[MUD-Dev] Cultural impact on Muds (was: Star Wars Galaxies)

[Ted L. Chen]

Marian Griffith

> Lineage is in this respect an interesting example, not because it
> is rather like a typical MUD, but because it does well in Korea
> and not in the US. The question is: Is that because there are more
> sophisti- cated games available in the US, or because there is
> something in it that appeals to Koreans but not to Americans?  How
> about games that are meant to appeal to certain subcultures but
> that do not aim at a mass market?

>From what I can gather (and correct me if I'm mistaken), Lineage's
mechanics are geared to drive the player towards groups and teams.
Comparatively, EQ and especially AC2 are more solitary adventures.
You might still have a guild, but ratio of solo content versus real
team-work based content is much higher.

Could the difference between Lineage and more complicated games be
possibly due to the amount of active interaction with other players?
As you require people to play with each other, your players lose
some control over their little world (more so in PvP).

I know it's a blanket statement, but Americans are historically an
isolationist culture.  A culture where privacy, personal space, and
the right to govern oneself is important.  Upon reflection,
interaction with others is actually quite controlled.  Family, close
friends, and pets.  These are all relatively known 'variables' and
their impact on our lives is assured to follow some predestined
form.

In contrast (*another blanket statement warning*), Koreans are
possibly more tolerant of elbow-rubbing and some impact on their
lives from total strangers.  It could be in part due to Confucian
teachings or maybe life in a crowded place.

Anyway, the gist of this idea is that successful MOGs in the US
might need to insulate players from each other, while MUDs that
follow a more basic free-for-all PvP can operate successfully
elsewhere in the world just because they don't 'shock' our
isolationist tendencies.

TLC


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