[MUD-Dev] Retention without Addiction?

[rayzam]

From: "Clay" <clayf at bu.edu>

> I've been away, yet at the risk of undermining my relevance with
> tardiness, I wanted to say a few things more:

...

> I think I haven't been clear either, so let me try to be.  I
> distinguish two claims about game behavior, which I might label
> "strong correlation" and "weak correlation."  Strong correlation
> insists that there is a one-to-one correspondence between the real
> and virtual world behaviors (e.g. that killing in one leads to
> killing in the other).  I don't think either of us accept that, or
> we wouldn't be doing these things.  Weak correlation is I think
> your position - that game worlds can foster certain social
> atmospheres and patterns of mind that may prepare the way for
> sociopathic behaviors in the real world, the details of which may
> range from RL social neglect to outright criminal behavior,
> depending on the raw material of the individual and his/her
> situation.

Don't forget about confound. What if playing online games is
correlated [strongly or weakly] with lack of social skills, and lack
of social skills is correlated with being picked on in school, which
is pre-req for taking revenge on schoolmates? The description of
weak correlation in the above text borders on slightly
causational. I'm just trying to say that along with the chicken and
the egg problem [which came first], there's the whole farm problem:
they're all on the farm, so be careful you don't blame the pig that
the chicken laid an egg.

  rayzam


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