[MUD-Dev] NEWS: Why Virtual Worlds are Designed By Newbies -No, Really! (By R. Bartle)

[J C Lawrence]

On Sun, 21 Nov 2004 20:43:56 +0000
ceo  <ceo at grexengine.com> wrote:

> I'm tempted by "online game" which I've seen creeping in as the
> general gaming press (and even mainstream press) get more comfortable
> with the gamut of things in this arena, and gain the experience and
> ability to make their own terms.

Briefly writing as list owner:

  r.g.m.* historically has been filled with naming flamb'es.  I didn't
  want to see that here, especially after the first few attempts to
  import r.g.m.* to the list.  Additionally the definition of "What is a
  MUD?" that I have in the list charter is deliberately vague.  In part
  this was to avoid inciting response, and in part because my own
  internal definition was vague.

No longer writing as list owner:

  My internal definition of the service identities (let's not call them
  "games" just yet) that are on-topic for this list is currently defined
  by the intersection of the four following:

    1) There is a subjective sense or observable definition of "place".
    The place does not have to be rendered in simulationist terms, but
    may be merely implied.  The primary requirement for the "place" is
    that it function as an identity locus.

    2) Either:

      a) Multiple interacting people are involved and the social and
      cultural aspects of those participant's interactions are critical
      to the service.

    or

      b) Multiple simulations of such interacting people and their
      social and cultural aspects are critical to the service.

    3) Communication within the system is mediated, be it by a computer
    system, enforced protocols, a human controller, whatever.

    4) The majority of the system is virtual in that it is not rendered
    in real-world physical constructions.  In this way most of the
    service exists within the participant's minds.

  You may note that I never mention games[1].  For a host of reasons,
  many historical, some quite personal and others joking or quite
  serious, I find "MUD" as both a stand-alone word and an expansible
  acrynym to be an accurate and punnish term to reference such services.

    [1] Why not require them to be games?  Because my definition of what
    forms a game is a little more generous than some and I'd rather not
    get involved in having to argue over what is or is not a game.

    [2] (The uncited footnote) Jon Lambert may note that his original
    contention regarding this list still holds.

--
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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