[MUD-Dev] Spoofing (Psychopaths)

[Ola Fosheim Grøstad <olag#ifi,uio.no>]

Koster, Raph wrote:
> > From: Ola Fosheim Grøstad [mailto:olag#ifi,uio.no]

> > Why are developers so eager to embrace the more
> > hysterical/stereotypical
> > writings on muds? (Dibbell, Bartle...)
> 
> Well, they also happen to be two of the best things written about muds,
> IMHO.

I guess I must be blind then. :) (Farmer, Turkle, Suler, Kim, Cherny and
even the VR guys do better I think. Dibbel is entertaining. Bartle is
oversimplifying and selling a simple solution to a complex problem with no
apparent support. Btw, did you notice how many references he has that has
zero to do with the problem he is writing about?)
 
> I find Bartle's paper useful in that is classifies and presents some
> classic dichotomies clearly. Like all classifications, it is inexact and
> cannot be regarded as an absolute. But it serves as a great springboard
> for discussion.

Great springboard for not-so-great discussions in which that all-important
player motivation/psychology is neglected. IMHO.  Taking "things" at surface
value isn't a good thing, especially when you are dealing with humans.

> > The so called "virtual rape" can for sure be prevented by
> > providing a secure
> > identity and secure protocols. It is a problem which can be solved by
> > design.
> 
> Can you explain what you mean? Clearly, the "spoof" object and the like
> cannot occur on most mud systems, but similar actions can nonetheless be
> taken...

What I mean is that the main idea with the "rape" is to make the user loose
control over his/her most personal sphere. In a MUD this is the identity.
This can be prevented by design.

  [Raph spoofs]: "Ola fuchs himself to death with a chain saw."

is not all that fun and is a lot worse for me than

  [Raph emotes]: "Raph watches Ola fuch himself to death with a chain saw."

which even could be perceived as fun.  It is primarily attributed to you,
not to me. You are not invading my privacy yet, you are attacking it.  I
admit that you can make the latter more intense by repeating it over a long
period of time.

(What I find interesting about The Palace is that "spoofing" is actually a
deliberate design choice, and social control is preferred over removing the
functionality.)
--
Ola