[MUD-Dev] Geometric content generation

[rayzam]

----- Original Message -----
From: "Ola Fosheim Grøstad" <olag at ifi.uio.no>

> However, sometimes you need a carrot to get people started, but
> when they are IMMERSED into the subjectively MEANINGFUL activity
> then they don't need the carrot anymore.  If you have to PAY your
> players to participate in activities, then there is bound to be
> something boooring and unsatisfactory about those activities.
> People go biking and skiing without getting paid, don't they?
> They also ROLEACT without getting paid.  Those activities are
> inherently meaningful to those that participate in them.  I
> believe that they partially are so because the player himself can
> increase the level of challenge and change the focus and
> variation, but partially also because they have a very high
> potential for being "compelling" along multiple dimension.

Entirely true. In fact, if you pay someone to do something they'd
like to do, often they won't enjoy doing it as much. The trick is to
entice just enough to overcome initial resistance, but not enough
that they attribute the activity as being dependent on the reward.

That is: have a boring task. Pay someone $20 to do it, it sucked,
but they did it for the money, and they'd continue to do it for the
money. Pay someone $1 to do it, but they actually do it: then they
rate it as less onerous.

So, you're right. Entice players to participate in activities you
want them to participate in. But only entice them, until they
continue due to the enjoyment they get out of the activity
itself. Initial resistance is higher than a continuing practice.

    rayzam
    www.travellingbard.com


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