[MUD-Dev] Re: Marian's Tailor vs. Psychopaths

[Michael.Willey at abnamro.com]

     ____________________Reply Separator____________________
     Subject:  [MUD-Dev] Re: Marian's Tailor vs. Psychopaths
     Author:   mud-dev at kanga.nu ("Koster, Raph" <rkoster@
                  origin.ea.com>)
     Date:          9/24/98 2:51 PM

---------------------------------
[SNIP]
>On the meanness issue: I take exception to your
>statement that it just reveals that these people are
>equally mean in real life. Usually they aren't. The
>level of meanness we see in virtual spaces approaches
>the sociopathic in real life. But sociopathy is often
>casually defined as a total lack of empathy for other
>human beings.  The vast majority of people are not actually
>sociopathic.
>
>This is what led me to coin the term "virtually
>sociopathic"--meaning people who cannot seem to reach
>that level of empathy with others who are sharing a
>virtual space. It does NOT reflect on their dealings
>in real life, where they may indeed be thoroughly empathic
>and caring.  Rather, it means that because their
>inhibitions are lowered by anonymity and perhaps by
>the lack of physical cues, and because the other people
>in the environment are more easily objectified, and
>because they are able to present themselves as a person
>divorced from their true identity and therefore are
>better able to engage in actions which their normal
>persona could not bring themselves to do--they act
>sociopathic *within the virtual context*. Without being
>so really.
[SNIP}
>This leads to an interesting conclusion for mud
>design--penalties won't solve your playerkiller problem.
>Helping them gain empathy will.
>
>---end quote
>
>Anyone got a handy-dandy set of tactics for this? :)

Wow.  What a useful insight.  Since you ask, I *do* know
where you can find methods for teaching empathy: in any
of a sizable number of "parenting" books, particularly
those aimed at parents of toddlers.  Children of that
age display the same kinds of sociopathic behavior, not
because they're actual sociopaths but because they haven't
yet *learned* to empathize with others.  They need to
be taught that other people aren't just objects.  I can
see your "virtual sociopaths" in a similar state.  They're
not *incapable* of empathy, they just haven't learned
to bring over those skills from the real world to the
virtual.

"What to Expect During the Toddler Years" has a reoccurring
theme that young children need to be taught empathy and
gives some techniques for doing so.  They generally boil
down to occasionally reminding the child that other people
exist and have feelings, stressing that the child's
inappropriate actions are hurting others and praising the
child for "nice" behavior, emphasizing how making others
happy or sad can make them feel better or worse.

There are a few pitfalls to avoid as well:
 - Don't pile on the guilt or the sappy sweetness.  That
reverses the whole lesson, making the child's feelings
again count more than anyone else's.

 - Emphasize the feelings of others over a set of rules.
The rules are likely too complicated for them to understand
and again de-emphasizes the feelings of others.

 - Don't force the issue too often.  It's unrealistic to
expect them to be sickeningly sweet all the time and
making them always put others above themselves creates
resentment and is an equally unhealthy message.  Stress
that the child has the same rights and feelings as others.

Truly an odd source to be paraphrasing on MUD-Dev.  I hope
it is of some use to the topic.  It does at least explain
a lot: When we thought problem players were behaving like
two year olds, we were right.