[MUD-Dev] Retention without Addiction?

[Matt Mihaly]

On Sat, 7 Dec 2002, brian hook wrote:
> Matt Mihaly said:
 
>> That's the problem with allowing people to pass on responsibilty
>> for decisions made by them: Everyone you pass that responsibility
>> to can simply pass the buck to whatever influenced them.
 
> So if we can get past the "Do we affect the lives of players" and
> just ADMIT that we do, we can move to the next step of "Is that
> our problem?"
 
> This is common sense.  If someone is addicted to Everquest, is it
> Everquest's fault?  I would argue no.  But is Everquest a
> contributing factor?  Well, duh.  It's like asking if the car
> you're driving contributed to getting that speeding ticket.

But that's exactly what I said. Everquest is a contributing factor,
but it is not to blame in any sort of moral sense, in my worldview
at least. I'm not arguing it is not a contributing factor. That
would be a silly argument, as everything the person does, down to
the socks he wears, has an effect, however tiny, on everything else
the person does.
 
>> toothpaste. If a person playing my game kills himself, why should
>> I feel any more responsible than the company that manufactured
>> the toothpaste he brushed his teeth with that morning?

> If the kid killed himself and wrote a long note about how
> miserable he was because of a game, and how horrible his life had
> become because he failed at the game or because his in-game
> friends abandoned him, etc. then, come on, maybe the game had a
> bit more of an effect than the toothpaste?

The game provided the context in which the player received some
mental trauma, yep. I'd agree with that.

> But once again, I think it's REAL important to differentiate
> between "is this a contributing factor" and "is this our fault".
> Two separate things.  The problem is that in our currently
> litigious society, being a contributing factor often leads
> directly to being considered at fault.  So no one ever wants to
> really think about the fact they were a contributing factor,
> because they're always worried that's the slippery slope to step
> #2 -- getting sued out of existence.

Again, that's exactly what I said. Being a contributing factor is
different from being to blame in some moral sense.

> I am willing to admit and accept that by providing entertainment
> to thousands of people, I have an effect.  I consider that effect
> benign, but at the same time, I refuse to hold myself culpable if
> someone is irresponsible about their game playing.  But I won't
> deny the fact that my games can have an effect on others.

Yep, same here. Did you read my post, or just a couple lines of it? 
No point in responding to the rest, as I think we agree virtually
completely. Contribute-to-effect, yes. Moral culpability, no.
 
--matt


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