[MUD-Dev] The business of avatar worlds (was MMORPG Cancellations: The sky is falling?)

[Paul Schwanz]

F. Randall Farmer wrote:

> Focusing on the problems at hand:

>   Consumers want to be fed content, they may even pay for it and a
>   good platform can enable many talented people to create content,
>   it seems that the main missing components are a way to identify
>   and promote the content the consumers want and a way to deliver
>   it to them with the least possible burden on the consumer's
>   part.

When creating content feels like playing the game--when the two are
difficult to distinguish, I believe that's when you'll hit the sweet
spot where consumers have the content they want and continuously
provide additional content to each other without feeling burdened to
do so.

You can see a small example of this in an online FPS deathmatch.
Each player is providing the same (and arguably superior) content
that in a single-player game would be provided by a bot adversary.
It is not burdensome to do so because the gameplay is structured
such that providing that content is indistinguishable from playing
the game.

Or consider FPS teamplay.  Here, some players are playing as
adversaries while others are playing as team members.  Again, there
are single-player games that provide bot team mates, so each player
is actually providing a type of content, but they don't feel
burdened in doing so because it feels like they are simply playing
the game.

Or consider service instead of content.  This is another area where
an MMOG may feel like it lacks resources.  One solution may be to
enlist volunteers that will seek out new players and help introduce
them to the game.  You volunteers, however, may feel that this is
burdensome.  In fact, they may feel that way so much that they end
up suing you.  But what if you designed the game so that providing
this sort of service was indistinguishable from gameplay?  Perhaps
you design an MMOG about city-building where different player
communities compete with each other to build a bigger population.
Perhaps players receive additional gameplay opportunities when their
community membership hits certain thresholds, similar to the way a
character may receive addition gameplay opportunities for gaining
experience in an MMORPG.  You've now designed a game where you've
turned newbies into XP.  Add tools to help communities attract and
retain newbies, and you could end up with players providing a
service to others that doesn't feel burdensome.  Or take a look at
how ATITD handles this.

Or, to borrow (read rip off) a Scott McNealyism, think of it this
way:

    The Gameplay /is/ the Content.

--Paul "Phinehas" Schwanz
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