[MUD-Dev] Re: MUD-Dev digest, Vol 1 #289 - 8 msgs

[the_logos at www.achaea.com]

On Tue, 23 Jan 2001, Dr. Cat wrote:

> Well, cybercafes in particular are of little interest to me, unless I
> get a contract to do work for a market like Korea where they're
> thriving.  I view such markets as perhaps being a fluke, a temporarily
> viable business model in places that are just partway down the road
> towards being information-age economies.  Certainly in the US, where
> we're further along than most countries, the attempts at cybercafes
> I've seen have fallen flat on their faces.

Certainly the only time I've ever found a cybercafe useful is when I've
been in a foreign city sans laptop.

 
> The next hot technology for more social interaction through the net
> that's going to be (again in my opinion) wireless stuff.  It seems to
> be one of the current things Venture Capitalists are currently into,
> and I think they've chosen correctly to bet on it.  There's a lot of
> problems - tiny displays, poor input, high expense to end users,
> rapidly changing platforms and standards, and it's not clear what user
> interfaces, role of voice vs. text, and the most desirable features
> are.  But the right time for VCs to get in is when all that stuff is
> being hashed out and the big huge successes are a few years in the
> future.

Absolutely. Wireless permits a much stronger melding of the virtual and
non-virtual. I hate it when people refer to "real life" as somehow
seperate from MUDs. It's all part of the same thing, and wireless just
allows us to more fully integrate virtual environments into our everyday
lives.

> This is an interesting socially-focused device.  And while I don't
> know if this specific one will catch on, some other one surely will if
> it doesn't.  It can be set to beep, vibrate, or both when you get an
> incoming message.  Kids can pass notes silently during classes at
> school - something apparently a LOT of Japanese kids do with their
> advanced cell phones.  I think there are tons of applications for
> these kinds of gadgets that nobody's even thought of, and they could
> transform the way people meet new friends and socialize in our
> society.  Intriguing stuff.

Yeah, very cool. Imagine ubiquitous devices programmed with all sorts of
information, from your preferences in snacks to your preferences in
romantic partners. You walk to a club, are feeling a bit peckish, and
suddenly your wireless device (equipped with GPS of course) informs you
that the store you are about to walk past is offering you 25 cents off
your favourite candy bar. You get to the club, and as you're walking
around, your device informs you that you are about to pass by a
woman/man/whatever whom you're compatible with, and who is single and
looking, etc etc etc.

 > When it comes to something like MUDs (finally), I think the "rewards"
> of a social game are more appealing than a "high score", "winning", or
> a "high level character" and a big pile of "gold".  Interactions in a
> social environment can lead to real life sex, marriage, or sometimes
> even both.  

There's a middle ground too. MUDs in which the primary rewards aren't
necessarily quantifiable things like "high level character" or "lots of
gold" but, say, "the respect of other players." 

--matt

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