[MUD-Dev] Re: Online vs Offline (was CoH and others)

[J C Lawrence]

On Tue, 20 Jul 2004 13:03:42 -0700
Matt Mihaly <matt at ironrealms.com> wrote:

>   "All my online friends play this way too. We think it's uncool
>   to pay," he told Reuters, scrolling down a Web site called
>   www.17ez.com that lists scores of illegal servers offering the
>   popular game "Mu". - Wang Rui, 28.

> What a jerk.

I find it interesting to look at such things as versions of the Free
Ride Paradox, also known as Voter's Paradox, the Volunteer's
Paradox, Collective Action problems, the Tragedy of the Commons, and
the Many-Person Prisoner's Dilemma.  Sure they could spend the money
and support you as a publisher, but it is just as easy for them to
not spend the money, letting others do it instead, and to still get
the benefits of your publication.  Given that the value gain to them
for spending their $$$ is proximal to zero, the realised cost is far
from zero and the risk is minimal -- at best it makes simple
financial sense for them to pirate.

See:

  http://www.magnolia.net/~leonf/sd/vp-brf.html

Sounds to me like they're making rather reasonable and logical
choices given their situation.  We might not like those choices, but
then I rather doubt that Canute liked getting wet either.

--
J C Lawrence
---------(*)                Satan, oscillate my metallic sonatas.
claw at kanga.nu               He lived as a devil, eh?
http://www.kanga.nu/~claw/  Evil is a name of a foeman, as I live.
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