Hiding the Numbers (was Re: [MUD-Dev] Maintaining fiction.)

[Christopher Kohnert]

Matt Mihaly wrote:
> On Mon, 4 Jun 2001, Derek Licciardi wrote:
 
>> Player Killers win by dominating other players, Explorers win by
>> having more knowledge than other players, Socializers win by
>> building the most valuable network of people they can establish,
>> and Achievers win by gaining skill points or some other game
>> measurement.  Of course muds are about winning.

> I do not buy that explorers or socializers are necessarily in
> competition with each other. For instance, even though it's highly
> unlikely I'll set foot in a single place on nearby Mt. Tam that
> has not had a human foot set on it before, I get full enjoyment
> out of exploring it myself. It's got nothing to do with winning or
> competition. MUDs aren't very good yet at creating a world worth
> exploring (mainly due to the interface), but I've had similar if
> lesser feelings when exploring particularly well-crafted virtual
> worlds.
 
> The assumption that socializers are competing is also
> significantly flawed. I do not hang out with my friends to win or
> compete, and I am not alone in that I'm sure.

Quite right. Many people prefer to explore in groups. How many trash
fantasy novels rely on that fact? Not that that's any sort of
proof. But stepping through the caves of the abandoned dwarven mines
with nothing but your buddies to live the experience with has a
great appeal. Then of course share booty and memories with. I'd say
the socializer and explorer often complement rather than compete
against each other.

Chris
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