[MUD-Dev] Re: UBE/high: Re: W IRED: Kilers have more fun

[Mike Sellers <mike#bignetwork,com>]

At 10:31 PM 8/14/98 -0500, Koster, Raph wrote in reply to Dr. Cat:

[lots of good stuff snipped that I hope to come back to later...]

>> > As for the stakes, they will continue to grow.  I'm sure 
>> > we'll someday
>> > have over a billion people online, and at that point the 
>> > value of having
>> > things like a safe, clean, friendly Disney Online 
>> > environment will be
>> > so high that companies like them will throw pretty hefty amount of
>> > cash at figuring out ways to keep it safe.

Ummm... this is closer than you might think, with only 10% of the figure
you mentioned online.  In the last 60 days, several "online community"
companies (and I use that term reservedly, at arm's length holding my nose)
have been sold for in excess of $100M combined.  Some of these companies
have no product, customers, or track record.  From my spot checks, more
than a few of them are utterly unaware of the perversity that awaits them,
given how easy it is to do things on their sites that they'd rather a user
not do (reading and changing your cookies, joining someone else's private
space, etc.).  Clearly though, the kinds of social or "virtual violence"
that we see in MUDs are not endemic only to MUD players; this is part of
the human condition.  Keeping people feeling safe and happy in an online
environment is task #1 -- though some of the folks behind these companies
don't seem to grok that yet.  Yes, that is an opportunity you smell. :-)  

>No question. I am talking about feasible now... there's no doubt in my
>mind that someday the controlled environments, the Furcadias, will be
>the MAJORITY of the virtual spaces.


Agreed.  What we may end up with is something like a role-playing
environment without the embarrassment factor. 


--

Mike Sellers       Chief Creative Officer       The Big Network
mike#bignetwork,com                   www.bignetwork.com

                       Fun  Is  Good