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

[Eric Rhea]

<<EdNote: New text moved below quote and quote trimmed as per list page>>

On Tue, 28 Nov 2000, Robert Zubek wrote:

> Jeff Freeman writes:
>  > Some of them are just kids.  Some of them are even pretty nice kids.  But
>  > kids can be impulsive and whatnot.  Sometimes they just make poor
>  > decisions.  This essay suggested that peer-pressure won't work on them and
>  > I know for a fact that's wrong.  We had PKing Dewds in our guild in UO and
>  > they didn't PK while they were in our guild, because we told them not to.
> 
> it's not that d00dz aren't susceptible to peer pressure - quite to the
> contrary, as your example demonstrates. the point is that they can't
> be made to care about the larger society outside of their own
> close-knit circle (or, by extension, to care about the more abstract
> concept of 'social rules'). a comparison with street gangs would
> probably be too extreme, but comes to mind. :)
> 
> d00dz are indeed *greatly* influenced by social pressures, but those
> coming from the social sphere of their group. one could say that
> they really care about the opinion of their small community, and don't
> give a damn about anyone else. this manifests itself in many ways
> really annoying to those who aren't a part of the community - from
> endless camp-outs in front of high-reward spawn points, to such
> innocent transgressions as 3l337 n4m3z.  

I'd like to offer the following points picked up along the way, perhaps
offering insight into a solution for the problem of d00dism and what to do
with them.

A d00d's attributes:

    -Viewed as an annoyance by the community
    -Seen as immoral
    -Solitary in play style
    -Types haphazardly
    -Responsive to social pressure
    -When left unchecked, viral in nature
    -Known to exploit the game-mechanic
    -Requires a dynamic environment
    -Patient (will wait for long camps)
    -Communicates in d00dspeak
    

Are there certain race/class combinations that d00ds tend to lean
towards? Anyone have more on their behavioral patterns?

>From the list, I'd say the "evil" tag would be fitting.
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