[MUD-Dev] Where are we now?

[Matt Mihaly]

On Sun, 6 May 2001, Greg Munt wrote:

> It was an overexagerrated metaphor. It's quite disheartening to be
> surrounded by people who aren't interested in much else but sex and
> violence.

Sorry to point out the obvious, but gee man, that's what most popular
entertainment has been about throughout history in basically every
culture. Sex and violence permeate not only most popular
entertainment, but also most great literature. Granted, not explicit
sex for the most part, but sexual tension is an extremely common
theme, and for good reason. Everybody can relate to it.

 
> Yes, you are right. Maybe the majority of users are after a game
> that I'm not too interested in authoring. Or - I hope - player
> personas are as rich as the environment that they are provided
> with. That is, if all they can do for amusement is sex and violence,
> then they aren't going to demand more intellectual
> pursuits... They'll put up with what is on offer, or leave.

Hey, but you don't have to worry if the majority of users are after a
game you're not interested in authoring. Do an interesting, smaller
project that will attract a few thousand people. There are a lot of
on-line gamers out there, and number of them that are into MUDs of
whatever kind is only going to grow. My strategy with Achaea has
always been to try and work on providing experiences that the bigger,
more mass-market games, either cannot provide or are not
willing/experienced enough to provide them. They don't have to be
"better" or "worse" experiences. They just have to be different, and
hopefully intersect with the interests of a niche population.

 
> It could be argued that revolutionary muds will not be popular
> muds. In a world where giving the players what they want is
> all-important, and, bearing in mind that players aren't usually
> demanders of innovation, it's hard to see how they could be.

Yep. Thus the need for people willing to do smaller projects that
don't require the backing of people whose vision is constrained by
their corporate masters.

The games industry needs an independent scene the same way Hollywood
needs Sundance. The impression I get is that the savvier Hollywood
players know that the indie seen is important to them, because it can
provide them with new talent and new techniques that they, by their
very nature, are unable to cultivate.


--matt

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