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

[Patrick Dughi]

On Wed, 29 Nov 2000, Zak Jarvis wrote:

> > From: Steve (Bloo) Daniels [sdaniels at playnet.com]
> > Sent: Wednesday, November 29, 2000 2:29 PM
> 
> > Travis Casey wrote:
> > 
> > > about being asked for a name, and then having the software check it
> > > and suggest possible changes to make it fit the language?
> > 
> > This is the only method you suggest that bothers me.
> > On EQ and other games, to go to the trouble to think
> > of a good name and have it be rejected because it's
> > inappropriate irks me and just makes me want it all the
> > more.
> 
> This is more of an aside than anything else, but I have to agree that
> the acceptable name filters have always been more irritating to me than
> anything else, and I consider myself to be a role-player. 
> 
> I doubt I'm the only one who is inspired to come up with significantly
> more obscene names when a filter tells me that the straight one I just
> entered isn't acceptable. 

	From a decent amount of experience with muds, I find that the name
is never important.  That is - if someone creates a name like "Beavis" or
"Metallica_Sucks", it usually ends up not mattering very much.  If the
game is heavily oriented towards a (role-playing) environment which won't
accept these sorts of names, it becomes self-selcting and those sorts of
people fade out.  Either they leave because no one will play with
them/they can't play as they're accustomed to, or, they like the game and
remake with a new character/ask to have their name changed.

	If the environment is more of a hack and slash system, usually
people don't care about the names.  People with politically incorrect
names are usually not very serious players - who eventually leave, and the
leftovers are usually chosen for flash, not for obscenity. Ie, "Blade" or
"Slayer", as opposed to "Mr. Penis Head".

	The area I see where names actually cause a conflict exists with
the admin in charge.  After writing code for a given mud with a given
moniker for about 2 years, I was told by a higher-up that my 'name was not
elf-like, enough', and that despite the fact that I didn't even have a
live character, or perform any direct game interactions, that I would have
to change it.  After about 20-30 of my suggestions being shot down (no
joke, "No, that name isn't what a <insert name of race> would have.", or
"That name sounds too funny."), they decided they would give me a list of
names that I could choose from. I finally had to point out how insane and
pointless it was (which was totally lost on them anyway).

	For some reason though, it's only the foaming RP admin that turn
this into some sort of private crusade.  They're the only ones that
actually seem intense and upset about it - the other players normally
don't care.  I do wonder why that is.

						PjD


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