[MUD-Dev] BIZ: Who owns my sword?

[Crosbie Fitch]

From: Matt Mihaly

> Let's say they have to charge more. A LOT more, to cover the
> risk. I feel pretty safe in saying that what they'd have to charge
> to make the risk worthwhile (since every additional customer now
> represents a vastly increased lawsuit possibility) is more than
> most people are willing to pay.

So...

Why not abdicate responsibility for the game infrastructure (saying
goodbye to the bad risk and responsibility, though also goodbye to
subscription revenue)?

Sell the content alone.

Just like selling software to run on GNU/Linux. You don't own the
hardware or the OS and aren't responsible for anything else the user
does, you just sell 'fun' that they can run on it.

Why do MMOG providers feel they have to (a priori) own the servers?
What you own you are responsible for. The more flexibility you
provide, the more risks you become liable for. Running an online
creche come adult den of iniquity sounds like a hiding to nothing.

Maybe, IBM's Butterfly grid thingy might be a step along the right
direction. If you could find a third party to provide a relatively
reliable MMOG platform and get them to charge the player directly
for the platform running costs (like an ISP), it could then act as
'common carrier' and be immune from player litigation. The MMOG
provider can then sell 'content only' to this player base, on a 'fun
until you abuse it' basis. Like selling buckets and spades to kids
on a beach. You can tell them how to have safe fun with them, but if
they decide to hit each other over the head with the spades, and use
the buckets to throw sand at each other, well that's up to them.

Making a fun MMOG should surely not be about providing massive
infrastructure and 24/7 moderation services for an online theme
park? That's 5% game and 95% service. Bleagh...
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