[MUD-Dev] "An essay on d00dism and the MMORPG"

[|Eric|]

>Sunday, November 26, 2000, 3:41:11 PM, Marian Griffith <gryphon at iaehv.nl>
>wrote:
> > On Wed 15 Nov, Koster, Raph wrote:
> > An essay on d00dism and the MMORPG
> [essay by Arios Truthseeker snipped]
> 
> I am somewhat amazed that there is no reply, nor comment,  at all to
> this essay.

Strange, perhaps everyone was turned off as I was when the author dripped
off haphazardly towards the end. I'll leave that particular critique in
the wind. :-)

> The underlying principle of this entire essay is  that it is somehow
> bad to have these 'd00ds' on a mud. Yes they are occasionally annoy-
> ing and even obnoxious, but maybe we should be honest about it. Have
> we not just created the exact game that they are playing? 
> [snipped further comment]

I would like to further this with two points. One, d00dism and the
hierarchy of individuals that compose this symphonic discord are
inevitable in any persistant space. I believe this first point can be said
safely without argument. Second, a designer should not cater to the whims
of a grouping of people without just cause. 

I think it analogous to an artist who is a master of oils. The artist will
spend every waking hour thinking and bending his craft, working towards
that every perfect moment to create that which out does his last. She
doesn't do this because of a planned exhibit in London will be of a lower
stock. She does it this way because this is what she does. Once you accept
this into the frame, the artist caters to the skill of the viewer rather
than their own mastery of the subject.

But will an artist take time to compose a matte for a given sponsor that
she can work again with her oils? Yes, of course. But she continues on
after that moment working the craft.

While idealistic, it does paint a pretty picture of how game development
should be. In reality though, one needs to compose their own matte so they
can continue on with their development. I refute my second claim and
replace it with the following: maximize the potential. 

Is it necessary then to build within your MUD a system for which d00ds
can express and exist comfortably? Absolutely. The MUD should account for
the maximum player persona types. If it doesn't, you'll find it teetering
on an edge and find yourself trying to balance between these types. 

I actually consider d00dism to be a predatorial instinct and the prey to
be the role-player. A d00d is capable of destroying in moments the entire
existence of a role-player. And a RP is typically unable to defend
themself from this viral beast. I wonder if anyone else shares this view?

In short, d00dism is unescapable and viral like in nature. A fact that
shouldn't be overlooked in design.

-Eric


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