[MUD-Dev] Re: MUD-Dev Storytelling in MMOGs article

[Matt Owen]

On 26 September 2002, Matt Mihaly wrote:
> On Wed, 25 Sep 2002, Mathieu Castelli wrote:

>> Funny. For me that book [Diamond Age] is the best asset for the
>> "learning with games" case.  All three girls who get the primer
>> turn out to be fanstastically brilliant.  And more than that, non
>> fail: apart from Nel (your successful one ?) one let her dreamy
>> part get the the better of her to become an artist, and the other
>> (the original girl the primer was designed for, the one of noble
>> heritage) joined the Drummer no ? (Damn my memory.)

> I don't think behavior in a fictional book is evidence of anything
> but the worldview of the writer. How the girls turned out has
> nothing to do with what the effectiveness of a tool would be in
> the physical world, as the characters turned out like that because
> of the author's decisions, not because of any cause-and-effect
> with the primer.

You may have a valid point, the outcome of the book was primarily
the decision of the author, but, he put forward valid reasons as to
why the primer worked or failed in each girls case, reasons that are
relevant to this discussion.

Nells Primer worked mainly because the woice-actor that read the
words/answered her questions was consistant (Miranda?) and therefore
built up a rapport with Nell.

Consistency is an underlying part of effective storytelling.

The other girls primers didn't work as well because one primer had
different voice actors, and the other primer just had recordings of
the girls father.

- Jaruzel.


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