[MUD-Dev] Declaration of the Rights of Avatars

[Par Winzell]

Matthew Mihaly writes:
 > On Sun, 16 Apr 2000, Par Winzell wrote:
 > > Achaea fascinates me because it combines the commercial setting with an
 > > administration style much like this. This gives me hope. Does it scale?
 > 
 > Hmm, well, I think that it DOES scale, because as much as they pretend
 > otherwise, this is just how the big MMORPGs operate. To me, all the talk
 > of empowering the users is just a PR job. The admins have the power, end
 > of story. 

Undoubtedly what you say about the PR job is true, however, I do not think
any of the existing massive games constitute proofs that your principle is
well-behaved when scaled. The admins certainly do have the power, but there
is not nearly the same sense of proximity to them. Greek myths work because
the damn Gods won't stay out of people's business. In a mud with a thousand
online players, with five thousand, how do you keep that same feeling?

Do you need to? If you don't, what do you replace it with? I'd say I believe
the presence of God is a necessary thing for people to feel lest they fall
into idle ways, only I'm afraid of starting an ideological debate.

I've said it before and I'll say it again; people respond really well to
true power -- we haven't seen much of this in the democratic western world
in the last few centuries, but it's true. If it's benign power, they love
it. I think Achaea taps a bit of this power and I don't think EQ does.

Is it necessary to tap that power on the EQ scale? Is it possible? It is a
good PR move?

Par



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