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To Kill An Avatar
Thanks to Legalaffairs.org for their new article called 'To Kill An Avatar', discussing lawmaking in online worlds. Although this is an often-explored subject, some interesting examples come up, such as a case in which "..an avatar [in virtual world There] put up a 'For Sale' sign in front of a house that he didn't own.. the scam artist collected some serious Therebucks (the currency of There) before the creators of the world discovered what was afoot and took corrective action." The article concludes without much hope of resolution: "You could make a virtual world without the possibility of crime - but it would probably be about as dynamic as Pong or Tetris.. by creating virtual lives, investments, and freedoms, we create the conditions for virtual crime."
Didn't put it in the main post cos it's a tad off-topic, but I just started watching Bandai's .hack//SIGN TV show on Cartoon Network, and there's some really interesting discussions of lawlessness in virtual worlds in that (seeing as it takes place in a MMORPG n' all.) It's an intriguing and thoughtprovoking show - do you go in a MMORPG to have fun however you want, even if it means being 'bad', or is imposing order necessary for the majority to have fun? That seemed to be one of the questions they tackled.
Anybody who has played any kind of massive online game already knows this - that being online and somewhat anonymous actually LEADS to behavior that is mischievous or harmful to others. It's easy to be an a-hole when nobody knows you. Having played Everquest for some time in the past, grief players and scammers abound. And you know what? It'll always be like that.
IMO there's *more* "crime" online than there is in the real-world - why? Because what's the worse that can happen to you? Get banned? Yah, that's about it. For games with a persistent character, this is a somewhat effective deterrent (see Everquest). But really, this won't stop many people from ruining other people's online experiences.
In the end, there will always be players in a MMORPG who work outside the basic rules, much like in real-life. I don't believe this will lead to the downfall of MMORPGs however, as long as the game provides an area to work out these anti-establishment feelings.
As far as exploiters go, you find them in every MMORPG. Those who push the limits of every game-enforced law or rule, to gain an advantage over their fellow players. I would like to see a system that encompasses this, similar to moderation on a board. A panel of GMs could monitor the shady activities that go on, and adjust the player's game experience accordingly. A particularly devious game designer could even incorporate specific exploits into the system to draw those who are attracted to working on the fringes of the "law". I believe it would enhance the roleplaying experience for those not inclined to walk the bright, straight, and narrow path, thus leading to a higher subscription rate overall.
You're never going to get rid of the cheaters. But since they're there already, why not make it a player class?
Wynter
"Not all who wander are lost" -- JRR Tolkien
I do a lot of MMORPG playing. I run large allegiances. I'm happy to address the social problems of MMORPGs.
1) Some people like to cause trouble.
A virtual world is, as one friend put it, a place where he can do bad things without fear of having bad things done to him. In other words, he sees his avatar solely as a distraction at $10/month, but others see it as blood/sweat/tears and really identify with their avatars. Thus, they have more to lose, and therefore he gets all the power. And he enjoys abusing that power -- something he can't easily do in real life.
2) Some people like to complain.
You will, in every virtual and non-virtual place, find people that will complain about anything. If the game is too hard, they complain. If it's too easy, they complain. If they report a bug that isn't fixed by the time they form their next (first?) coherent thought, they complain. These people must be ignored, and they exist en masse in MMORPGs and always migrate to the fansites and post in ALL CAPS ALL THE TIME WITH LOTS OF !!!!!!!. In general, I pity them because they have no control over anything in real life.
3) Virtual police do not work.
Some people do not like to play vs other players (pvp). Others find this the only exciting thing in games -- AI always fall short, but fighting real people can be a tremendous challenge. But what happens when a pvp-er attacks a non-combatant? The NC feels violated. Combine a pvper with #1, and you have a serious griefer. So let's say a bunch of folks get together to punish this person. The result is that a bunch of other people get together to punish the law enforcement. In real life, law enforcement usually has superior firepower... not so in virtual worlds.
4) There is no stealing in virtual worlds (generally).
Rarely do virtual words add the ability to steal, except in worlds where you can hunt down the offending thief. All other cons are just that: cons. If you get tricked into dropping your Dragon Platemail of the Elements, it's your loss. Many people risk their character's reputation to con other characters, and it can be a lucrative business. Never underestimate the greed or the ignorance of your fellow player. This has real world implications, because that dragon platemail can be sold on ebay for $100. I am waiting for the day someone is sued or actually hurt in real life for conning or exploiting someone in a game. I've heard rumors that it's already happened. Some games have made conning against the Code of Conduct, and will ban or delete characters that don't keep their words. But this has the problem of enforcement, and usually there is no way to appeal. Remember we're talking about items that may have real world $ value, and it's being decided by some random droid on the other end of a computer. Judge/jury/executioner, and usually no process of appeal. No thanks.
5) If it can be exploited, it will be exploited.
The physics of a game are coded very strictly, where players must be rewarded or they'll stop playing (and take their monthly fees with them!). So, things must be attainable by the normal player, yet things must remain challenging. There are people out there that will run the math and find the lowest cost:benefit, then do that. They see optimizing character advancement as the challenge, and are not interested in socializing or anything else. Maxing a character means winning the game. But these people are usually thwarted at every opportunity by the game manufacturers, which IMHO is a bad idea. What happens is that, in the attempt to thwart these people, the game manufacturers screw the normal player.
I realize this doesn't paint a very nice picture of MMORPGs, but remember that these are the difficulties that designers face. Some of the advantages is that they provide wonderful places to meet people with similar interests in a virtual environment, where you can present yourself as whatever you want. Some try to roleplay, some don't care. Some play the opposite sex, some tr