[MUD-Dev] Re: Supporting articles found for UOL play style

[J C Lawrence]

On Wed, 29 Apr 1998 22:36:16 -0700 
John Bertoglio<alexb at internetcds.com> wrote:

> Another example: The ShadowClan Orcs have found a home one one of
> the east coast servers (Catskill, I think). These folks have build a
> player construct absolutly outside of anything that comes on their
> CDROM disk.  They have formed into tribes of Orcs. They wear orc
> masks and have build a social structure around their idea of orc
> culture. They hang out in orc areas. When the "real" orcs spawn,
> they treat them as an invading clan.  They warn off human players
> but engage in the occasional battle royal.  Totally inventive and
> well beyond what any reasonable person would expect to occur. There
> are also elf groups, etc. on other servers, again, outside of the
> "rules" of the world.

It is this single characteristic of UOL that I find both so
fascinating and so valuable.  UOL is fostering experimentation with
social and cultural models.  Its a lot cheaper than Cuba, cleaner than
the endless 5yr plans, and potentially a *LOT* more varied than
Americana.  Its also the single point which challenges the most
un-examined assumptions in players, and which they thus find
uncomfortablely alien; to whit, "Its not fair!"

--
J C Lawrence                               Internet: claw at null.net
(Contractor)                               Internet: coder at ibm.net
---------(*)                     Internet: claw at under.engr.sgi.com
...Honourary Member of Clan McFud -- Teamer's Avenging Monolith...

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MUD-Dev: Advancing an unrealised future.