated with. 

Sometimes we get wrapped up in complaining about things, and forget that
there's a lot of really good stuff here. I've learned a lot on this list,
and what really brought this up *here* is that no single poster has whacked
me upside the head with something I really should have known all along more
often than the good Doctor. I owe him a lot of thanks and a lot of credit;
I wish I could offer him something in return, but he makes me feel pretty
damn stupid every time he posts. 

And he's not the only one. A lot of the discussions on this list make my
head spin. There are lots of smart people and thoughtful people and
insightful people, and when you put it all together it is one hell of a
fantastic resource. So here's a big round of applause for everyone on the
list, and here's hoping it just gets better.