[MUD-Dev] Re: Black Snow Revisited

[Hans-Henrik Staerfeldt]

On Thu, 11 Apr 2002 holding99 at mindspring.com wrote:

> My argument is, at it's most basic:

>   1) Meaning is socially constructed, based upon context. (If you
>   disagree with me here, I will _never_ be able to convince you of
>   my argument, because of paradigm differences. Nor would I wish
>   to try)

I do agree here :-)

>   2) Characters have meaning, which is socially constructed, based
>   upon a context.

As do all things.

>   3) Because context is specific to each game, the socially
>   constructed meaning of the character is game specific.

>   4) Because the socially constructed meaning of the character is
>   game specific, the game and the character are basically
>   intertwined.

However what i object to is that you presume that the characters
meaning entertwined within the game is the _only_ valid meaning it
may carry. I may as a player choose to assign it other meaning.  In
short you dictate the meaning to _only_ be in relation to the game,
and that it cannot possibly have any other meaning. Some have argued
that getting the character data and setting up your own game with
that character data will infer a meaning to that character (that
particular data). That meaning is philosofically no different than
'the car in the salesmans lot' vs. 'the car in some other
lot'. Therefore i think you are presuming too much when you state
that the game and the character are intertwined, because it _is_
possible for the character to exist elsewhere and also carry a
meaning.

>   5) Because the game and the character are intertwined, the one
>   who owns the game owns the character.

"But i bought the game didn't i?"

> I am not sure I can be any clearer than that.

Quite clear. :-)

Hans Henrik Stærfeldt   |    bombman at diku.dk    | work:  hhs at cbs.dtu.dk      |
Address:                |___  +45 40383492    __|__       +45 45252471     __|
DTU, Kemitorvet,        | Scientific programmer at Center for Biological     |
bygn 208, CBS.          |  Sequence Analysis, Technical University of Denmark|

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