[MUD-Dev] Killology (Was: Retention without Addiction?)

[apollyon .]

Raph Koster said:

> We even have our own Dr. Frederick Wertham, in the person of one
> Col.  Grossman:

> http://www.killology.com/index.htm

I was wondering if anyone would make the connection between
Grossman's theories as presented in _On Killing_ and the current
debate regarding culpability in the gaming industry.  In case you've
not read it yet, I do highly recommend it; it's a good read with
some startling information.

Much of the book details the effects of operant conditioning on our
ability to kill another human being.  Near the end, he addresses the
issue of video games as a tool for conditioning their players to
more readily kill other people.  At first, the idea seems rather
absurd, but upon closer examination, he's really addressing a very
specific segment of the video game market: games in which you hold a
realistically-shaped firearm, point it at the on-screen opponent,
pull the trigger, and are rewarded with splattering blood and a
fallen opponent.  Think Lethal Enforcers, Time Crisis, etc.

But does this really come into play in an MMO?  Well, for most games
in the MMO category I think you'd be very hard pressed to answer in
the affirmative, but we're seeing some titles out these days that
may start to bend a little closer to the realm of operant
conditioning tool.

Everquest, DAoC, others in the sword & sorcery genre are probably
fairly safe from being accused of teaching our children to kill,
mostly due to the archaic and fantastical nature of the game.  No
14-year-old is going to feel more at ease casting that fireball
spell on the playground because he's been doing it at home for
years.  But what about games like AO or SWG where it's not a spell
or a sword, but a handgun just like the one that Billy brought to
school last month to show his friends, huddled around the locker
conspiritorially?  Would he feel a little more comfortable carrying
that around with him at school when his character online carries one
around all the time?

What if the input device were something other than a mouse?  What if
it were a realistically-shaped gun?  When faced with a hostile
opponent, he gets very comfortable with reacting instinctively by
whipping up that gun, drawing a bead in a heartbeat, and pulling
that trigger with positive reinforcement of splattering
faction-specific blood and a target that drops at his feet.  If he
spends 4 or more hours of this kind of activity at home, is it
unreasonable to expect that he might be a little bit more prone to
reacting with a similar instinct on the schoolyard?  Some would say,
Yes, it is unreasonable.  But I think an argument could be made
there.

Apollyon

"You must be the change that you wish to see in the world."
- Mahatma Gandhi
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