[MUD-Dev] Re: Black Snow Revisited

[Zach Collins {Siege}]

On Mon, 15 Apr 2002 amanda at alfar.com wrote:

>> Perhaps you could explain why you feel this is wrong?  Seems to
>> me that this is just a very basic marketplace at work.  You have
>> something I want, I have money to compensate you for it, and we
>> trade.  How do you define 'earned'?

> If I buy a marksmanship medal on eBay, does that make me a
> marksman?  If I buy a bunch of Monopoly money, can I use it the
> next time I play Monopoly?

No, but buying a better rifle and/or scope can improve your
accuracy, and buying foreign currencies may let you complete a
collection which is more valuable than the sum of the monies' values
contained therein.

If I go into a game wanting a trophy to hang on my character's wall
(assuming such a thing is possible), then normally my character must
go make death on the trophy creature.  However it would most likely
be feasible in-game to purchase such a trophy from a trophy hunter
who makes an in-game living doing this.  It would not improve my
character's abilities in any way, but it is still a symbol of power
(in this case, financial power).

Buying a marksmanship trophy does not improve your aim, but it can
impress others and improve your social standing, at least until they
find out you didn't earn it.  The problem is, you could just go buy
a bigger gun or hire a mercenary sniper and outclass them anyway.
Your financial standing thereby would improve your ability to
intimidate, and thus maintains your social standing.

How does a game provide the ability to increase social standing (I
have this nifty thing) without increasing a character's ability
unfairly (I can beat you up with it)?  Prowess has always been seen
as the goal, and any means foul and fair have been used to attain it
throughout history.

--
Zach Collins (Siege)

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