[MUD-Dev] Criminalize Community Volunteers?

[Ananda Dawnsinger]

> From: "David Frank" <valen at vaultnetwork.com>
> Reply-To: mud-dev at kanga.nu
> Date: Wed, 6 Sep 2000 18:51:53 -0400
> To: <mud-dev at kanga.nu>
> Subject: Re: [MUD-Dev] Criminalize Community Volunteers?

> Raph talked alot about the costs of doing business and how small the actual
> profit was from a successful MMORPG.  If they had to hire support staff
> instead
> of relying on volunteers, you could kiss most of that profit goodbye.  But
> what
> if they simply raised the fee to $20 a month to play the game? (Yeah I
> know...*simply*)

I suspect there are now enough UO/EQ/AC veterans that an MMORPG (pronounced
more-pig?) could get away with charging $15/month for "a better experience"
and "professional customer service".  $20/month would probably be too much
sticker shock.

I can't say for certain that the extra $5/month would be enough to fund
professional customer service.  But there are two ways in which professional
CS employees would be more efficient:

1) If you're paying them a reasonable wage, you can reasonably expect them
to work 20-40 hours per week, thus limiting the number of staff you have to
train, monitor, and pay.

2) You can give paid employees the authority to fix problems that volunteers
have to pass on to more responsible (read: paid) staffers.

(Likewise, one could probably charge $35-40/month for a smaller, more
intensively moderated game and try to beat Simutronics ($30/month Premium)
on the quality of moderation and customer service.  You'd draw a much
smaller player base, though, and you still wouldn't be able to pay your
moderators.)

--
Sharon Mock (Ananda Dawnsinger)
Worldbuilding Lead and Loremistress General,
(project to be named later)





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