[MUD-Dev] 3rd Axis for Bartle's 2 axis theory of MUD players

[Rayzam]

From: "Ola Fosheim Grøstad" <olag at ifi.uio.no>
> "Richard A. Bartle" <richard at mud.co.uk> writes:

>> Your careful use of "virtual" there might be a way in. You accept
>> that flow doesn't happen as a matter of course in the real world,
>> in which people are fully immersed by default. Does it not
>> follow, therefore, that a sufficiently convincing virtual world
>> would be just as immersive but would not need any flow to support
>> it? Or are you saying that for a world to achieve that degree of
>> convincingness it would effectively be part of reality anyway, so
>> flow would be unnecessary?

> I believe that the visual subsystem of human beings is very
> sensitive, which makes it near impossible to "suspend disbelief"
> by static perceptional cues alone. I tried to illustrate this with
> getting a new pair of glasses (I am nearsighted). I am less
> immersed into the real world when I get new ones, because of the
> small optical differences which the subsystem is not yet adapted
> to. Whether you may be able to immerse yourself solely on
> perception alone given ideal technology is an open question. I
> don't know if sensory stimulation is enough to "suspend
> disbelief". You might need more in order to keep that disbelief
> out of your mind. That is, the world may have be sufficiently
> demanding on order to push out physical world concerns.  >

Party trick time!

This requires 3 people.

Take one person, who you're going to fool their perceptual system
even against common sense and *knowing* about reality. Call them
Person A.  Person B is a prop that needs to be of similar height to
Person A.  Person C is the manipulator.

Stand Person A with Person B standing in front of them, as close as
possible without touching them. Person A and Person B are facing the
same way, i.e. not facing each other. Have Person A close their
eyes.

Person A holds out their right arm, with their index finger sticking
out. Person C takes that arm in their left hand and holds out their
own right index finger. Person C then manipulates Person A's index
finger and their own index finger: A's finger strokes downwards on
B's nose. C's finger strokes downwards on A's nose. C is making sure
that these two occur as synchronized as possible.

If you do this for 30 seconds to a few minutes, Person A will feel
as if their nose is a lot longer. That it extends out to the reach
of their own arm and index finger. Even though they know that can't
be real. The feeling stays after you stop stroking. When Person A
opens their eyes, their 'nose' whips back to normal length.

I consider the fact that your perception can override your intellect
and reason evidence that technology will override reality at some
point.

Side note:

  You can do the same trick for things that don't feel like
  noses. Take one person who sits with their right hand on their
  leg, but out of sight under a table. The other person needs 2
  paintbrushes and brushes the hand under the table, and the spot on
  the table above the hand and in sight, simultaneously. Do that and
  the table starts to feel like part of the person.  When that
  feeling happens, if someone else comes over and swings a hammer at
  the table as a surprise, the person screams before the hammer
  hits, feeling the fear that it's going to hurt as if it hit them.

Tool use: 

  When you're adept with a tool, be it a hammer, or a hockey stick,
  or whatnot, your brain seems to treat it as part of your
  body. Tools really do become 'extensions' of you, if you're
  skilled.

Truly, sensory input does determine your reality. Regardless of what
you know about the world. That may be why we're so good with our
imaginations.

rayzam
www.travellingbard.com





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