1999Q3/
<!-- MHonArc v2.4.4 -->
<!--X-Subject: Re: Re[2]: [MUD&#45;Dev] The Relationship between pkers and monster AI? -->
<!--X-From-R13: "Xba O. Znzoreg" <wyflfvapNvk.argpbz.pbz> -->
<!--X-Date: Mon, 13 Sep 1999 10:55:03 &#45;0700 -->
<!--X-Message-Id: 009901befc0d$c4718160$020101df@JonLambert -->
<!--X-Content-Type: text/plain -->
<!--X-Head-End-->
<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 3.2//EN">
<html>
<head>
<title>MUD-Dev message, Re: Re[2]: [MUD-Dev] The Relationship between pkers and monste</title>
<!-- meta name="robots" content="noindex,nofollow" -->
<link rev="made" href="mailto:jlsysinc#ix,netcom.com">
</head>
<body background="/backgrounds/paperback.gif" bgcolor="#ffffff"
      text="#000000" link="#0000FF" alink="#FF0000" vlink="#006000">

  <font size="+4" color="#804040">
    <strong><em>MUD-Dev<br>mailing list archive</em></strong>
  </font>
      
<br>
[&nbsp;<a href="../">Other Periods</a>
&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="../../">Other mailing lists</a>
&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="/search.php3">Search</a>
&nbsp;]
<br clear=all><hr>
<!--X-Body-Begin-->
<!--X-User-Header-->
<!--X-User-Header-End-->
<!--X-TopPNI-->

Date:&nbsp;
[&nbsp;<a href="msg00276.html">Previous</a>
&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="msg00277.html">Next</a>
&nbsp;]
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
Thread:&nbsp;
[&nbsp;<a href="msg00271.html">Previous</a>
&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="msg00293.html">Next</a>
&nbsp;]
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
Index:&nbsp;
[&nbsp;<A HREF="author.html#00275">Author</A>
&nbsp;|&nbsp;<A HREF="#00275">Date</A>
&nbsp;|&nbsp;<A HREF="thread.html#00275">Thread</A>
&nbsp;]

<!--X-TopPNI-End-->
<!--X-MsgBody-->
<!--X-Subject-Header-Begin-->
<H1>Re: Re[2]: [MUD-Dev] The Relationship between pkers and monster AI?</H1>
<HR>
<!--X-Subject-Header-End-->
<!--X-Head-of-Message-->
<UL>
<LI><em>To</em>: &lt;<A HREF="mailto:mud-dev#kanga,nu">mud-dev#kanga,nu</A>&gt;</LI>
<LI><em>Subject</em>: Re: Re[2]: [MUD-Dev] The Relationship between pkers and monster AI?</LI>
<LI><em>From</em>: "Jon A. Lambert" &lt;<A HREF="mailto:jlsysinc#ix,netcom.com">jlsysinc#ix,netcom.com</A>&gt;</LI>
<LI><em>Date</em>: Sat, 11 Sep 1999 00:26:01 -0400</LI>
<LI><em>Reply-To</em>: <A HREF="mailto:mud-dev#kanga,nu">mud-dev#kanga,nu</A></LI>
<LI><em>Sender</em>: <A HREF="mailto:mud-dev-admin#kanga,nu">mud-dev-admin#kanga,nu</A></LI>
</UL>
<!--X-Head-of-Message-End-->
<!--X-Head-Body-Sep-Begin-->
<HR>
<!--X-Head-Body-Sep-End-->
<!--X-Body-of-Message-->
<PRE>
From: Sellers, Michael &lt;MSellers#maxis,com&gt;

&gt;Jon Lambert wrote:
&gt;&gt; Is it theoretically possible that there are many more immature 
&gt;&gt; anti-PKers than immature pro-PKers?  
&gt;&gt; Is the inability to deal with or handle harassment, violence, or offensive
&gt;&gt; behavior without recourse to authority a sign of immaturity or stunted
&gt;&gt; emotional development?  
&gt;
&gt;Typically, lashing out at others without provocation or merely to get a
&gt;thrill at someone else's expense or misery is seen as self-centered and
&gt;self-absorbed, and thus as immature. 

You might be assuming that all harassment, violence and offensive 
behavior belong to the category of "senseless".   I acknowledge that 
there is a subset of players who will commit the above for pleasure 
and perhaps some are IRL morally repugnant.
However there are many other possible motivations for performing
a non-consential PvP action against another character.  
Violence, harassment and offensive behavior can be justifiable and
sensible in many situations.  And not just in an RP context.

&gt; Wanting to be able to get some
&gt;entertainment *without* being harassed by others isn't (who's more likely to
&gt;be seen as obnoxious and immature -- the guy in line at Disneyland who keeps
&gt;smacking another person in the back of the head for kicks, or the person who
&gt;tries to get the smacker tossed out of the park?).  So right off the bat,
&gt;PKing behavior puts the PKer at sort of a moral disadvantage, no matter what
&gt;the actual maturity levels involved are.


The person being smacked in the head has chosen one of many possible 
options.  Appeal to authority.  I submit that reflexive appeal to authority is
as emotionally immature as reflexive violence.  In fact, I believe it is moreso.
  
&gt;A lot of this is context-dependant of course.  I love a good paintball game
&gt;(arguably the closest you're going to come to consensual PKing in this
&gt;life!), and sometimes even a good game of Quake.  But in situations like
&gt;this, everyone going into it knows that the "harassment" of being smacked by
&gt;somebody else *is* the game.  

Nod.  I just posted on some finer grain distinctions reference Quake of all
things.  :)

&gt;In a MUD, a lot of the appeal for many/most players is the social nature of
&gt;the entertainment.  Some MUDs carry this so far as to eliminate PKing as
&gt;part of the game system (but most of those in this discussion seem to have
&gt;discarded that possibility -- I certainly have).  Thus, there is some
&gt;expectation of not being used as a punching bag for someone else; where's
&gt;the entertainment in that?  


This is important!  Note that most often emotionally-charged entertainment-
draining negative mud experiences occur because of non-consential PvP 
social actions.   Thus my earlier comment about the emotionally immature 
non-PKers are perhaps more numerous than PKers.  The presence or 
absence of game-mechanics which enable PvP game actions might have 
no bearing on the enjoyability of the mud.    The more emotionally immature 
your non-PK audience is, the more frequent "appeals to authority".  I suspect
"appeals to authority" are may well be less frequent on games that allow PvP.

&gt;The delicate balance that a lot of mud-designers want to reach is that where
&gt;the entertainment value of the potential danger of being PK'ed exists,
&gt;without allowing PKing to take over the game and swamp any other sources of
&gt;enjoyment or entertainment.  PKing should be possible, but not without risk,
&gt;cost, or recourse.  And other forms of competitive behavior should be
&gt;possible too.  IMHO.


Sure...Bartles clubs/hearts relationships.  I posit that weaning one's hearts
from the teat of administrative nannies may be more effective in producing
an enjoyable game than expending energy on the perceived club problem.
A game with weak hearts is far less enjoyable than game with strong hearts.
OK. Enough punning around. :)

--
J. Lambert





_______________________________________________
MUD-Dev maillist  -  MUD-Dev#kanga,nu
<A  HREF="http://www.kanga.nu/lists/listinfo/mud-dev">http://www.kanga.nu/lists/listinfo/mud-dev</A>

</PRE>

<!--X-Body-of-Message-End-->
<!--X-MsgBody-End-->
<!--X-Follow-Ups-->
<HR>
<ul compact><li><strong>Follow-Ups</strong>:
<ul>
<li><strong><A NAME="00293" HREF="msg00293.html">Re: Re[2]: [MUD-Dev] The Relationship between pkers and monster AI?</A></strong>
<ul compact><li><em>From:</em> Matthew Mihaly &lt;diablo#best,com&gt;</li></ul>
</UL></LI></UL>
<!--X-Follow-Ups-End-->
<!--X-References-->
<!--X-References-End-->
<!--X-BotPNI-->
<UL>
<LI>Prev by Date:
<STRONG><A HREF="msg00276.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] The Relationship between pkers and monster AI?</A></STRONG>
</LI>
<LI>Next by Date:
<STRONG><A HREF="msg00277.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] The Relationship between pkers and monster AI?</A></STRONG>
</LI>
<LI>Prev by thread:
<STRONG><A HREF="msg00271.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] The Relationship between pkers and monster AI?</A></STRONG>
</LI>
<LI>Next by thread:
<STRONG><A HREF="msg00293.html">Re: Re[2]: [MUD-Dev] The Relationship between pkers and monster AI?</A></STRONG>
</LI>
<LI>Index(es):
<UL>
<LI><A HREF="index.html#00275"><STRONG>Date</STRONG></A></LI>
<LI><A HREF="thread.html#00275"><STRONG>Thread</STRONG></A></LI>
</UL>
</LI>
</UL>

<!--X-BotPNI-End-->
<!--X-User-Footer-->
<!--X-User-Footer-End-->
<ul><li>Thread context:
<BLOCKQUOTE><UL>
<LI><STRONG>Re: [MUD-Dev] The Relationship between pkers and monster AI?</STRONG>, <EM>(continued)</EM>
<ul compact>
<ul compact>
<ul compact>
<ul compact>
<LI><strong><A NAME="00311" HREF="msg00311.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] The Relationship between pkers and monster AI?</A></strong>, 
Solmyr of the Azure Star <a href="mailto:solmyr#kolumbus,fi">solmyr#kolumbus,fi</a>, Tue 14 Sep 1999, 23:16 GMT
</LI>
</ul>
</ul>
</ul>
<LI><strong><A NAME="00265" HREF="msg00265.html">RE: [MUD-Dev] The Relationship between pkers and monster AI?</A></strong>, 
Sellers, Michael <a href="mailto:MSellers#maxis,com">MSellers#maxis,com</a>, Sat 11 Sep 1999, 00:35 GMT
<UL>
<LI><strong><A NAME="00268" HREF="msg00268.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] The Relationship between pkers and monster AI?</A></strong>, 
Solmyr of the Azure Star <a href="mailto:solmyr#kolumbus,fi">solmyr#kolumbus,fi</a>, Sat 11 Sep 1999, 02:29 GMT
<UL>
<LI><strong><A NAME="00271" HREF="msg00271.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] The Relationship between pkers and monster AI?</A></strong>, 
Matthew Mihaly <a href="mailto:diablo#best,com">diablo#best,com</a>, Mon 13 Sep 1999, 17:51 GMT
</LI>
</UL>
</LI>
</UL>
</LI>
<LI><strong><A NAME="00275" HREF="msg00275.html">Re: Re[2]: [MUD-Dev] The Relationship between pkers and monster AI?</A></strong>, 
Jon A. Lambert <a href="mailto:jlsysinc#ix,netcom.com">jlsysinc#ix,netcom.com</a>, Mon 13 Sep 1999, 17:55 GMT
<UL>
<LI><strong><A NAME="00293" HREF="msg00293.html">Re: Re[2]: [MUD-Dev] The Relationship between pkers and monster AI?</A></strong>, 
Matthew Mihaly <a href="mailto:diablo#best,com">diablo#best,com</a>, Mon 13 Sep 1999, 22:22 GMT
</LI>
</UL>
</LI>
<LI><strong><A NAME="00277" HREF="msg00277.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] The Relationship between pkers and monster AI?</A></strong>, 
Mik Clarke <a href="mailto:mikclrk#ibm,net">mikclrk#ibm,net</a>, Mon 13 Sep 1999, 17:56 GMT
<UL>
<LI><strong><A NAME="00299" HREF="msg00299.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] The Relationship between pkers and monster AI?</A></strong>, 
Matthew Mihaly <a href="mailto:diablo#best,com">diablo#best,com</a>, Tue 14 Sep 1999, 01:16 GMT
<UL>
<LI><strong><A NAME="00300" HREF="msg00300.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] The Relationship between pkers and monster AI?</A></strong>, 
Adam Wiggins <a href="mailto:adam#angel,com">adam#angel,com</a>, Tue 14 Sep 1999, 01:30 GMT
</LI>
</UL>
</LI>
</UL>
</LI>
</ul>
</LI>
</UL></BLOCKQUOTE>

</ul>
<hr>
<center>
[&nbsp;<a href="../">Other Periods</a>
&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="../../">Other mailing lists</a>
&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="/search.php3">Search</a>
&nbsp;]
</center>
<hr>
</body>
</html>