[MUD-Dev] Where are raids from? Where are they going?

[Vladimir Cole]

I played many single-player RPGs growing up, and played some
paper-based RPGs as well, but never (until I started playing
Everquest) did I run into the concept of a large-scale,
multi-character raid. Just curious if the masters of lore on this
list might be able to answer the following questions about "raiding"
and the development of it.

I don't expect all of these questions to get answered or to elicit
responses. I'm most interested in the historical evolution of
raiding. But even so, if any of you were so inclined to expound on
the subject, I'd be grateful for the chance to read your thoughts.

[Definition] How do we define raiding? I'd define it as large-scale
military cooperation to conquer an opponent who may or may not be
computer controlled.  Any assualt consisting of two or more teams
qualifies as large-scale, with a team typically consisting of four
to eight players. Thus an online FPS match consisting of one
eight-man team versus another team isn't really a raid, but two such
teams working in concert against an opponent or united set of
opponents would be called a raid.

[Past] (Here's where my questions start.) How did raiding evolve? 
Did it come from the MUD world? The online FPS world? What was the
first "raid" ever in an MMORPG? What was the target? How many people
were involved? When did the online gaming community first gain
consciousness of the "raid" phenomenon and call it as such? What
were the design constraints or innovations that lead to the idea and
implimentation of raiding?

[Present] Why raid? Is raiding a valuable activity?  What are the
goals of raiding? How are first-generation games in which raiding
happened "organically" different from second-generation games that
are being designed specifically to accommodate raid structures and
goals? How are the management challenges of raiding typically
handled by the leaders of these raids? What management structures
have players devised to organize and account for raids (DKP for
instance)? Who are the leaders? Which organizations in which games
exemplify best raiding practices? Where have raids innovated in the
arena of virtual organization versus brick-and-mortar organizations? 
How many hours per week are currently spent per week raiding? By how
many people? In which games? Do organizational and political
structures that are larger than raids exist in games?

[Future] Where will raiding go? What technologies (think Roger
Wilco, conference calling, teledildonics*) will evolve to meet the
unique needs of MMORPG raids? What businesses will be created to
meet the needs of raiders? When will the first nationally-televised
broadcast of a raid take place (think Professional Gamer's League
and its vow to make FPS gaming an Olympic sport)?

Further Reading... any resources or links I should check out on this
subject? Any articles to share? Here are a few along these lines:

  http://www.wired.com/news/conflict/0,2100,47931,00.html
  http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/5.04/ff_doom.html?pg=3

* Ok, I admit I slipped that in there to see if you were still
awake.
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