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

[John Buehler]

msew writes:

> Instead of just having people go and kill rats and frogluks or run
> around the world doing fedex quests, can't we add some interesting
> moral / social dilemmas that have no real answer but instead provoke
> debate from the player community?  In addition to the stories
> regaling the tale of how the guild killed the uber dragon for the
> first time, have people debating whether or not they should have
> returned the stolen gold that the beggar stole from the corrupt
> baron or should you tell the baron the beggar got away.

Man did you ever touch a nerve.

Having children play these games is inherently dangerous.  The games
cause children to adopt the mantle of adulthood before they are
adults.  Our society encourages the same thing, causing undue stress
upon immature minds.  Many think that this is a good thing, causing
children to achieve their full potential.  I am in the group that says
that we're destroying our children by challenging them so early in
life.  Let 'em be kids fer crying out loud.

I would vote for a 21 and over limitation on these games when they are
presenting complex moral dilemmas or are inviting players to engage in
questionable activities such as killing.  Children should be playing
'care bear' versions of the games, with a slow transition to a caustic
reality.  Why is this almost impossible to do?  Because we're exposing
our children to so many caustic experiences already (including their
own parents).  Only those families that are actively sheltering their
children will have any hope of letting their children slowly develop
the traits that our society at large does not foster.  Popular society
is dominated by merchandising, which is based in marketing, which is
controlled by a need to get people to buy stuff.

In short, we shouldn't be using games like these to present moral
dilemmas to children.  It is far too caustic a mechanism.  Children
can endure almost anything and they will grow and learn something as a
result.  But to suggest that a virtual reality that attempts to mimic
our reality is a venue for children to learn in is far too much.

Also, whose morality do we present?  Buddha's?  Christ's?  Mohammed's?
America's?  Mine?  Yours?

JB

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