That is why you fail...
Or, How Political Beliefs Damage World Design
You might wonder how a designer’s political views could “damage” their philosophy as it applies to the design of an on-line world. Currently, politics in the world describes a range of beliefs that form a spectrum. The beliefs are not just in how people should be governed, but also in how people should live their daily lives.
Conservative beliefs tend to fall on the “political right” side of the spectrum. These beliefs generally support the ideals of Capitalism as the most fair and equitable economic system. Personal responsibility with very little government regulation is the basis for how people live their lives. Conservatives tend to believe that most people are generally decent and if left to their own devices, will make the “right moral choice”.
Liberal beliefs tend to fall on the “political left” of the spectrum. This belief system generally supports the ideals of Socialism as the most fair and equitable economic and governmental system. Under this belief, the government is responsible for almost everything that happens in a person’s life and government regulation is necessary to maintain “an even playing field” for everyone. Liberals tend to believe that most people are basically stupid, and if left to their own devices will make the “greedy” or “wrong moral choice”.
This is not really a political forum, but since political beliefs color the way we approach life and other human beings, even the way we understand the relationships between human beings, the two ideals are linked. If you believe that most players will make choices which annoy or work against other players, then you are starting off with an adversarial view point toward your player-base. Not only will you end up creating systems to deal with the perceived iniquities between players, but the over all structure of the game will tend to oppress all players in an attempt to keep any players from behaving in a way that goes against the desires (and belief system) of the designer.
I’ve been reading through a lot of the material on other developer’s websites, particularly those I’ve listed on the right under the “Smart Guys” section. All of those guys are smart. Some of those guys are still wrong, a lot.
I don’t see “being human” as a negative quality. If it is true that the majority of people derive enjoyment from throwing daggers at targets, then you should write code with that in mind. You ought to attempt to expand and expound upon that desire and broaden the game from that starting point.
After learning that the majority enjoys dagger throwing, some colleagues are “disappointed” by the apparent lack of diverse interests. They can’t see that they’ve found a human truism which can be exploited and turned to their own advantage within the game. Instead, they see this human truism as some kind of human failing.
I empathize with the potential players who might be spending time and money on servers designed to discourage dagger throwing.
You might wonder how a designer’s political views could “damage” their philosophy as it applies to the design of an on-line world. Currently, politics in the world describes a range of beliefs that form a spectrum. The beliefs are not just in how people should be governed, but also in how people should live their daily lives.
Conservative beliefs tend to fall on the “political right” side of the spectrum. These beliefs generally support the ideals of Capitalism as the most fair and equitable economic system. Personal responsibility with very little government regulation is the basis for how people live their lives. Conservatives tend to believe that most people are generally decent and if left to their own devices, will make the “right moral choice”.
Liberal beliefs tend to fall on the “political left” of the spectrum. This belief system generally supports the ideals of Socialism as the most fair and equitable economic and governmental system. Under this belief, the government is responsible for almost everything that happens in a person’s life and government regulation is necessary to maintain “an even playing field” for everyone. Liberals tend to believe that most people are basically stupid, and if left to their own devices will make the “greedy” or “wrong moral choice”.
This is not really a political forum, but since political beliefs color the way we approach life and other human beings, even the way we understand the relationships between human beings, the two ideals are linked. If you believe that most players will make choices which annoy or work against other players, then you are starting off with an adversarial view point toward your player-base. Not only will you end up creating systems to deal with the perceived iniquities between players, but the over all structure of the game will tend to oppress all players in an attempt to keep any players from behaving in a way that goes against the desires (and belief system) of the designer.
I’ve been reading through a lot of the material on other developer’s websites, particularly those I’ve listed on the right under the “Smart Guys” section. All of those guys are smart. Some of those guys are still wrong, a lot.
I don’t see “being human” as a negative quality. If it is true that the majority of people derive enjoyment from throwing daggers at targets, then you should write code with that in mind. You ought to attempt to expand and expound upon that desire and broaden the game from that starting point.
After learning that the majority enjoys dagger throwing, some colleagues are “disappointed” by the apparent lack of diverse interests. They can’t see that they’ve found a human truism which can be exploited and turned to their own advantage within the game. Instead, they see this human truism as some kind of human failing.
I empathize with the potential players who might be spending time and money on servers designed to discourage dagger throwing.
posted by Jaycen Rigger at 11:06 PM
7 Comments:
I'd never really considered political leanings and persistent world development before. It really does seem like a natural fit. Working in politics, I can see how my own political viewpoints affect my taste in games.
Not to get into a political debate, though, I must say I disagree with your view of the liberal worldview. Being a Democrat, I must say that I agree mostly with what you described as being "conservative" values. What you described as liberal sounds more like Joe Stalin than Joe Lieberman. =/
*LOL* Thanks for looking at it, man. Well, then perhaps you'd fit in better as a Conservative or an Independant.
I voted Bush in the last election, but I would never consider myself a Republican. I'm thoroughly disgusted by both parties right now. I don't even like very many of Bush's current policies, but I figured he was the lesser of two evils. My wife joined the Republican party, which I think is great because she's finally taking a solid interest in politics, even if she and I disagree on some details.
Anyway, I hope you don't take any of it too personally. I'm the kind of guy who loves a good debate (even if we're raising our voices a little and sounding argumentative), and I'm always willing to hear the other side as long as the other side is willing to hear me.
Beyond all that stuff, I think it's important to understand your own feelings and ideas when it comes to how you relate to other people. This is especially true if you're going to provide a service for hundreds or thousands of other people, all or some of which might be interacting with each other at any given time. Without that understanding, you might not realize that it is YOU (generic "you", not you personally) who are the problem when it comes to how you deal with your own player base.
Thanks again,
Jaycen
I find the contrast between the following entry (about Sony Exchange, and how making it possible for people to engage in bad behavior will make things even worse) and this one, well, fascinating.
Marc,
Thanks for being vague.
-Jaycen
Damion,
Amen, brother. It's just too damned bad that the game companies won't grow the balls to actually do what needs to be done.
I don't know if they're too frightened of losing their player-base or if they just don't care. I suspect it's a mix.
What's sad is, if they just did what had to be done, they'd only lose a few players. Over time, they'd actually retain MORE players who would appreciate that the company was going out of its way to make sure everyone had a fun place to play, instead of catering to the jackasses that screw it up for everyone.
-Jaycen
Jaycen,
My apologies - I was rushed, and didn't give my full attention to my comment. I think you'll find, however, that if you go through your last couple of paragraphs in the original post and replace "dagger throwing" with "RMT", you'll see what I mean. Obviously there is a huge market for real money trades for in-game objects - it appears that a large number of players in these games derive enjoyment from it. I would think that you would argue that engaging in RMT is a part of "being human", and therefore should be accommodated in these games. (I realize that some may feel that RMT is an example of the fist that swings too far, impacting other players' noses, but that's another debate entirely...)
I agree completely with what you and Damion say with regards to Fascism as a server policy - unless you are running a game to serve as some kind of open-ended social experiment, it's really the only sensible way to maintain integrity in the relentlessly vicious and anonymous environment that the Internet provides. (I'm fairly sure, however, that my personal politics are more in line with Damion's than yours, although I think you have some pretty strange definitions of what Conservative and Liberal are - do your Liberals get to keep gun collections?)
Maybe I'm misunderstanding the point of your original post, though, because it appears again to be in direct opposition with what you're saying up there. If it's your (the one who built, owns, and hosts the game servers) policy that there is to be no RMT, foul language, gambling, or people who people who like to make their avatars wear orange boots, your only real choice is to use the iron fist, and make it so. Your game, your rules. However, when find that your rules come into conflict with these "human truisms", what do you do? Adapt, or stand firm? Both avenues have their advantages and disadvantages, and it's an interesting question. What's your take on it?
- Marc
Thanks, Marc. I see your point.
When I used the "dagger throwing" reference, I was thinking about a Dev-er who tends to decry people's tendancy to have a narrow range of interests. This person thinks that, in general, people will not "try new things" (for whatever reason) and this is a terrible loss.
He specifically told me he did not want to reward people for doing something they will do anyway. What he fails to understand is that people do it because it is rewarding (I get loot and experience and a small feeling of "victory" when I slay a monster).
Killing monsters in a fantasy setting appeals to people for a large variety of reasons, few of which have to do with, "I'm just too dumb or narrow minded to bother lifting a finger to find out if I like doing something else as much or more than I like killing monsters."
When people choose the quick and expensive path to advancement, they going outside the game context to affect the events in-game. That's the difference. If I like killing monsters for the adrenaline rush I get when I risk my character's possessions, then don't act like I'm a mindless dolt. Don't take that away from me. At least I'm enjoying the game in the context the game setting has provided for me.
Does Sony offer "an alternate context"? Yes, but it's outside of the game. That is a mixed message; come and play our game (which means operating within the game context), but also feel free to walk outside the game, and bring things in from the outside.
As to how you handle a demand for that kind of change to the game...I suppose you have to decide what's more important - the people you designed the game for, originally - or the alternate market.
I suppose that time and subscription numbers will tell.
Post a Comment
<< Home