Alphaville Herald

Stealing Dreams

Perhaps best known as author of the 'Newbie 2 Newbie' column, Rose Karuna has returned in print for the first time since writing for the now-defunct SecondLIFE Magazine. It is worth noting that even back in her SL Magazine days, Rose was already flirting with the questionable journalism practices that have made the Herald famous, giving a hacksaw to a handcuffed fugitive in exchange for an interview. Today she sets aside her SL work as care-taker for Karuna Nursery & Campground (Furu (132, 53)), and her RL work on her new house, to try and solve a mystery; the mystery behind Rose's obsession with Second Life.

I'll admit it. I'm a member of the fetid old persons club - FOP (not to be mistaken for the FIC - Feted Inner Core).

As a member of the fetid old persons club I can still recall when a "fast meal" was a foil TV dinner that took forty five minutes to cook.

When FOPs were growing up, there were no cell phones that allowed our parents to instantaneously track our whereabouts. We had party lines and our phone rang at best once a month and when it did, it was a very big deal, even if the call was for our neighbor.

When someone said "Hello" to us in the grocery store we'd always answer back with a polite smile, because before cell phones sprang into existence, people really were speaking to us and not to a silver box, completely oblivious of those standing around them.

A visit to the mail box was exciting not aggravating. Letters from friends and catalogs took awhile to reach you, so they were appreciated. Saving money and sending away for Sea Monkeys never caused a bombardment of enough junk mail to choke a chipping machine.

Your waiting for it aren't you? The old line that bemoans how I used to walk twenty miles to school through blizzards, well I didn't. I only walked about four blocks and school was closed when we had that much snow.

During blizzards, my parents had to perform like circus monkeys to entertain my brothers and I, because outside of getting up in the morning and going to school, showing up for dinner and going to bed, we had little else to do except an occasional homework assignment.

There were no organized dance classes, band or soccer schedules to meet and it never occurred to my parents to feel guilty because they might not be putting enough effort into assuring that we all became musical or mathematical geniuses. In retrospect, living conditions that would be considered primitive now, were in fact, a gift. They were the gift of unproductive time. Time used to explore, to read and best of all, to dream.

More than thirty years have passed since then and now I own a microwave, a cell phone, a computer, and many other fancy gadgets that were once touted as miracle inventions destined to "save time" and keep us free from drudgery. The problem with them is that microwaved dinners taste like cardboard; the cell phone is such a pest that I lie and say the battery is dead so people don't call me on it and I spend so much time in email sorting legitimate correspondence from ads for penis enlargement that I've lost all joy in reading it.

I've become focused on the management of life and work, tweaking time into efficient segments. Any time remaining to simply dream was surrendered years ago in favor of a good book or a mind numbing television show. Day dreaming about the impossible is a distant memory filed at the back of my mind with Koolaid popsicles and jars of fireflies.

I've heard people claim that Second Life is addictive. After having spent more than one entire weekend without sleep because I was either in world or in Photoshop, obsession is a distinct possibility. I stopped reading and I stopped watching television. What is it about Second Life that holds me hostage to my computer for 24 straight hours? Why am I compelled to haunt the Second Life forums during my breaks at work?

It wasn't until a real life "intervention" recently that I realized what Second Life actually offered me. Hubby, tired of eating cardboard and convinced that Phillip was an evil scientist using Second Life to create drooling zombies, unplugged my computer from the hub. Forced from my somnambulistic state, I noted our wrenched living conditions; stacked microwave meal cartons, dust bunnies littering the floor and two opossums that broke through the cat door and were running amuck about the house, nasty little creatures.

So for the last couple of months I've been cleaning, organizing, painting and remodeling. Standing on a ladder, paint brush in hand, I thought about how nice it would be to just upload and apply a texture instead of messing with a brush and roller. While holding up large panels of sheet rock until my arms ached while hubby screwed them onto the framing, I noted that the entire room really could have been done with just two prims.

One day, I was working on our real life dock when I came face to face with a five foot iguana. Apparently he'd been living in our Ficus tree and hit our dock for a bit of sun. Seeing him was positively surreal. Is this Second Life or is this some psychotic break from real life? That's when it hit me. No not the iguana, the reason for my obsession with Second Life.

Second Life is the place that I come to dream. Learning how to build and script lulled me into the erroneous sense that I was doing something useful with my time. So like a thief in the night, I stole little bits of time from various other aspects of my life to spend in Second Life, psychologically that was acceptable, because I was doing something useful, damn it.

In an increasingly challenging world, time is a precious commodity and the only way to meet its demand is to accept progressively more responsibility. It's difficult to justify carving time out for unfettered dreaming about the impossible, but that is what I do in Second Life.

With so much focus on haste, efficiency and goals, dreaming is often viewed as frivolous. Sometimes it's easier to allow HBO and Warner Brothers to define our fantasies than it is to have our own. Dreaming for ourselves though, I think that's the difference between thinking in black and white and thinking in color. One is stark and focused and the other is vivid and complex. We need both. I never realized how long I had ignored the need to dream until I started to again in Second Life. I wasn't aware that's what I was obsessed with until it reduced me to a bad housekeeper and a drooling zombie in dire need of some shuteye.

"Seeing him [a five foot iguana] was positively surreal. Is this Second Life or is this some psychotic break from real life?"

These terrifying Florida 'Yard Dogs' (alligators) patrol the Karuna property

Karuna Nursery & Campground (Furu (132, 53)).

Rose's prim-heavy current RL build

Bedazzled and Stark Bollock Naked

The Herald staff aren't always as quick off the mark as we'd like to be. When a forum thread on the Bedazzle Nude pics got underway, our editorial board were passed out underneath a poker table following a drunken brawl over the six aces Uri had found in his shirt-sleeve.

So as I sit here in the out-patient ward, I regret that we did not post this link sooner and in accordance with our "All the nudes that's fit to print" policy.

Executive Summary: A forum-poster responds negatively to a page at the Bedazzle website that displays several of the group's female members in the nekkid. The pictures were originally shot and featured at Bedazzled's Chinatown build. The poster suggests that the pics were a publicity-ploy and that their respect for the Bedazzle team took a hit when they saw the developers posing in the nuddy. Spawning 400 posts in 3 days, the majority of which were flameage ("You STFU!", "No, YOU STFU!"), the thread eventually degenerated and was locked down by Pathfinder Linden. Despite the Star Trek Federation Undergraduate name-calling, there are some interesting topics raised in what remains. The thread touches briefly on art vs porn, the publicity-value of nudity, feminism, real bodies vs virtual bodies and the debate about whether your naked ass can degrade you and your work.

And not real naked ass but computer-generated naked ass; Asses that have questionable physics and - out of consideration for prim-lag - often less junk in the trunk. So uh... that should uh... be a factor to consider.

As always, opinion at the Herald is mixed and still suffering from the secondary effects of a whisky bottle to the skull and a general anaesthetic. So keep your eyes peeled for the next Post Six Grrl - "Phwoaar!" and our forthcoming essay "Virtual boobies as subconceptualist paradigm for postdiscourse constructivism".

Which Came First: the Creativity or the Creator?

by Budka Groshomme

Wander at random through Second Life and creativity seems to spring from every corner. Everyone, it seems, is building something. It might be trivial, ugly, overstated, ornate, minimalist, inconsequential, heroic, or offensive but, by God, they are building it! The creative variety is overwhelming. If you doubt this, take a look at the thousands of snapshots on Snapzilla.

And it isn’t just the special few: Nobody who has come to SL, it seems, remains immune for long to the allure of creating something out of the ubiquitous primitives of the Linden universe. But how can every single resident of Second Life be so creative?

It may just be a modest tweak here or there, changing the texture or color, or adding a twist here and a cut there. Or it could be profound, such as building a fifty-meter high gorilla, or a tower that reaches the heavens. But everyone, it seems, is creating something.

What, then, is the source of this copious Nile of creativity? From what spring does all this creativity spring? Are the current crop of residents simply a self-selected group of creative people, predisposed to creation and undaunted by the tools and opportunities? That is certainly one possibility.

Another possibility is that the creative tools that give everyone the capability of creation are simply too tempting to resist. Humans have always been tool-making and tool-using creatures. From the first hand axe to the most sophisticated digital tools of today, mankind has used anything and everything at hand to mold the environment nearer heart’s desire, but not always with pleasant results.

Science fiction and fantasy share an underlying theme of creativity, the ability of the protagonist to craft a gadget, theory, spell, or artifact sufficient to resolve the issue at hand. In short, the ability to create opportunity.

But the protagonist isn't necessarily an unusually creative person. He or she may be quite ordinary, but driven to creativity by an extraordinary situation brought about by plan or mischance. Whatever their fictional origins, such characters usually discover unknown talents within themselves, find powers they did not know they possessed, or reach within themselves for the strength, the will, and the desire to overcome obstacles. Perhaps something along those lines is happening in SL: Ordinary people driven to creative opportunity by the environment their story has landed them in.

Here and there throughout SL are examples of tools and imagination coming together on a superior level: artists creating things bright and beautiful, architects putting up beautiful buildings, and wonderful clothing and creature designers. But these are in the minority, just as in RL. The rest of us build what we can with whatever skill and inadequate aesthetic sense we possess.

The lack of skills and aesthetic sense is painfully obvious in many areas. There are some nice buildings, but most are architectural disasters; little more than decorated copies of something that wouldn’t even be interesting in RL. Most of the malls look as tacky and garish as their real-world counterparts and the meeting places and event venues are sadly of a type, just the modern equivalent of the watering hole.

Taken in general, the residents have built a virtual Vegas, a playground for the mind, a place to escape from the real world’s tribulations. In Second Life everyone can be beautiful, powerful, and do whatever they damn well please. The life is heady, intoxicating, and addictive but, in the end, just another fantasy.

Is the best that SL can produce nothing more than commercial venues, entertainment that distracts but does not fulfill, or a handy way to enhance a typed conversation? Is it the best we can do to fill every vista with non-functional decoration? How much of this can anyone bear before they start asking themselves: What is the point of it all?

Second Life holds forth so much promise. It’s an environment where a true revolution of the mind could come about. Together we could create something unique, something completely different from anything conceivably possible in RL. All we need is the vision, the will, and the ability to make this a reality. All we need is to bring the right resources together.

That would be really creative.

What Lies Beneath: A Meditation on the Digisoul

by Budka Groshomme

When I was a kid I wondered, as most of my era did, whether the light in the icebox really went out when the door closed. Several attempts at divining this led only to a pinched nose. Although I have grown more careful about where I stick my nose since then, my curious nature remains.

It was that same driving curiosity that made me wonder where the "me" was while I was being teleported. Checking clocks at both ends, both in SL and in RL, indicated that a measurable period of time elapses between the time you de-rez at one end and appear at the other. Where, exactly, was my me during that period? Since teleporting is independent of distance (three trials proved this to me), I knew I wasn't exactly zipping along above the landscape like some digital wraith in the interim.

But, did I move? As with the classic transporters of 1960s Star Trek vintage, teleporters of science fiction, etc., each avatar is apparently erased at the transmitting end and built anew at the receiving station. In truth, what appears on the teleport hub is a brand new avatar, built up from the pattern of the departed (and erased) original. As you move about after rezzing up, the avatar feels, acts, and moves as before. You remain the dreaded demon, fickle witch, hirsute hulking brute, or the diminutive, sexy blonde you were. The avatar is merely a set of patterns culled from your inventory that is wrapped around your me, and that me in SL is something else, something more basic.

Let's go back a bit. When you teleport you seem, to any nearby observer, to disappear like a burst soap bubble. For a few seconds, you are neither here nor there. Yet, as we already discussed, you are clearly somewhere! Similarly, when you leave the game to sample RL, the real SL me remains. This me, this digital creation – this digisoul – is the core of one's SL existence and it persists whether you are present or not.

I'm reminded of a short SF story I read years ago in which aliens would occupy ("ride") humans for a brief time and have the humans perform all types of aberrant behaviors. The occupied individuals were condemned to merely watch as the riders made their bodies commit often obscene and unspeakable acts. Of course, those being ridden were left with the memories of what "they" had done. Don't we treat our own SL digisouls in the same way?

Did you ever consider what happens to all those digisouls abandoned by their owners? Not only the temps who abandon their rudimentary avatars within a few days, but those who made a longer term investment. What happens when the rider dies? Doesn't the digital digisoul definition remain?

Somewhere in the darkness of Linden Lab's machines these abandoned creations lie where they were left, tied to a location, a pattern, a password. They are in purgatory, electronically alive, but not animated; nor are they truly dead. Do they, I wonder, have electronic dreams of open data sets, of bits and bytes, of endless memory? Does the activation of another digisoul at their location make them aware of their abandonment?

The question of our ethical responsibility toward these unfortunate creations comes into play once we think of them as beings. How can we, in good conscience, continue to ignore the plight of these digisouls? How can we continue to evade our social responsibility to care for these avatar-less beings?

Perhaps there's some way we could bring these abandoned creatures forth. All they need is a password. With that knowledge we could summon them from their digital graves, reanimate them, and once again give them the gift of life. But how would they react? Would they be mere zombies or could we somehow grant them free will? Once freed, would they then set out to build a native SL, unfettered by the perceptions of our warped RL worldview? What would they build, what wonders would they create?

Is it in our power to grant them resurrection and renewal? Is it our responsibility?

Free the digisouls!

Op/Ed: Linden Labs and Griefers - Hands on or off?

by Neal Stewart

OKKKAY?

One of the perks of working for the Herald, other than the sex, drugs and heavy metal music... and the power... and the riches... other than those, one of... and the fame.... other than those, one of the perks is being able to pass your forum posts off as Op/Ed's.

The number of people who regularly frequent the Second Life forums is comparable to the Herald's regular readership. However, it's probably not the same residents visiting both. I mean, my mum's not good with forums. So every now and then it pays to give a shout-out to our forum-bedraggled brethren and their dialectic mortal combat. And vice versa.

And every now and then you'll write a forum post so carefully that you'll wish you'd posted it as an Op/Ed. So you have to give a shout-out to yourself.

Also, it's a very important issue and not at all about my own personal posts. Would you buy that?

OK. So what's the context? Linden Labs are taking some heat in the forums at the moment. It is argued that LL are not adequately dealing with griefers and abuse in Second Life. That the problem is reaching epic proportions. Some of the more prominent recent examples of alleged griefing include anti-homosexual flags, KKK avatars/imagery, profanity in user-profiles and RL death-threats. The Herald has also recently covered alleged privacy invasion, Welcome Area nukes, Nazi training camps, and WTC 911 humour. And some intellectual hotshot also wrote an editorial on virtual-world free speech.

I had thought that my position on this was quite common in SL but it hasn't received as much voice in some of the threads lately as I would expect. I appreciate that the position is contrary to what the Terms of Service and Community Standards currently prescribe. Personally, I don't think a player should be banned for displaying anti-gay flags, swatikas etc. I think that residents should be allowed to identify the creators/perpetrators publicly. Then I think that residents should react individually as they see fit; Be it using the ratings/reputation system (which I think should be radically improved/overhauled), using land-bans, refusing to do business with them, etc, talking to them about it, giving them a piece of their mind, telling their friends etc. Or doing nothing at all.

That's kind of easy to say but it's tricky when you consider alts (alternate accounts). A resident can create a griefer alt for the express purpose of making anti-gay flags etc (as they appear to have done) and then avoid any of the repercussions of their actions. They can spend all their time in SL using their non-griefer account. I don't know what the solution is there. Are there any technical solutions or is it ultimately a dead end? I think that many will use that objection as another argument for bans based on resident majority-opinion. I prefer empowering individuals where possible rather than allowing majority-opinion bans. On the other hand, this alts problem only applies to griefers who build something and leave it there. Griefers who actively disrupt events could be more adequately dealt with, given the right tools, regardless of whether or not they are alts.

To clarify, I do think that people who make direct RL death-threats should be perma-banned and the proper authorities notified etc. I also appreciate it that it is a fuzzy area.

I'm not arguing here about what Linden Labs must do or are entitled to do, or what rights they have as a company and what rights we have as residents and customers. I'm just saying that personally I prefer the hands-off approach to LL governance.

I'm not addressing anyone in particular, but I think that residents should think twice before arguing that the Linden Labs response, or lack of response, to griefing is evidence of incompetence or small-cojones. It is possible that that's the case but I believe that overall they are very conscious of what they're doing and are working with a very deliberate (though sometimes slightly-inconsistent) policy in mind. Having said that, residents have told me that the response-time to abuse-reports is inadequate. But because I'm for resident-action rather than Linden-action, I probably can't say much about that :)

To be honest, I think it is improbable that my libertarian or quasi-libertarian position will ever be reflected in the TOS/CS (ie. that they will be made more lenient). So I think that the most practical solution would be to combine both view-points as it were. If LL can improve resident powers to respond to griefers etc, then libertarians can respond using their own 'weapon of choice' and residents who prefer LL abuse-reports/bans etc can choose to use that avenue. In the long-term, improving resident anti-griefing powers will also alleviate LL's workload, in terms of the resources it costs them to respond adequately to abuse reports. I think that one measure in particular that would go a long way is a more complex and thorough rating/reputation system that is integrated with access rights to land or even vendor-purchases etc. To my mind, the use of even the simplest blacklists, though problematic, might be preferrable to complete SL-bans. But that's just one option.

What technical solutions or tools could LL provide to give residents their own more-adequate anti-griefing powers, and which ones are currently insufficient? And perhaps just as importantly, what technical solutions or scripting tools can we provide ourselves with?

Forum highlights:

"Reputation system"
http://forums.secondlife.com/showthread.php?t=17689

"Please have a backbone, Linden Lab"
http://forums.secondlife.com/showthread.php?t=40021

"Anti-Gay Attack on My Pickerel Land : ("
http://forums.secondlife.com/showthread.php?t=39976

"Why is there so much tolerance for repeated griefing/threats?"
http://forums.secondlife.com/showthread.php?t=38679

Game Developer Rants burn houses, babies and bridges

If you hadn't caught them earlier, Cory Ondrejka's (aka Cory Linden's) Terra Nova forum threads about the now-infamous Game Developers Rants, were Slashdotted yesterday. The main two Terra Nova threads are called 'Burning Down the House' and 'Burn baby burn'. Some of the things that games developers came out with were beauties like these:

"Iwata-san [President of Nintendo] has the heart of a gamer, and my question is what poor bastard’s chest did he carve it from?"

"Games grow through innovations. Creations of new game styles that spawn imitators and whole new markets. The story of the past few decades is not about graphics and processing power, but startling innovation and industry. That’s why we love games. BUT IT’S OVER NOW!"

"First of all I don’t hate you, Will Wright. I just had one of those 'I’m not worthy' moments in the elevator."

"How often DO they perform human sacrifices at Nintendo?? My friends, we are FUCKED. We are well and truly fucked."

"I’m going to rant about How Sony And Microsoft Are About To Screw Your Game Design"

Our Cory responds to some of the Chicken-Little Apocalypse Now scenarios with a nod to Small Studios and Do-It-Yourselfers and also provides a sensible 'Six Ways To Make Games Without EA'. Second Life is well-represented and the example for Way Number Six is 'Tringo' - which some SL residents, however, would point to as a sign that the apocalypse is coming.

If it is, maybe we can fool around with some games while we're waiting? Cory argues, "...if you want to make games, MAKE GAMES! There has never been an easier time to make games. The answer is not to bitch about EA not wanting to hand you millions of dollars..."

Or is it? The debate rages on. Why not break out your Anonymous Coward avatars, your flame-throwers and your fire-extinguishers and jump into the burning rings?

Or maybe you'd prefer to never-mind-the-bollocks and actually answer Cory's challenge? Linden Labs recently announced the Second Life 2005 Game Developer's Competition. Maybe everyone will be talking about your crazy-ass GDC rant in a few months.

If those aren't your style there's some other interesting ideas in the original GDC rants to have a wank about. Brenda Laurel skirts the wang-toting machinations of the boys and tackles 'social myths' in gaming - invoking Guy Debord's 'Society of the Spectacle'. I found this little tidbit fascinating (though doubtful):

"GTA. I talked to 22 little boys in LA, all of them wanted to see that game. With only one exception, the thing that they wanted to see was to be able to drive by their house. They weren’t interested in stealing cars. Or the criminals. Or the back-story. They weren’t interested in that, they wanted the simulation of driving by the house."

Someone should send those boys some SL invites. Here they could simulating living in their house. They can simulate eating a goddamn bowl of corn-flakes for breakfast if they want to. But they shouldn't be listing their copies of GTA on Ebay just yet. SL might have housing well-covered but people here still just laugh in my face when I try to carjack them. Feature-request for 1.7: Brass knuckles force object-transfers.

Let's make it happen!

Through the Summer Door

(Not Second Life)

The second in an occasional series from RL sci-fi scribe Budka Groshomme, who has been sharing with the Herald his first impressions of Second Life.

Becoming a resident of Second Life appears quite unlike entereing the traditional science-fictional cyberspace, a virtual world made real from nothing more than bits and bytes, where soaring data towers and numeric arcologies beckon from every side. Far different, this is, from ancient Tron. Although the general concept is the same, the scenery appears to be very different.

And what scenery! I watched giant snails race while I sat with a witch, a Dalek, a hovering gray rabbit, and Batman, who happened to be struggling mightily with what appeared to be giant brown tick. From there, I visited an erotic boutique, took lessons in basic prim-ology, and had a frank discussion of gender identity with a spider and a one-meter high mech.

Clearly, this ain’t Kansas no more.

This part of my journey has become interesting in another way. I quickly discovered that not all lands are open and welcoming. I’ve run hard into boundaries and been expelled summarily from others with little or no warning.

On the other hand, I’ve spoken to complete strangers and found them so open and willing to help that they become friends in a few moments. I am almost embarrassed at not be able to return their many kindnesses. Pay forward seems to be the golden rule -- helping other poor sods in the future, passing along the kindness.

Discovering the parties is amazing! Every addiction, every pastime seems to be available, with no restrictions. In most venues there seems to be no law save the community consensus and only impinging on another’s rights can get you into trouble. Bad taste is allowed -- no, not simply allowed but permitted to run rampant! It is a license to submerge yourself in unadulterated Bacchanalian feasts that you always dreamed of. Best yet, there’s no hangover, no necessity for the morning-after apology, and, best of all, you still have all your clothes in the morning.

On a sandy beach, a very attractive blonde befriends me and helps me figure out this pose thing. We chat pleasantly until a vagrant thought enters my mind. Although I clearly see a cute young lady before me I know not what the real “her” might be. Is she a grandmother, a mother, or a nubile miss barely out of her teens? Is “she” really a she at all for that matter? And would I react differently were she a rabbit, an orc, or a standard-issue Linden clone?

It bothers me that I was reacting viscerally to the young lady’s appearance. Yet I know why this is: People in the real world gravitate toward those who are attractive, whose features are symmetrical and who have a pleasant personality. All of those attributes are clues to good health and, therefore, the survival of the species. As a result we’ve evolved to gravitate toward others who possess them.

But that’s a foolish reaction in this world. That isn’t a real female before me. It’s just pixels dancing on my screen. Why should his/her/its appearance have anything to do with my behavior? Intellectually, I know that it should not. I am better than that.

Yet it clearly has influenced my choice of words with her and so, I cannot escape the fact that what I see dictates how I react, how I will impute things about her that I could not possibly know. So, who is it that I’m responding to on those subconscious levels where I have no control -- the real person or the avatar?

She is a very cute blonde.

Is Second Life an epistemological puzzle, where I’m supposed to perceive the reality beyond the veil of my perceptions? Are these electronic images a deliberate subterfuge, a slight of eye trick to deceive me about who the blonde really is? Or am I supposed to share the consensual unreality, this shared dream, and accept this electronic playroom for the mind and eye, and take everything at face value? Do I pretend that I am speaking to the thing I see, or intellectualize this away and spoil the illusion?

I intend to ponder this as my journey continues. But, perhaps, later. At the moment there are simply too many new and different wonders to discover.

My journey continues.

Op/Ed: “Bow, wanker” - Old Games Journalism Raises Its Fist

Fernando Martinez: "A real man needs more than one thing in life, you know what I'm saying here? The heart and the loins both on fire... groaning and straining and making hot dirty passionate encounters with the secretaries, while the wife she sleeps at home..."

By Neal Stewart

I'm clearly 'a bit of a wanker'.

There's a copy of Nietzsche's Thus Spake Zarathustra and a stack of David Lynch DVD's beside my monitor.

These are akin to a Hooters magazine and a bottle of hand lotion.

At least they would be if I were to call on these items in a game review. This is according to the guys at 'UK Resistance'. Their brief article, 'New Games Journalism -- Our Seven-Point Manifesto On Why It's Shit' is a scathing laugh-out-loud attack on NGJ 'wankers' ('wanky', 'wanking', 'wanks'): “Games journalism is about saying if a game is worth £40 or not. It is not about referencing the works of Jean-Paul Satre when reviewing Need for Speed Underground 2.”

[This is the second in a two-part Op/Ed series on Games Journalism Old and New. See Part I, by Herald Editorial Director Walker Spaight]

Sure it's a tongue-in-cheek piece but, as the UKR clarifies, they are serious and, as a wanker, I have an imaginary responsibility to get all serious and researchy and have a big 2600-word wank about it.

So, the battle-lines are drawn. Apparently it's Old Games Journalism versus New Games Journalism, with the UKR's seven-point manifesto giving props to OGJ and taking a baseball bat to the New. This has got nothing to do with Space Invaders vs Freelancer or Castle Wolfenstein vs Half Life 2. The debate is about old games-journalism not old-games journalism, if that makes any sense. OGJ is the traditional, or old-skool, style of journalism and NGJ is the latest - it's where all the alleged wanking happens. So, what's the difference? Have a look at these two examples, from two different authors, writing about Jedi Knight 2:

Example of Old Games Journalism

"...With more options and tweaks than you could shake a lightsaber at, Jedi Outcast’s multiplayer component offers a fairly healthy amount of gameplay for those who have already saved the galaxy in their single-player outing. Aspiring Jedi can duke it out through seven Force-flavored modes, which range from the standard Capture the Flag and Free For All, to the more inventive Capture the Ysalamiri, in which flag bearers are immune to and incapable of Force Powers. To emphasize Star Wars’ unique appeal, there are even modes like Jedi Master, where only the one who finds and bears the lightsaber may use the Force, and Duel, a tournament-style mode in which two players go head-to-head with – what else? -- lightsabers..."
http://www.avault.com/reviews/review_temp.asp?game=jkout&page=3


Example of New Games Journalism

"...You see what this has become? It's not just a trivial game to be played in an idle moment, this is a genuine battle of good versus evil. It has nothing to do with Star Wars or Jedi Knights or any of the fluff that surrounds the game's mechanics. I played by the 'rules' and he didn't, that makes me the 'good' guy and him the 'baddie', but this is real, in the sense that there's no telling who's going to win out here. There's no script or plot to determine the eventual triumph of the good guy (that's me, five health), there's no 'natural order' of a fictional universe or any question of an apocryphal ultimate 'balance'. There's just me and him, light and dark, in a genuine contest between the two..."
http://www.alwaysblack.com/blackbox/bownigger.html


See the difference? The second piece is one of the most widely-recognized examples of NGJ. It's written by a man named Ian Shanahan and it's called 'Bow, Nigger'.

'Bow, Nigger' is a 2300-word essay on a 5-minute lightsabre duel in Jedi Knight II. The single encounter, vividly described in first-person perspective, is punctuated with insightful commentary on the game's mechanics, the Star Wars movies, the Jedi code of honour, virtual roleplay, ethics and the battle of good versus evil. As a whole, though, it amounts to a commentary on gaming and gamers in general. It is a style of commentary that the authors of the anti-NGJ Seven-Point Manifesto would like to see less of.

But why?

New Games Journalism

NGJ has been described as 'a highly subjective approach to videogame writing in which the player’s own experiences within the game environment are brought to the fore'. The NGJ term has it's origin in the openly-biased 'new journalism' of writers like Tom Wolfe and the recently-departed Hunter S Thompson. The Wikipedia entry on 'New Journalism' identifies 3 key features of the style:

1. stream of consciousness (“Stupid? Yeah ... What to do? ... Vulnerable ... Shit ... Blammo ... And SLASH. Bastard.”)
2. conversational speech (rather than quotations and statements)
3. writer's opinions, thoughts and feelings (as opposed only to corroborated facts)

Old Games Journalism

Old Games Journalism, as the UKR sees it, is really just about game reviews. According to their manifesto, the OGJ style has about 4 primary features. An OGJ article:

1. "tells you what the game's features are and 'if they're good or not"
2. "'really succeeds in telling you what this game is worth out of ten"
3. "'will help you decide whether to buy the game or not"
4. "the author can do all of the above 'without meandering off into details of his personal life [Shanahan for example mentions his mortgage and two cats in 'Bow, Nigger'] or having imaginary 15,000-word conversations with characters from the game"

A defense of New Games Journalism

New Games Journalism is often characterized by a lot of sentences that contain the word “I”. This article you're reading now opens with an “I” statement. So it should come as no surprise that, as an amateur monkey-spanker, I must crack my RSI-recovering knuckles and rise to defend New Games Journalists and their epic wanking.

Pin trash and poetry treasures

Since I'm not reviewing Need for Speed Underground 2, apparently I'm allowed to quote a philosopher: Jeremy Bentham once said that 'All things being equal, pushpin is as good as poetry'. Now, what the hell does that mean? 'Pushpin' is an Old Game played with pins. 'Poetry' is what you'd call some New Games Journalism. What Bentham is saying is that 'one man's trash is another man's treasure'. So ergo, visa-vi, concordance, OGJ can be 'as good as' NGJ. And vice versa.

NGJ is self-absorbed masturbation, you might argue, whereas OGJ is practical - it's about trying to decide whether or not you should fork out 80 bucks for a game. Ok, but then what? Is the game itself a practical item? Hell no. What is it? It's a buzz. It's a self-involved 4am jerk-off session with cramped neck, bloodshot eyes and D-pad thumb-blisters. And if you're getting your buzz from actually sitting there playing the game, would you deny the same to people who might also enjoy just writing about it? What do you care if some guy tugs his nipple and blogs pretentiously about a Katamari Damacy game while his girlfriend reads 'Being and nothingness' in his ear? Change the channel. It's not like you're out 10 bucks for the cost of a magazine. Most NGJ pieces are web-only or blog posts anyway - as UKR themselves points out.

Old Games vs The New: Disco Duck [left] and Taliban Bijou [right]

Sleeping with the enemy

Of course, the UKR weren't the first to draft a 'manifesto'. Theres' is a response to the NGJ manifesto written in March of 2004 by Kieron Gillen (although the NGJ style, nameless, has been around for some time). More recently, Gillen teamed up with other writers in a Guardian article that presented 'Ten unmissable examples of New Games Journalism'.

The UKR has it's own 10 examples of classic OGJ pieces, in their manifesto. There's a bit of a slip-up with one of the examples though. It's an X-Box review of 'Brothers in Arms' which they praise as 'classic' OGJ because, among other reasons, "At no point does he [the author] pretend to be a soldier in World War II for 15,000 words". This is true, but what's interesting is that the review opens with a decidely NGJ passage: "War is hell. We’ve heard this adage with just about every war-themed film or documentary release, but the truth is most of us will never experience the ravages first-hand, God willing." It goes on to ask, "So why would we want to relive the trying times of WWII in a videogame?" True, the author isn't pretending he's in WWII but he's clearly joined the wankers a bit there with an interesting question about what WWII should mean to gamers today. On the net you'll find other examples of OGJ that nonetheless make the same brief forays into wankerdom. This OGJ review of Vietcong walks both sides of the fence with: "There were moments when I knew what it must have felt like to be alone in the jungle, pinned down behind a rotten log with a half dozen NVA (North Vietnamese Army) circling you. Then there are other times when Vietcong feels like just another shooter, with contrived situations that undermine the realism."

In the same way, you will find OGJ elements in NGJ. And rightly so. Bow, Nigger comments briefly on JKII's sound and graphics quality, the types of lightsabre combat-moves, chat-mode, macro scripting and the Quake III engine on which the game is based. Indeed it would be impossible to present most NGJ pieces without explaining these sorts of features.

So, it's important to note that the distinction between OGJ and NGJ is not always clear-cut. It's often a sliding scale. So criticism of either genre must be appropriately ... uh... slidey.

Pussyweed, philosophy and anti-intellectualism

To be fair, I don't think the UKR manifesto is intended as a genuine attack on all NGJ - just some of the wanky quasi-LiveJournal post-modernist rantage that is undoubtedly out there at the extreme end of the scale. I mean, how many gamers can find fault with this unmissable example of NGJ - Shoot Club: Saving Private Donny? It is awesome. Read it. You would have to be an absolute pussyweed to call the author of that column a wanker.

But even if the manifesto is not a blanket attack on all NGJ, it can still be read as something of an attack on the more cerebral and intellectual aspects of game-reviews in general.

Take a look at the Half Life 2 review that was given the thumbs up from the UKR. Apparently you're allowed to mention the 'big brother' architecture and the 'Blade Runner' 'vision of the future', but it would be forbidden to talk about how the ideas of George Orwell and Philip Dick are explored or relevant to the game.

On the other hand, maybe that's fair enough. Is it absolutely necessary to mention philosophy or literature? For some games, certainly not. But others it's unavoidable. Can you seriously review Metal Gear Solid 2 without talking about narrative? If you don't, and many didn't, you're only telling half the story. Furthermore, if games reviewers shade their eyes from all the 'my brain hurts' stuff, there are games that can't really be reviewed at all. If you wanted to look at Second Life, for example, you would be well-screwed. A review of SL that made no mention of any of The Big 4 P's - Psychology, Philosophy, Politics, and uh... Phinance - would be hideously incomplete. And what would you have left after you strip those? 60% of the game's 'features' aren't even game-features at all. They're resident-features!

Part of the NGJ criticism seems to come from the "It's just a game!" crowd but they're really fighting a losing battle. Games are getting more serious. They're becoming more and more like films and more and more like real life. There are hundreds of games that themselves actually contain real full-length movies. If you have to get all pretentious and wanky and talk about Nietzsche to review 2001: A Space Odyssey, you're not going to be able to avoid it when you're reviewing interactive Space Odysseys that are 100 hours+. And what about the game censorship debate? Grand Theft Auto or Manhunt? The outcome will decide what games you can buy in stores. Try and have an opinion there without calling on philosophy.

Games are a part of the real world. And as Karl Marx once said, "Philosophy is to the real world as masturbation is to sex." It's blatantly obvious what Marx is saying here.

Masturbation and sex are both really great. Sex is exactly like philosophy.

"There aren’t many games that make you consider the duality of heroism and terrorism, raise the issue of youth combatants and, in a nod to “The Matrix,” suggest that the hero himself may be trapped within a virtual-reality game. Kojima attempts to do all this and then some, and succeeds more often than he fails..."" -- MSNBC profile on Hideo Kojima

Who is wanking behind the green curtain?

If there are wankers out there, they're not just New Games Journalists. They're the games creators as well. All the big guys wax philosophical on a regular basis and then form that wax into a candle. The candle is then expresed in code and set on fire using electrons. These are your favourite games. That's right. Metal Gear Solid's Hideo Kojima - wanker. Civilization's Sid Meier - wanker. Rockstar, LucasArts, Blizzard. All habitual wankers. And dare I say it? The Wizard of Oz himself?

Philip Linden.

Yup. Total wanker.

That's right, I went there.

I mean, look at this. NGJ! This is going on my fridge door.

Ham and eggs

The most obvious problem with the UKR manifesto however is that they have presented what wankers call a 'false dichotomy'. UKR suggests that the choice is one or the other - OGJ or NGJ. Furthermore, their definition of 'journalism', as it relates to OGJ, is 'game reviews'. A column like 'Shoot Club: Saving Private Donny' is clearly not intended as a game review. Nor is 'Bow, Nigger'. To compare them to games reviews is to compare apples and oranges. But the two styles are clearly compatible. They're ham and eggs! You know more about JKII from reading both the OGJ and the NGJ piece than you do from reading just one of them.

There are a lot of really helpful OGJ game reviews. They're great. If I want to know what the multiplayer limitations are for Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, I'd look for a OGJ review or a FAQ. But I wouldn't flame someone who wrote semi-fan-fiction or a social studies blog post on gangster language-patterns in the game.

Game-feature facts aside (weapons-types, levels, frames per second), when it comes to the actual opinion part of the reviews, the OGJ and the NGJ guys are drinking at the same pub. But some of the OG Journalists will nonetheless try to avoid NGJ's tell-tale I's. The (lone) author of this great Half-Life 2 article, for example, never once says 'I'. But he says 'we' 52 times. "We're presented with a black screen," he writes.

So I picture him and his mates crammed into a single office-chair.

But seriously, behind the author with his labcoat-costume and his Royal 'we's', there's a gamer. He is a beautiful and unique snowflake that sees games in a biased, personal and subjective way. And some of us gamers do give a shit about his mortgage, his ex-girlfriend and his two cats. So maybe he could write another Half Life article that mentions those as well?

Clearly, the term 'new game journalism' is problematic. As others have argued, better than I, the idea of NGJ is now seen as 'pretentious' because it has been heralded as an elitist 'new movement' with some special status. It's also been pointed out that a more useful term would be 'literary games journalism'.

I don't know. To be honest, I don't really care what it's called.

Only wankers go on about that stuff.

Off the Grid with Walker Spaight: A Bow to the New Games Journalism

The New Games Journalism takes a swipe at the Resistance
Image stolen from LucasArts

Of course it’s the pot that calls the virtual kettle black. Or should I say, calls it “nigger”?

In this case, it’s the small chorus of voices emerging from the blogosphere to denigrate what’s come to be known as New Games Journalism, of which the seminal example is Ian always_black Shanahan’s “Bow, Nigger,” an account of a disturbing few moments in Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast.

“Bow, Nigger” relates not just the gameplay details and shared culture of a brief lightsabre duel between two Jedi knights, it also gives us a glimpse into the person behind always_black’s screen name, as he is told by his opponent to “bow, nigger” -- an imperative that should give pause to gamers everywhere, regardless of their ethnicity (and Shanahan’s is unknown to me).

After giving us some of JKII’s ins and outs in the early stages of the battle (including his discomfort at the rude form of address), always_black pinpoints the moment on which the encounter turns:

We spun around each other, bouncing off the furniture of the map. My concentration was absolutely intense and never before have I tried so hard to 'be the mouse'. . . . You see what this has become? It's not just a trivial game to be played in an idle moment, this is a genuine battle of good versus evil. It has nothing to do with Star Wars or Jedi Knights or any of the fluff that surrounds the game's mechanics. . . . This is real, in the sense that there's no telling who's going to win out here. There's no script or plot to determine the eventual triumph of the good guy (that's me, five health), there's no 'natural order' of a fictional universe or any question of an apocryphal ultimate 'balance'. There's just me and him, light and dark, in a genuine contest between the two.

And we know, of course, which side wins in the end.

By giving us more than just cheats, hacks, favorite features and level secrets, “Bow, Nigger” demonstrates something that most of us already know but rarely acknowledge: that games are more than just diversion; that, like the best movies, what the best games do is not just entertain us but give us a glimpse into the nature of our selves.

Apparently, that’s too much for some people.

Though Kieron Gillen’s New Games Journalism manifesto appeared just under a year ago now, it’s only more recently, with the posting of the Guardian’s list of unmissable NGJ pieces, that dissenting voices have emerged.

Primary among these has been UK Resistance, which managed to come up with their own seven-point manifesto (though I only really count three) on New Games Journalism and “why it’s shit.” Video Game Ombudsman Kyle Orland doesn’t really agree, but hardly rises to the form’s defense. (The UK Resistance piece is pretty funny, as Orland points out.) Surprisingly, Clickable Culture’s Tony Walsh (aka Second Life’s Zero Grace), of whom we at the Herald are big fans, tips his hat to the Resistance as well for “deflating self-importance” and “debunking” the NGJ “concept.”

But what’s more self-important: Handing out your opinion as pixelated gospel in the form of a blog, or crafting a well wrought narrative that leaves readers to judge for themselves? Shared experience is what connects people; blind devotion to opinion is what divides.

And let’s be clear: It’s people we’re talking about here. It’s people who play these games, after all. When always_black gets lured unsuspecting into the clutches of a Thereian seductress in his piece “Possessing Barbie” (originally published in the UK edition of PC Gamer, which has been at the forefront of actually publishing and paying for NGJ), there’s a human being on the other end of those seating hacks and naughty poses. Shanahan doesn’t miss this fact:

In the hallowed halls of my Inner Court of Morals all fucking hell broke loose. My perception cracked neatly into three separate and mutually exclusive shards. In one, I was engaged in a consensual act of intimacy with a woman I'd only just met and hardly knew. I was alone with this woman in her bedroom while she stripped for seduction. The verdict was announced with the hollow boom of a giant gavel. Guilty!

In the second, my advocate jumped to his feet bawling 'Objection!’ frantically quoting legal technicalities. "It's not real!" he yelled, "It's only a game!”

In the third, in the real world, my ears pricked straight into raw, primitive survival mode, straining for the ominous tread of my girlfriend’s foot on the stairs.

Playing a game like There or Second Life is more than just learning the right combination of mouse moves and keyboard clicks. The same goes for games like Counter-Strike or JKII. We wouldn’t play them if that’s all they were. Sure, you may look like a muscle-bound stud cruising the clubs in Second Life, but at home in front of your keyboard, you’re a person -- even if you are a muscle-bound stud -- subject to all the whims and insecurities and over-confident moments and instances of true brilliance the rest of us experience, and you’re affected by what you get up to in these virtual places. Though you may prefer to think otherwise, what you do in the corridors of Halo 2 -- even the fact that you’re there at all -- is part of who you are.

This is not a piece about whether violence and prejudice in games begets violence and prejudice in RL. It’s a piece about what it’s like to be a gamer or even just to play a game, and about those who write about what that’s like. There’s nothing wrong with a little entertaining diversion. But a game is more than just the sum of its software; there’s a human being on the other end. At their best, computer games are a form of experiential art, and like the best of other forms of art -- movies, novels, paintings, even television shows -- they can touch our souls. They do this rarely, it’s true. But when they do, I, for one, want to hear about it.

I want to hear about it as much as I can. I want everyone to hear about it, because I want to see the feedback loop happen that could help boost more games toward the level of soul-touching art. Sure, there are the 15,000-word thumb-suckers that not even I would dare to touch. But that comes with the terroritory of any new form. If all we’re writing about is the relative merits of bells and whistles, well then, bells and whistles is all we’re ever gonna get.

But if we’re also writing about the way even JKII can get into your head, well, that’s a different story. The New Games Journalism can help drive games to do what the best books and movies and “art” already do: stimulate our thinking about ourselves and who we are. So don’t knock the NGJ. Read it. Think about it. Practice it yourself. And in so doing, help connect what’s on and Off the Grid.

The Day the Toons Escaped the Grid

By Sheriff Oswald Picklebrains and Pearl Fuzzyswirl

Toontown, the MMO by Disney Corporation, seems transgressive on the surface. Players create avatars that have the basic form of 1930’s animated animals and attack evil corporate “cogs” with gag weapons like cream pies, seltzer bottles, and falling pianos. The cogs – bossbots, lawbots, sellbots, and cashbots – can’t take a joke and explode into a shower of bolts and springs when sufficiently pied or squirted with seltzer. Toon Headquarters sends you to conquer various species of these cogs, ranging from Ambulance Chaser Law Bots, to Bean Counter Cash Bots, to Corporate Downsizer Bossbots. On the surface it is all very anti-establishment, but this *is* Michael Eisner’s Disney behind the curtain, and in point of fact the game is the most regimented and controlled MMO in the history of MMOs. Or it was until the day the Toons escaped the grid.

Some background: Toontown is divided into several districts, each boasting successively more powerful cog infestations. Newbies enter Toontown Central, where a Mickey Mouse NPC annoyingly patrols and spouts saccharine greetings. From there you graduate to Donald’s Dock (yes, *that* Donald), Daisy Gardens (yes, *that* Daisy), Minnie’s Melody Land (yes, Mickey’s squeeze), then The Burgh (where Pluto reigns), and finally Donald’s Dreamland (where Donald sleepwalks 24/7). Donald’s Dreamland is where the baddest cogs dwell and where the l337 700nZ hang. In addition, the advanced players tend to gravitate to one of the dozen or so servers (called Districts) – the chosen District can vary from day to day.

The game itself is highly constrained. Not only are avatars constructed from a menu of fixed options (much like TSO) but avatar names are constructed by concatenating approved name “morphemes” from pull-down menus as well. Other names are possible, but must be approved by Disney Corp. Likewise chat is entirely restricted to canned pull-down expressions, some of which are available when you join, others of which you must purchase with jelly beans (the game currency). More robust P2P communication is only possible if “parental passwords” are first exchanged in real life.

The philosopher Paul Grice once made a distinction between what is literally said and what the person means or intends to communicate by an utterance. His famous example was the teacher who writes a letter of recommendation that say only “Smith is very punctual and has excellent handwriting” – a devastating letter or non-recommendation if there ever was one. Toontown players probably haven’t read Grice, but they certainly understand the practice, and a kind of gaming of the vocab has taken root.

“Are you new here?” tends to mean “you are an idiot”
“have a nice day!” tends to mean, “go away idiot”
“you are a genius” tends to mean “good choice”, but can mean “you are an idiot”

Our final bit of background has to do with “friends” and navigation. One makes friends by clicking on them and selecting a make-friend button. If the target accepts, you are “friends”, but it is an odd sort of friendship given that all communication must take place through a list of some 50 pull down sentences offered by Disney. However, some Toons do manage it, in effect by gaming the vocab as per above.

If someone is on your friends list you are able to teleport to them. You might do this because you want to see them and exchange canned phrases, or you might just want to get to the district where they are, or perhaps the location they are if they are under cog attack. Which leads, finally, to our story.

It all happened on March 12. We were in Donald’s Dreamland in the Loopyville District stocking up on gags at Goofy’s Gag Shop when Pearl noticed a group of toons up in the sky. “How did they get up there?” Oswald was skeptical: “They aren’t really up there, it just *looks* like they are because of a bug.” Pearl had an idea; she mouse-clicked one of them, selected “go to” and teleported to them. She was up in the sky above Donald’s Dreamland! Oswald followed. Other Toons were climbing higher and higher into the sky, and Pearl and Oswald followed higher and higher, running about above Donald’s Dreamland, and at times running off the grid entirely – into what Pearl calls “Gray Space.”

Sheriff Oswald Picklebrains waves to the camera.

For once there was a sense of excitement in the game that is for the most part drudge work. For you see, although Toons are graphically quite colorful, their tasks are so robotic and repetitive that the Toons may as well be as gray as the Cogs. But here was something new! Something fun! A peek – just a small one – behind the curtain. We didn’t see Michael Eisner, but we got behind the façade, and for one day that was enough.

More and more Toons teleported up into the sky, they chased around, they used whatever canned expressions they had that seemed appropriate: “Toontastic!”, “Toons of the World unite!”, and “You are a genius!” Some Toons inexplicably fell to the ground and then teleported back up. Some Toons managed to climb higher and higher, and we followed them until we were all up in the clouds, with Donald’s Dreamland a postage stamp beneath us.

And then, after an hour or so, we all gradually returned to the ground. We had left the grid, we had seen behind the curtain, and we had run in the clouds, but you can only do that so much. So we returned to virtual terra ferma, stocked up on gags, and went back to work. Killing cogs with cream pies.

But wait! What’s the moral? Or is there more than one moral? If there must be morals perhaps these will suffice: First, escaping the grid can be more fun than playing the canned amusements offered us by the gods of the grid. Second, while we may return to the grid, our return doesn’t mean we are happy with the grid. Having found one seam in the grid perhaps we can find others; this becomes our new meta-game. We will also want to return to show others the way to see behind the curtain – we will want to share our discovery with those who haven’t yet escaped the grid.

Finally, seen from above the the grid, the alleged anti-corporate message of Toontown never looked more superficial. If a corporate behemoth invites us to throw pies at corporate America what they are really trying to say is “see, we’re cool, we can take a joke at our expense!” But from above we somehow see that this is as much an illusion as the building facades of Donald’s Dreamland. We may level our Toons and conquer the VP Sellbot and the CFO Cashbot in turn, but what our real game should be is to pull aside more and more curtains, exposing more and more Gray Space, until the day that we open a curtain and find the wizard himself. And then throw a nice fat cream pie in his face. Or better yet, drop a piano on him.

The Toons, gone to a better place.

Opening the Cupboard Door

The Herald is proud to introduce to its readers our newest freelance correspondent, Budka Groshomme, who here brings his experience as a RL writer of science fiction to bear on the not-quite-fictional world of Second Life.

As a long-time reader and writer of fantastic fiction, I thought myself well prepared to step into the cupboard of Second Life, to step into a world where I would become a digital string, nothing more than a bit pattern swimming through the gigabyte sea.

Science fiction and fantasy has long dealt with worlds or situations where the virtual and real combine. Charles Stross, who writes regularly for Asimov’s, introduced the idea of an individual as a state vector, which is equivalent to an individual’s definition in Linden Lab’s servers.

In many ways, the Lindens’ world might have resembled the world William Gibson perceived in Neuromancer, but while he conceived of data aggregations as visual objects, he never mentioned the converse that I perceived when I arrived in SL.

Coming from a background steeped in the fantastic, I was mentally prepared. I fully expected a different universe, something different from our mundane real-world existence.

What I found at first seemed entirely ordinary. Instead of creating the new and different, many residents of SL seemed to have brought as much of RL with them as possible. Instead of imaginative leaps into radical architecture and physical forms, too many people seemed to have opted for rank Barbie-ization and a digitally rendered Levittown.

But pedestrian builds notwithstanding, I soon found SL was a place of boundless promise, a place where dreams could be realized, a different life created, expanded, and fulfilled. If I bought into the collective concept, perhaps I could become an entrepreneur, a scientist, inventor, wizard or even an animal, vegetable or mineral. Could I become a Jay Gould, a Rockefeller, a Hearst or even a Bill Gates?

In his Well of Souls series, Jack Chalker (whose passing we were sad to note just one month ago) dealt with the consequences of a world where the virtual and real combined. Some few were able to control things beyond the abilities of mere mortals. So too, here.

As I began my voyage of exploration and discovery, I learned to soar, to fly above the sprawling landscape. I learned the mysteries of the map, the bottom bar, Instant Messaging, calling cards and the seemingly bottomless capacity of my inventory. I discovered, much to my delight, that people just gave me stuff!

For several SL weeks I strolled, speaking to strangers, racing along rivers and lakes and descending into the ocean depths. I soon discovered the true architectural treasures to be found in Second Life, I visited soaring palaces on floating anti-gravity islands and flew aircraft among them.

By teleporting to distant sims I discovered that social experiments were underway and found numerous forms of eroticism being explored and exploited. Everywhere, I found people ferociously building from their fervid imaginations (if for the most part building variations of the world left behind). These were people with amazing skills: architects, construction gurus, scripters, designers, real estate dealers, currency exchanges, bankers and many more.

Despite my modest investment to date, and all those years spent learning from real life, I was, at best, little more than an immigrant. Here I was, newly arrived and ignorant, having no means of establishing myself, and no income, except for the dole. In short, I wasn’t worth a milliLinden.

Flying around will be cool for a while, and changing my appearance every so often somewhat amusing. Perhaps torturing prims into twisted, textured, colored and scripted forms might hold my interest for a time, as would building.

But I know that, eventually, the novelty of these things will begin to fade.

At what point does dancing without physical contact continue to satisfy? How quickly will purely visual sex fail to titillate? Will the fleeting pleasures of chancing L$ to the turn of the wheel, the throw of the dice or the turn of the cards persist for long?

The question I know I -- and every immigrant to SL -- must eventually face is this: what is there in this second life that is worth my investment of time, energy and money? What is there that makes all this illusion worth the emotional, intellectual and karmic energy?

The unreal utopia of SL represents something mankind has been striving for through the centuries. In here we are beyond the need for sustenance, beyond the need for shelter, beyond the need for anything material. As residents we are at the top of Maslow’s hierarchy, where only the need for novelty and companionship remains.

Do you need proof? Witness the variety of social events: dancing, screwing, building, learning, talking, talking, talking and more talking! SL’s residents are a flock of roosting magpies, chirping away -- declaring their existence, their relevance, by saying "Here I am! Here I am!" It’s as if they could, by dint of words alone, make themselves real.

Is there something beyond building a fantasy world with the tools of SL? Is there some way that this grand experiment can make a mark on the real world? Could Second Life become a cauldron for social experimentation, for group interaction?

Even a newbie like myself can see the promise inherent in Second Life. This is a place that we could mold to our desires, a place that could become a heaven or a hell. But before that, each of us must face a fundamental question: Where do I go from here? What is the purpose of this pseudo-life?

And pursuing that answer will be the real journey.

--with additional linkage by Walker Spaight

Op/Ed: Are You “Normal,” or teh Clone?

by Kendra Charlton

Every time I see a furry, punk, goth, vampire, elf or feted SL resident, I notice them right away. However, whenever I see a “normal” resident -- one who doesn’t obviously belong to any of these cliques -- I never take note of their presence.

Being “goth” myself, I tend to hang out with residents who also have white skin, dark makeup, dark clothing, and so forth. In general, when I spot someone who dresses differently from the majority of the “normal” public, I see a person I think I could hang out with. That isn’t to say I don’t have “normal” friends, but I’m not as close to them as I would be with someone who belongs to an obvious social group, a cyberpunk, say, or vampire.

“Normal” people, or “clones” as I often call them, are those who are just day-to-day normal people. They all dress in the latest fashions, get the same haircuts, drive similar cars, hang out in the same sims, and are often surrounded by drama. Usually, these clones are of the female variety, but males can be found as well.

Judging by what I’ve seen, clones are often ignored because they look like everyone else and make up a majority of the population. They blend in with everyone else, and they suffer for it. And if they try to stand out among the clones -- with anything from fangs to bunny ears -- they cease to be “normal” and become pegged as something else. A clone who wears fangs will become known as a vampire, a clone with bunny ears will become known as a furry, and a clone with dark clothing will become known as a goth. There’s hardly an attachment they can pick up that won’t make it seem like they’ve suddenly changed their social status.

I like to think of the social groups in SL as something like a family tree: a clone with fangs is related to the vampire family, just as a clone with green skin probably has some alien blood in his veins. A clone with green skin and fangs is obviously an alien vampire.

Knowing this, it’s safe to say that all the social groups in SL are actually descendants of the clones. This means that no matter what social group you take part in, or how unique you may be, you’re still just like everyone else in one way or another.

The biggest problem with the clones is that they don’t have their own title, so they almost can’t be considered a group at all. Perhaps clones is an unfair title anyway. What about “miscellaneous”? Maybe “plain old” so-and-so? Or just “vanilla”?

If the clones were a minority in SL, rather than the majority, perhaps then they would adopt a name. But I can foresee a day when this group without a name will be the minority. As I look at the people around me, I see fewer and fewer clones and more and more furries, vampire, aliens, goths and all the rest! Pretty soon we’ll all be hopping around in bunny suits, pointing excitedly at the human wearing a t-shirt and a pair of jeans.

Al Qaeda, Tribes, and Virtual Mafias

by Peter Ludlow

Ok, I know Uri posted on simulating terrorist networks just a few days ago, but there is now an interesting article in First Monday by David F. Ronfeldt, who is a senior political scientist at the RAND Corporation. The headline idea of the paper - entitled Al Qaeda and its affiliates: A global tribe waging segmental warfare? - is that tribal models might be more useful in understanding the organization of Al Qaeda than are contemporary network models. There are a lot of confusions in the article, but it did get me thinking about the virtual tribes (mafias, griefer families etc) that we have been reporting on here.

Let's start with tribes, according to Ronfeldt:

As people banded together to constitute primitive societies thousands of years ago, the first major form of organization to emerge was the tribe. Its key organizing principle was kinship, as expressed through nuclear and extended family ties, lineage segments (notably, clans) that spanned various families and villages, and claims of descent from a common, often mythologized, even god–like ancestor. The tribe’s key purpose (or function) was to infuse a distinct sense of social identity and belonging, thereby strengthening a people’s ability to bond and survive as individuals and as a collective.

Notice that missing from this is the notion of ideology, which many government officials take to be the driving force behind groups like Al Qaeda. I think it is entirely plausible that ideology plays only an accidental role in the formation of groups like Al Qaeda, and that the general dynamics of tribe formation and organization may be a more useful way of thinking about things. Where I think Ronfeldt errs is in thinking that the study of tribal formation and organization does not supervene on more general aspects of network theory. That is, tribe formation is but one chapter in network theory.

Here is why Ronfeldt considers networks and tribes disanalogous:

But tribes and networks are not the same. For one matter, tribes are ruled by kin relations, information–age networks by mainly modern criteria. Take an issue like information sharing. In tribal systems, this may proceed after checking a recipient’s lineage. In networks, the decision criteria are not about lineage but the professional nature of the role or person who may receive the information. Also, in tribal and clan systems where members are maneuvering for influence, fluid alliances often arise that look odd and contradictory to outsiders from an ideological or other modern perspective, but are sensible from a tribal or clan perspective. For example, it may behoove a tribal or clannish elite circle (as in the old Iranian dowreh or Mexican camarilla systems) to stealthily include elites from right and left, military and religious, business and criminal sectors, so that the circle is plugged into all circuits vying for position in a society. In contrast, modern networks, for example in the area of civil–society activism, generally aim for ideological and professional coherence.

But this strikes me as a confusion about the nature of network theory. Network theory by itself doesn't care about *why* links are forged -- reasons could be ideological coherence, bolstering kinship relations, or establishing relations with various elites (like SL's Feted Core!). Network theory is a much more general and abstract theory about how those relations (however initially formed formed) propagate and change over time, and about how information propagates thought those networks (however initial connections are formed).

Now, why do I bring all this up in the august pages of the Herald? I continue to be struck by the ways in which group formation in social games like TSO and Second Life seems to be goverened by the same basic principles as those governing all networks. The groups may form for any number of reasons -- perhaps in response to griefing, as I argued in the Times of London last year, or perhaps simply as a form of power gaming -- but once those links are forged the basic underlying principles of network theory seem to be operative. I also keep coming back to the very interesting quote from Will Wright:

We’ve been talking to people in homeland security that want to know if we could simulate a terrorist network. I keep telling them they don’t have to; they just need to come study the griefers in a multi-player game, because they are exactly that. They always figure out how to get by every little loophole, they hide in the cracks, they respond very fast to whatever new policies you put in place. It is like the perfect simulator for a terrorist organization. So the answer is yes, unfortunately.

So the question is this: Can we learn about the behavior and organization of networks like Al Qaeda by studying groups like griefer families and virtual mafias in Second Life? For that matter, can we advance our understanding of the nature of networks by studying both in concert?

SL Ruined Again! This Week, Tringo did it.

Hammie Linden has a very nice piece, entitled THE TRAGICS OF TRINGO, which gives us the opening salvo in the inevitable handwringing war over Tringo. No doubt the phenomenon of Tringo represents a change of SL's culture, but exactly what hasn't? According to my notes, all of the following have killed SL: The arrival of the WWIIOLers, the departure of the WWIIOLers, sex animations, sex clubs, bingo, tringo, griefers, mafias, the feted core, criticism of the feted core, and the Second Life Herald. I don't doubt that Tringo will kill SL, but maybe that's how communities are forged -- by building on top of an endless chain community-destroying events. What kind of community will emerge? Who knows, but my guess is it will involve naked tringo with guns.

Simulating terror? You're soaking in it!

In a very interesting recent post on Terra Nova entitled Simulating terror, Ren Reynolds digs up the following gem from an interview with Will Wright last September.

We’ve been talking to people in homeland security that want to know if we could simulate a terrorist network. I keep telling them they don’t have to; they just need to come study the griefers in a multi-player game, because they are exactly that. They always figure out how to get by every little loophole, they hide in the cracks, they respond very fast to whatever new policies you put in place. It is like the perfect simulator for a terrorist organization. So the answer is yes, unfortunately.

The bearded ones on Terra Nova have been busy pointing out differences but missing the point I think.

The point is not that there is something in common about the goals or the motives or the moral worth of ther respective groups. Rather I think that Will's point is that there is a common meta-strategy to the way both terrorists operate and griefers and gangs operate in MMOs. All of the above exploit loopholes in the rules, finding unanticipated ways to do damage to the system. All of the above operate with multiple alts and with groups with fuzzy boundaries and shifting memberships. They represent soft targets with the ability to swarm and attack hard targets like building and game servers.

Cy hits up One Song's club during the Second Jessie War.


A TechSol engineer celebrates the crashing of the Baku simulator/server.

Editorial: Simulating Free Speech In Virtual Lives

“If Peter Ludlow is a journalist, then I'm a railroad tycoon whenever I play Monopoly.” -- Jeff Brown, Electronic Arts - Vice President for Corporate Communications

Neal Stewart comments on Eric Goldman's draft paper 'Speech Showdowns at the Virtual Corral', where under-age cyber-prostitutes, free-speech, corporate censorship - and our very own Urizenus Sklar - are the topic of the day.

So what should we do about Second Life residents who are into swastikas, cartoon child porn, sculptures of breast-feeding mothers, upskirt pictures, and calling other people naughty, naughty words in forums?

At ClickableCulture.com Tony Walsh - aka Second Life's Zero Grace - recently drew our attention to a draft paper by Eric Goldman entitled 'Speech Showdowns at the Virtual Corral'. Goldman, who is Assistant Professor of Law at Marquette University Law School, discusses in some detail The Sims Online controversy between TSO parent-company Electronic Arts and the SLHerald's very own Peter Ludlow (aka Urizenus Sklar). Goldman argues that virtual worlds are no 'different or special from a legal standpoint compared to other types of online services.' And that he therefore sees 'no reason why we need to distort First Amendment jurisprudence or create special rules to protect virtual world participants from censorship.'

What was the TSO controversy all about? The Second Life Herald is actually a refugee from Electronic Arts' MMOG The Sims Online. The newspaper - then known as 'the Alphaville Herald' - is the brainchild of Urizenus Sklar, who's Real Life avatar goes by the name of Peter Ludlow. Ludlow helps the University of Michigan with dwell traffic as a Professor in the Philosophy and Linguistics department.

The Herald didn't pull its punches back in the TSO days either. Its vivid exposés of the game's more seedier elements gained international notoriety (CNN, BBC Online, Salon.com) in December of 2003 with the publication of an interview with 'Evangeline', who claimed to be an under-age girl in real life working as a 'cyber-prostitute' in 'brothels' found on TSO. According to Evangeline, her text-based cyber-sex services earned her as much as $50 US per session in the TSO 'simoleon' currency.

Within two days of posting the story Electronic Arts terminated Urizenus' TSO account. Their claimed justification was that Urizenus had committed an obscure URL-deep-linking Terms of Service violation in his in-game profile - an 'offense' that many players claim was, and still remains, a common practice in TSO. Furthermore, the account was permanently terminated after only 11 hours into a temporary 72 hour suspension.

Professor Goldman is unsympathetic to Ludlow's case, compares it to other examples of companies firing their customers, and argues that members of online spaces like TSO (and arguably SL) are not entitled to free-speech rights. His paper is articulate and well-reasoned, and I say that in part because it is and in part because it'll make me look good in the event that I convince you to disagree with him. We would also do well, however, to remember that his paper is currently only a draft and subject to change.

Taking issue with the term 'cyber-prostitution'

One of the first points Goldman takes issue with is Urizenus' use of the term 'cyber-prostitution'. He writes, "The term "cyber-prostitution" implied that avatars were engaging in simulated sex, but nothing so lurid was taking place—indeed, the game architecture [TSO's] did not permit simulated sex." The footnote he provides as evidence however is Amy Harmon's NY Times article. In this article she states in no uncertain terms that, "Sims sex is, indeed, simulated. It consists mostly of players at a keyboard typing into a dialogue bubble displayed above the heads of their pixelated characters, perhaps while using the "slow dance" command or lying on a simulated bed." Perhaps Goldman's definition of 'simulated sex' is at odds with Amy Harmons', in that he doesn't consider there to be a 'simulation' if there are no graphics. The implicit argument here is hardly an uncontroversial one - to say that cybersex isn't the same thing as 'simulated sex' - particularly in light of the graphics argument. Are you 'simulating sex' if you click on a sex button, then a partner, and your two avatars go at it, but not simulating it when you have two people interacting within a purely text-based, shared sexual narrative?

In any case, perhaps Goldman's intent is to downplay the significance of Urizenus' claims in order to make EA's termination of the account more reasonable. It seems apparent however that Uri's use of the term 'cyber-prostitution' was a play on the term 'cyber-sex' and in that context an accurate characterization. Princeton's CogSci dictionary defines cyber-sex as 'sexual arousal involving communication on the internet'. 'Cyber-prostitution' is therefore a reasonable term to use to describe the act of providing sexual stimulation via the internet for money - be it U.S currency or Simoleons that can be bought and sold for U.S. dollars.

Peter Ludlow as cause célèbre

Another point that Goldman raises is worth addressing, although more of an observation on the issue than an argument. Goldman says that, "Not surprisingly, Ludlow’s claim received some publicity". But he later comments; "What is unusual, however, is that Peter Ludlow's story has become a cause célèbre. His termination was covered by the New York Times, the Boston Globe, CNN, the BBC and Salon, and influential professors like Jack Balkin of Yale Law School have supported his cause."

Goldman here is a bit like a plumber who's unimpressed with the Apollo 11 because it doesn't have any toilets. Perhaps the overall tone of media coverage has been in support of Ludlow (that's an empirical claim beyond the scope of this article) but Goldman, as a lawyer, seems to be ignoring some of the non-legal features of the story. As Salon reported, "Several other games have fan sites or newspapers that cover them, but experts could recall no other instance of clear-cut censorship." Although the legislative debate around corporate censorship of customers featured large in some corners, the overall debate was not over what the U.S. government should do but what EA did do. The point of interest was the way EA handled customer criticisms and bad PR; some people saw their response as legitimate and others were appalled. In the latter, this was particularly the case with parents who felt that they were entitled to know the things that children - potentially their children - were doing on TSO.

Second Life: Stormy Roentgen with her PG-sim-banned breast-feeding sculpture (nipples). Second Life: A banned Swastika flanked by also-banned Penii of Grief.

Switching costs and market failure

Goldman suggests that virtual worlds like TSO and SL are no different from other online spaces that are legally allowed to terminate member accounts for whatever reason they choose. He says, "The strongest argument I have heard to distinguish virtual worlds from other online spaces is that virtual world participants invest significantly in their online persona, and this investment creates switching costs for participants that impedes the ability of market forces to reward and punish virtual world providers appropriately. If true, these switching costs may create a market failure requiring regulatory intervention." Part of his response is that other online communities have comparable switching costs (eg. email, webhosting, blogs) and that he 'needs more persuasion that the switching costs in virtual worlds exceed these switching costs'.

However, if we visit Goldman's blog he points out:

Some virtual world participants invest significant time and money in their online characters—earning (or otherwise obtaining) virtual money or items, gaining experience/levels, creating or customizing online "property" (such as houses or widgets that are for sale in the virtual economy) and forming social networks. In some cases, participants purchase items, cash or characters with real cash either directly from the provider or in a secondary market like eBay. All of these "investments" can be lost or diminished if a virtual world provider terminates the individual’s account or otherwise changes the rules or environment of the world.

These costs do not seem comparable to switching costs for email, for example. If I move from Hotmail to Yahoo, I can notify every person in my contact list or inbox accordingly. Anyone who's written my address on the back of a cocktail napkin with lipstick is going to be out of luck though. With changing webhosts, my domain name will stay the same and the only switching costs will be the actual time taken to set up an account elsewhere and transfer all the webpages. For blogs, I may have to convert the archived posts into a format that is compatible with the new blog. This is generally do-able and in the worst case scenario the old posts can still be salvaged in a readable format. These are all tasks that are likely to take only a few hours at worst.

With Second Life, however, there's simply nowhere else to switch to (no one else is even close). And even if there was, it seems unlikely that you're going to be able to take much of your investment with you. An alternative virtual world would need to have a 3D-engine compatible with SL, such that you could somehow export all the objects/scripts you have ever purchased or crafted yourself, and import them into this new world. Even if the residents could sell off their land purchases before switching, they're not going to be able to somehow get refunds on all their vehicles, buildings, clothing, avatar-attachments and weapons. In the past 8 months residents have spent a total of $L 117,986,520.00 (currently about $US 480,216.94) on direct purchases of in-game objects alone (although to be fair you also need to look at the number of residents, where the money originally came from and where the money has gone). When a lot of these items are crafted, it's not like a MMORPG where your character gathers some wood and some paint and clicks on 'Build Piano'. In SL objects are made the same way that designers, builders and artists do it in the real world - piece by piece and usually without blueprints. You can spend hours building individual piano keys by modifying primitive building blocks, and then you can embed an audio script that you have written yourself into each one. Furthermore, SL grants the creators intellectual property rights over these creations. There is also a huge range of complex social investments involved. So, overall the switching costs do seem to be significant and may result in market failure after all.

Telephones, malls and public spaces

Putting Professor Goldman's paper to one side, the central problem of this great debate seems to be whether or not worlds like Second Life and The Sims Online are the same as real-world community spaces where residents are entitled to free-speech rights that overrule private property rights. The most common tack has been to make an analogy to telephone services or malls.

If you can say whatever you want over the telephone without fear of the phone company canceling your account, why isn't it the same in online worlds? There are clearly similarities but the features of online worlds seem to strain the analogy to breaking point. Although Linden Labs are primarily hosting-providers, technically they are also content-providers. They create all the land for example, preside over disputes, release currency and make rule-adjustments to prevent inflation. But they are also content-removers. The terrain is wide, complex and controversial; allegedly, sculptures of nipple-exposed breast-feeding mothers are deleted from PG sims, swastikas are deleted from Mature sims, residents can be banned for Nazi-based group names or taking 'upskirt pictures' of residents, cartoon child porn, or 'personal attacks and inflammatory statements' in secondlife.com forums. Both The Sims Online and Second Life also have 'any-reason' termination clauses ("Linden has the right at any time for any reason or no reason to suspend or terminate your Account..."). Check out the Community Standards and Terms of Service.

In the phone analogy - even without the censorship elements - Linden Labs' presence effectively amounts to a company employee actually participating in the phone conversation, occasionally initiating or guiding the dialogue, chipping in with rejoinders and commentary. So the mall analogy becomes more attractive.

With the mall analogy, however, free-speech takes a hit. In the U.S. there are only six states that have legislation preventing mall staff from removing you if they don't like what you say. In the others you're fair game. But in either case, who really cares? Do we actually need these public spaces? In 'Reclaiming and Remaking Public Space: Toward an Architecture for American Democracy', Kevin Mattson writes:

The relationship between public space and democracy is crucial. Democracy requires places where citizens can gather together to discuss the issues of the day and work on solving problems ... This space... facilitated the potential gathering of strangers. Only in public can citizens meet and talk with fellow members of society they do not associate with in the realms of work and family life (the two other central places in most people's lives) ... public space cements the necessary basis of democratic citizenship--the ability to associate with other citizens in a civil manner, respect other citizens, and join with them in common projects involving dialogue.


If this is the primary purpose of public spaces, why must they be limited to local areas with grass and gravel? Can't virtual spaces facilitate civic interaction more effectively than their physical counterparts, by gathering an even larger number of 'strangers' from a greater variety of locations, with an even wider range of views? Today it seems that town commons, public squares and parks are rapidly shrinking while privately-owned commercial spaces are becoming all the more pervasive. If so, do these private spaces then somehow become the new public spaces, legally assuming some of the same responsibilities and privileges? Is there a virtual world model that can simultaneously maximize profitability and free-speech, while also minimizing legal liability? Or are the three fundamentally at odds with one another? If so, what impact will this have on democratic societies?

Neualtenburg - SL`s Most Hated Project

"On the twelfth day of Christmas my true love sent to me, a democractic socialist republic."

At her blog, Gwyneth Llewellyn recently looked at some of the same virtual governance issues discussed in Urizenus' State of Play discussion. The ever-misspelt Neultenburg projekt, of which Gwyneth is a key figure, has become something of a Bavarian lightning-rod for resident polemic on SL politics. Is Neualtenburg a haven for Second Life's snow-covered democracy-reindeers or a Stalinist winter wonderland? Gwyneth argues that the majority of Second Life citizens were previously in favour of Linden-government rather than resident-based government (ie. organization-from-above vs self-organization). However, there appears to be an emerging trend towards zoned sims with resident-enforced build-restrictions. Is this order out of chaos or the opposite? Will Neualtenburg become the first of many suburban enclaves and nation-states or is the whole concept just heading for a... (pinky to mouth-corner) 'Snow Crash'?

Forum Hotspots:

• Neualtenburg Projekt Forum


• "Player Run Conflict Resolution"


• "I guess Social Democratic is a code word for Totalitarianism"


• "Linden Sponsoring Ulrika Zugzwang's Government is a disastrous idea"


• "Neaultenberg is Necessary"


• "Government comes to SL"

"Neualtenburg - SL`s Most Hated Project" - by Gwyneth Llewellyn
Reposted here under the original Creative Commons License (Gwyneth's blog is also currently down):

Several unpopular projects have been started in SL, and, beyond projects, we have unpopular residents, and unpopular groups of residents. It's not so easy to find a cause for all of them, but I have hinted in this blog at some of the reasons:

• * Organisation vs. anarchy;


• * Capitalism vs. common propriety;


• * Elitism (closed groups) vs. hermitism (living for yourself).

If you take a look at the world's societies, you'll see that the ones we consider more "successfull" are the ones who have more (and better) organisation, a thrust towards capitalism, and a group of people who rules the society, which we can only hope that they will do it "for the best".



However, SL is different - its population reflects more the idealists who reject "successfull societies" and prefer to concentrate on "utopias" instead. Anarchy and chaos rule, and people do whatever they want in SL, unless it goes against the Terms of Service (ToS), which are pretty much tolerant of behaviour, generally speaking. And people gang together for "collaborative work" only as an exception; most prefer to build for themselves and sever the connection to the "outside world" - only friends are able to participate. Elitism - what I call the SL artistocracy, and which is usually termed as "the feted inner core" - is shunned upon, as well as rampant capitalism. Several residents, motivated by a strong community drive, envy, jealousy, or ethics, also despise "money", believing it to be the root of all evil - turning SL into a "clone" of RL, where greed seems to become slowly the major driving force behind SL's growth.



There is no question about it - SL is becoming more and more "fragmented" between idealists/utopists and greedy capitalists. Fortunately, both are extremes in the very flattened Gauss curve depicting all residents - most of us are "in the middle" and away from the most heated discussions...



Enter Neualtenburg. From the beginning of the project, everything has been really polemic about the City of Neualtenburg. For starters, it was lead by Ulrika Zugzwang - one of the most polemic residents in Second Life, winner of the June 2004 animation contest featuring a syncronized dance recreating Michael Jackson's Thriller video using SL animations. Ulrika promoted "organisation" and a "resident government" as a way to give continuity to long-term projects in SL. There were very good reasons behind this proposal: first, almost all projects in SL are relatively short-term, no matter the enthusiasm of their leaders, because people tend to have more or less free time in RL, and projects get easily abandoned. As soon as the project leader loses interest, the project disappears. Worse than that, when the leader appoints a successor, thus is usualy viewed with suspicion/envy, and the group generally falls apart at that time. There are too many bad examples to list here, but, generally speaking, new projects in SL almost inevitably start around a strong, charismatic leader, and will exist as long as that leader is present.



Secondly, "in-world government" is (as I've written before) viewed as the worst thing that could be done to SL. It runs contrary to all feelings of "anarchy", "idealism" and "utopia" which most of the residents promote - according to unofficial polls, over 95% of the residents want anarchy, and not residents organising other residents. This is an acceptable view for a small-sized community - around 20,000 people or so. As soon as SL starts to grow more and more, clashes are going to be more and more frequent. The same 95% that promote anarchy want more control by Linden Lab to enforce the Terms of Service - never any attempt by residents to self-organise! "Government" is almost anathema on the forums or in-world. If you really think that people should organised themselves, you're a dangerous radical, and should be thrown off the game as soon as possible, in order not to "taint" other residents. What residents want is more Linden control - not less. Ulrika's proposals invariably met with very strong resistance and even hate and anger at proposing resident-based control (through democratically elected groups of "supervisors", nicknamed "the Government").



Around August 2004, Linden Lab admitted some frustration with the snow sims - introduced probably because their competitors There and the Sims Online already featured winter-based areas. The problem is, the current levels of anarchy made the residents covet the lovely snow sims, but build exactly the same way as elsewhere. This means you get your hot tubs and sunny esplanades on the snow sims as well, and sellers of "winter clothing" never really made it. Skiing never became a trend as parachuting, for instance. In a word, snow sims are just normal sims with white textures for the ground! So, Linden Lab thought it was a good idea to have some "reserved" areas for snow-themed builds, and they launched a contest "for the preservation of the snow sims".



There was only one contestant - Ulrika and her plan of building a medieval-style German city up in the mountains which would fit in the overall snow theme. Of course, the city would be ruled by a democratically elected government, in order to survive even if the original building team left SL. The good thing about a government is spreading responsabilities among several members, and assure some rotativity, so as to better reflect the state of SL and the wishes of the group members.



All these issues make sense from a RL point of view: if you want to organise something and make it enduring, the best way we frail humans know to achieve that purpose, is having a democratically elected association of people to work together. That's what Neualtenburg is about - a project which belongs to the whole group, and not just to a few "group officers". It seems to be working. The currently elected "president" of the Representative Assembly - the law-passing body of the City Government - is neither a founding member, has no building skills whatsoever, is not an officer of the group, and has not contributed tier or money to the project :) This is completely alien to the whole concept of Second Life - either from the anarchistic or the capitalist group. And, thus, being alien, the project is viewed with serious distrust.



The worse aspect of the whole project is that it seems to be working, and, by working, it could encourage LL to try the same model on other regions as well. This sent panic waves across the forum landscape - to a point where LL had to remove all support to project funding in SL and change their very benevolent finantial policy towards a model where only residents support projects, and not LL.



The interesting thing about the Neualtenburg project is not that it has a City Government which works - but the way it successfully deals with zoning problems, controlled builds, community discussions about what is allowed to be done and not, sharing responsabilities, delegating tasks, and, well, in a word, organising stuff. The consequences are now slowly emerging. While the notion of a "government" still scares too many residents, the truth is, "zoned sims" are spontaneously appearing all over the place. While many are still tied to a single leader, the truth is, in almost all those new communities, there are mechanisms for feedback. So, if your neighbour is building a huge tower with rotating textures in clashing colours and blocking your view, you have a way to complain and have the "leader" of the community remove the offending building. This gives residents a certain degree of protection of the value of their real estate - there won't be laggy clubs, malls, or casinos around - and quite a large group are willing to move to such communities. The Ravenglass Rentals group, for instance, offers new residents a pre-designed home (which can be customized) which fits into the surroundings and environment, and is designed by RL architects. Anshe Chung - another very polemic character in RL due to her success as an established real estate agent - promotes now a system where the land can be "owned" and even sold for a profit, while mantaining a degree of control of what is allowed and what is not. The new owners have to abide by the same rules as the original builders, thus, self-perpetuating the community. These are just two recent examples of what seems to be an emerging trend.



What is astonishing is to see how so many residents who were originally against any sort of "resident control" - mostly meaning telling people how to behave and what is allowed or not - are now actively promoting "zoned sims" where there are restrictions to creating "bad content". Again, we're at the verge of a new turning point in SL, where residents are tired of chaos, anarchy, and griefing, and slowly turning to "organisation".



Maybe this will also mean that Neualtenburg will slowly get more acceptance in the highly complex society of SL :)

Controversial German Designer Returns From Her 8th Suspension - Interview 2/2

Athel Richelieu's screen-shot of the now-erased compound, moments before he abuse-reported it. SS logo in foreground.

by Neal Stewart

In part two of our interview with controversial designer Katja Eisenberg, Katja responds to allegations that she is a Neo-Nazi and connoisseur of racist humour. She explains her true views on Adolf Hitler, George Bush, the recent anniversary of Dresden, illegal swastikas, the SS uniform, and the quality of my fangs. Friend Mike Czukor also presents an alternative view to that of Katja's critics and suggests that Katja is herself the victim of racism.

(Continued from Part 1/2)...

Neal Stewart: Evil L.L.P also claims that you liked to make jokes that they considered racist. Is that true?
Katja Eisenberg: No, I built a Tsunami and asked them if anyone noticed the huge fucking wave right there in front of them and said it was funny how 150 thousand didn't see it. I don't consider that racist.

Neal Stewart: But they say that, in addition to that, you made racist jokes in general.
Katja Eisenberg: Well if I had the time in my busy SL life to remember everything I said then whatever. But I don't remember saying anything racist.

Neal Stewart: So in general you're not into racist humour, if you can call it that?
Katja Eisenberg: No, I am not into racist humor. If I felt the need to bash everyone all day I would still be pissed about the suspension. I honestly don't give a fuck. [...] I am goth. I don't have a problem with anyone. It seems everyone has the problem with me.

[...]

Katja Eisenberg: You have a Family in SL? Because I did. And that was ruined when I was suspended. Now no one seems to believe me.
Neal Stewart: Evil L.L.P was your family?
Katja Eisenberg: No. Mephistophelina was my mother. Malificent Maelstrom is my Aunt. Spencer Ruthledge is my Godmother. Flack Quartermass was my father.

Neal Stewart: Why do you think they misunderstood what you were trying to do with the memorial, and the jokes that they considered racist?
Katja Eisenberg: No. They all knew my intentions with the camp. To build the memorial. They said they had no problem with that as long as LL didn't. LL did so I tore it down. And if my comments seemed racist then Mike who is Arabic wouldn't be my friend. And Grandduke who is impotent wouldn't be my friend and I wouldn't have a girlfriend seeming as I am a woman.

mike Czukor: I'm Arabic? LOL. I'm Greek but...
Katja Eisenberg: Oh. Greek. Whatever.
mike Czukor: Germans took over Greece.
Katja Eisenberg: *giggles*
mike Czukor: I should say 'Nazis'. LOL. And I'm part German and Italian.

Neal Stewart: Some people are only racist towards specific nationalities. Or consider themselves racist in general but willing to make exceptions.
Katja Eisenberg: I am not racist towards anyone. I think there are a few people who are lazy but I don't single out races. I am 4'11 in Real Life. You think I can go about running my mouth off and get away with it? UHM, no.
Neal Stewart: Heh heh.
Katja Eisenberg: Well, 5'3 in shoes.

Neal Stewart: So all the Nazi claims are just BS? You don't in any way identify with the Nazis or any of their beliefs?
mike Czukor: No, Katja helped out a lot of people - including me.
Katja Eisenberg: No, I don't. I love their uniforms and the history. But I don't agree with it.
mike Czukor: She's not a bad person.

Katja's friend, Mike Czukor: "Katja has helped out a lot of people in SL ... She's a great person"

Neal Stewart: What do you agree with?
Katja Eisenberg: I agree with the fact that in WW2 the German Soldiers were only doing their job. The Nazi's plan for a perfect Aryan race was not a very good way to do things. I think the Jewish society in itself is pretty lucky to have such strong beliefs.

Neal Stewart: What do you think is a better way to do things?
Katja Eisenberg: I think a better way to do things first off is not to join in on a war or the extermination of a race in any sense. I think - had Hitler stayed sane throughout his Power - he would or may have done things differently. There is a bunch of things that factored into WW2. The German Soldiers do their jobs just as the American soldiers do their jobs. An order is an order whether you want to or not. And when it's your life or theirs - I think a lot of people would have chose the other person to die.

Neal Stewart: So you believe that Hitler was OK at first but that he became increasingly insane?
Katja Eisenberg: I think Hitler had a lot of problems with Jewish people being that his father beat him. He was of no Jewish blood. So I can't say why he singled them out. I think to start with the beginning of WW2 Hitler was not a bad person. But as he became more and more insane, then he started doing stupid shit like killing off the Jews. I think to hide the fact WW2 happened is bullshit. I love history and to tell me I cannot share history with people is a load of shit and in itself the way Hitler would have acted. How many people die every single day because of their religion? [...] And the Pentagram is supposedly a Pagan culture symbol. Fuck the pagans right up their asses for using a Symbol of the devil to hide behind their religion. The Swastika is a Tibetan peace symbol. Did you know in SL you can't even have a proper Swastika because of all the in-bred little fucks walking around here who don't know history? Fucking pathetic. [...] Gah I really wish I wasn't that time of the month. I am soon to be banned again. Watch the Lindens flip the fuck out.

Neal Stewart: What about your SS uniform? Did you have to change it from the original so that it would be allowed in SL?
Katja Eisenberg: I didn't change shit about it. SL is so shitty, their clothing never comes out perfect enough to even show a Swastika. My uniform has nothing Nazi about it.

Neal Stewart: Aren't the SS, Nazis?
Katja Eisenberg: No, the SS were of the Nazi party but in itself were not Nazi's. Just the Secret Police of the Nazi party.

Neal Stewart: What interests you in particular about the SS?
Katja Eisenberg: They had the sexiest Uniforms. I love the uniform. Doesn't mean I love Nazi's.

Neal Stewart: So, if the Americans had worn the SS uniform and vice versa, you would be interested in the Americans?
Katja Eisenberg: Your god damn right. It's the Uniform. And the Sense of Strength. Not the execution of the Jewish people.

Neal Stewart: How do you mean, 'the Sense of Strength'?
Katja Eisenberg: The German army has always been feared and well trained. They are strong and very much respected. Not even necessarily WW2 Germany.

Neal Stewart: What about the Americans?
Katja Eisenberg: I think the American's are made to be more powerful then they really are. Let's face it - the strongest country in the world is Israel. Their army is so well trained and strong. They are always at war with religion. [...] I think if the Americans saw how President bush who now control's the 4th Reich saw things. How he cheated the UN and broke a bill and only was able to because of the patriotism in the US. There would be a lot less going for the US.

Neal Stewart: So it's not just the SS uniforms you're interested in, it's what you see as their strength?
Katja Eisenberg: The Strength. Brotherhood. Family of a Military that is strong. The Uniforms just make it all the funner. Not even the symbols on the Uniforms. A Plain black SS Uniform with nothing on it - to me would be sexiest of all.

Katja Eisenberg: OMMFG. NEAL, NO. Take those shitty fangs from your mouth this instant. God damnit. Here, take this pair.
Here Katja has noticed that I'm sporting fangs and she gives me 'Angel Fangs 2'.
Katja Eisenberg: Wear those.
Neal Stewart: Heh heh. Thanks. I'll try them later.
Katja Eisenberg: And if I ever see those pathetic fangs in your mouth again I will kick you in your forehead.

Neal Stewart: So, what do you think about the recent debate in Germany about how to regard the bombing of Dresden [Feb 13, CNN.com]? I understand that some people believe you can call the bombing a 'holocaust' in itself.
Katja Eisenberg: I think the bombing is just like the bombings in the war. A bomb is a bomb. It's meant to kill and destroy.

Neal Stewart: So you don't think it's reasonable to compare the bombing of Dresden to the holocaust?
Katja Eisenberg: No. I don't think its anything close to the Holocaust.

Neal Stewart: I understand that Swastikas etc are actually illegal in Germany [Jan 17, ABCNews.com] unless used for art purposes etc. What are your thoughts on that?
Katja Eisenberg: Good. If it's a Peace symbol, that is different. But the Swastika itself, no good.

Neal Stewart: OK, but you believe they should be illegal if used in a Nazi context?
Katja Eisenberg: Not illegal - just more thought out.

mike Czukor: I think those Nazi comments [ie. residents who comment that Kajta is a Neo-Nazi] are racist to Katja because she's German. But not all Germans are Nazis. Very few are.
Neal Stewart: Do you think most Germans in SL are regarded as Nazis?
mike Czukor: Yes, in many peoples opinions. But they aren't. Katja has helped out a lot of people in SL. She's helped the community a whole lot and SL should be thanking her. She helped me out and a lot of my friends.

Neal Stewart: How did she help you?
mike Czukor: Well, she showed me around. She gave me things. Let me join her group and basically introduced me to a bunch of new people that are now good friends. She's a great person. And all this "she's a Nazi" is a bunch of BS.

Neal Stewart: So she has never said or done anything that you think is racist or sympathetic to Nazism?
mike Czukor: No. And furthermore, why do people just sit here and bitch? Isn't SL supposed to be about creating your world? She was recreating history. And the fact that they think the swastika is offensive might be offensive to a Tibetan - because it's their peace symbol. So I think LL should think more carefully.

Neal Stewart: What does your T-shirt say, Katja?
Katja Eisenberg: It's a punk shirt. It says “Napalm Death: Nazi punks fuck off.” In other words, fuck Nazis.

Neal Stewart: Can I get a picture of you in your uniform?
Katja Eisenberg: *giggles* Evidence to ban us.
mike Czukor: LOL. LMAO.
Neal Stewart: Heh heh
mike Czukor: I've served enough banment.
Katja Eisenberg: 8 times for me.
mike Czukor: God.
Neal Stewart: 8?
Katja Eisenberg: Yep, all for the same reason. Misunderstanding.

Neal Stewart: Do you plan to do more builds related to Germany, Katja?
Katja Eisenberg: No.

Katja Eisenberg and Mike Czukor pose in uniform at the Sido sim.

Controversial German Designer Returns From Her 8th Suspension - Interview 1/2

Controversial designer Katja Eisenberg poses here in her SS uniform

by Neal Stewart

Controversial Second Life resident Katja Eisenberg was yesterday released from a temporary 3-week ban imposed for creating Nazi-related group names and officer titles. Katja, who says she is German in her First Life, claims that it was her 8th ban from her Second Life. In this 2-part interview, I question Katja about allegations that she is a Neo-Nazi and has apparently shocked and appalled residents with a host of racist comments and Nazi-inspired builds.

Katja - who contributed building work to the Neualtenburg Projekt and Neuschwanstein castle - is regarded by a number of SL residents as one of the most talented designers in Second Life and a generally helpful person all-round. She was previously a member of the group Evil L.L.P but was, as covered in the interview, eventually ejected from the group. In describing Katja, Evil L.L.P leader Mephistophelina Belvedere uses adjectives like 'incredibly sweet and girlish [...] amazingly funny and witty [...] astonishingly creative' but sometimes also 'bigoted', prone to 'antisemitism' and 'random hostility' - 'one of the most interesting personalities I've ever met. It's just a shame that she was the most horrifying, as well.'

So, what is the truth?

I joined Katja in the Sido sim (Mature) (52, 82) - the location of one of the alleged Nazi camps and previously the Second Life Police Department HQ (both of which are now gone). It is night-time. Katja wears converse shoes, a punk t-shirt and striped grey slacks with blue suspenders. She is brunette, with dark shades, dark make-up and striking green eyes. On her back is a backpack with a purple skateboard sticking out the top. Katja is joined by several people. These include friend Mike Czukor - an imposing figure dressed in formal wear, smoking a cigar.

Both have given permission for the publication of our discussion. References to Lindens that were identified by name have been removed.

Neal Stewart: I understand you've just returned from a ban? When did it end?
Katja Eisenberg: Yesterday.

Neal Stewart: Was it hard having to stay away? What did you do? Hang around the forums? :)
Katja Eisenberg: No, it wasn't hard. It was great - the most excitement I have had in a long time [...] I am not allowed to view the forums.

Neal Stewart: What was exciting, Katja? And why aren't you allowed in the forums?
Katja Eisenberg: Being away was great. It was the best experience ever. And I am not allowed in the forums because I don't take shit from anyone. And that's where cowards go to run their mouths off because they are too chicken-shit to say it to my face.

Neal Stewart: What did you like about being away?
Katja Eisenberg: The fact that real life doesn't have babies who cry and complain. No fucking drama. No bullshit. Freedom to do what you want.

Neal Stewart: When did you get banned from the forums?
Katja Eisenberg: When I was suspended from SL.

Neal Stewart: Do they always do that? Suspend you from both at the same time?
Katja Eisenberg: Nope.

Neal Stewart: Is this a T-Rex? [It's night-time and all I can see is a sculpture of a huge red abdomen with legs and claws. The creator is Starax Statotsky. --Neal]
Katja Eisenberg: No. It's a giant statue of Hitler. Can't you tell?

Neal Stewart: Heh heh
Katja Eisenberg: Just like my supposed death camp I built with ovens and gas chambers - that never fucking existed.

Neal Stewart: So where do you think all these Nazi criticisms come from?
Katja Eisenberg: Uneducated worthless little fucks who don't know their ass from a hole in the ground and couldn't tell the difference between an oven and a refrigerator.

Neal Stewart: So, what did the Lindens say when they banned you for the camp you did recently?
Katja Eisenberg: I wasn't banned for building a camp. I was banned for having a German group name. '3rd Reich' meaning 3rd Empire. And 'SS' meaning 'ja ganz in der nahe society'. But since Linden Labs has labeled me a Nazi, anything that might resemble WW2 History is forbidden [...] Because too many people can't let the past down. And cry about everything. So I am making this giant statue of Hitler to get back at them. [She's joking - it is a model of cerberus (the 3-headed dog of the underworld) - created by the unspeakably talented Starax Statovsky --Neal]

Neal Stewart: What does 'ja ganz in der nahe' mean?
Katja Eisenberg: Figure it out. You are smart. Ask a Linden - since they seem to think my German is badly pronounced. Even though I live in Berlin. What the fuck would I know?

[I look it up with Altavista's Babelfish translator: 'completely in the close society' which I take to mean 'secret society'. -- Neal]

Neal Stewart: What do you mean they think it's badly pronounced?
Katja Eisenberg: Apparently I don't speak very good English. So i gots da get me's an Edjamacation.

Neal Stewart: Did they say that?
Katja Eisenberg: No it was on the phone when they told me the labels and names used were not properly spelled. Linden Labs can go fuck themselves. They don't know German nor - doubtfully - speak it. They try to find reasons to get rid of so-called 'griefers' - when you build a Military Barracks with German recruiting posters. Not even WW2 Posters.

Neal Stewart: So what labels and names did they criticize?
Katja Eisenberg: 'Untersturmfuhrer' meaning 'Second Lieutenant'. 'Reichsfuhrin' meaning 'Empire Commander'.

Neal Stewart: And they said those were spelt wrong?
Katja Eisenberg: Make sure you take some good photo's of Hitler here. Yes, that is what they said.

Neal Stewart: And they're suggesting that they would allow you to use the names if you spelt them right?
Katja Eisenberg: Nope, can't do that either.

Neal Stewart: So you believe they were just taking a shot at you when they criticized the German spelling?
Katja Eisenberg: Yeah. Oh, it was [Removed] Linden who said that. And [Removed] Linden is a funny little controlling bastard too. He thinks he is some hot shit with his sexy looks and his little computer.

Neal Stewart: How did the phone conversation come about? Did you call them?
Katja Eisenberg: I called them to find out why I was removed from SL after speaking with [Removed] Linden, [Removed] Linden and [Removed] Linden who said nothing that I had done was wrong.

Neal Stewart: So you were banned without an explanation?
Katja Eisenberg: No, they told me that the explanation was because of the name of our group - which they pleasantly removed behind my back.

Neal Stewart: OK. So you got suspended purely because of the group name and not because of the camp? [3 weeks ago Katja helped Grandduke Ferdinand build a compound that the Lindens then removed. The Evil L.L.P. group claims that Katja also built another compound - Auschwitz - on the 17th of January. Evil L.L.P. member Biff Uritsky objected and was planning to 'liberate' the compound with a division of prim tanks :) The compound was removed however and Katja was subsequently ejected from that group.]
Katja Eisenberg: There was no camp.

Neal Stewart: Didn't you build an SS training camp?
Katja Eisenberg: No. I built a German Military barracks and a German Military Hall.

Neal Stewart: But the camp had the SS logo in it didn't it?
Katja Eisenberg: Oh, by the way, you can ask Kimiko who was banned - and so was Grandduke. There was no SS Logo. No SS Logo that stayed here. I built one for a friend and wanted to see how it looked. It was removed shortly after being up.

Neal Stewart: So it wasn't intended as part of the build?
Katja Eisenberg: Had it been intended I would have left it up. You see I really don't give a fuck what anyone in SL thinks. If I feel like doing it, I do. And had it been intended I would have left it up.

Neal Stewart: The person who abuse-reported it took a screen-shot that contained the SS logo in it. [Thank you to Athel Richelieu for providing a copy of his screen-shot --Neal].
Katja Eisenberg: Had he stopped and asked me instead of going to visit his boyfriend he may learn a thing or two.

Neal Stewart: Did the Lindens erase the whole place that same day?
Katja Eisenberg: Now how the fuck should I know that? I was suspended.

Neal Stewart: So it was the same day you got suspended for the group names?
Katja Eisenberg: I would assume so.

Neal Stewart: Who did you do the SS logo for?
Katja Eisenberg: I wouldn't tell you that.

Neal Stewart: Why not?
Katja Eisenberg: Why, so you can rat them out? I don't think so. How stupid do you think I am?

Neal Stewart: So, tell me about the other camp that you built a while back. Evil LLP kicked you out of their group?
Katja Eisenberg: Did you take a picture of good old Hitler yet? No, I had started building a Camp Memorial that a few Jewish people had thought was a very nice idea. I asked the Lindens. They told me to go fuck myself so I changed it into an Asylum. I was kicked out of LLP because some of the fuck-head dicks walking around thought I had hung a Jew in the Tower. No. It was a crazy fellow I had hung in there. [...] And if you think I have a problem with guys who like sucking cock because I have a problem with the gay who reported me. This is my GIRLFRIEND - Kimiko.

Neal Stewart: Who were the Jewish people who supported you?
Katja Eisenberg: I don't fucking know their names. Some of my friends told me a few Jews got word of it and thought it was a lovely idea. And if I seem a little harsh, I think what I can say to being harsh is: “Fuck you and anyone who has a problem with me”. I did nothing wrong and once again someone whines about something and I get into trouble.

Neal Stewart: I don't have a problem with you. I'm just writing up the story.
Katja Eisenberg: Put this in your report: FUCK EVERYONE WHO ASSUMES. FUCK THEM UP THEIR STUPID ASSES.

Neal Stewart: Why did you decide to make a memorial?
Katja Eisenberg: To show I am not a fucking Nazi as so many believe. And that to enjoy history in every aspect, shouldn't be viewed as wrong.

Neal Stewart: Did it have a plaque in it, or a notecard, or were you planning on doing that?
Katja Eisenberg: I didn't get that far into the production. I asked first. Linden labs is trying to build what you would call a "Perfect" world. There is no such thing as a perfect world. They have the need to feel control. If they don't have this feeling, then people like [Removed] Linden will never experience the finer things in life, like Virtual Sex.

Neal Stewart: What do you think they should do to improve things?
Katja Eisenberg: Well they can start by pulling their heads out of their asses. That would help. Then comb the shit from their hair. Then maybe let some people try to explain their job before they go about banning them. And keep in mind as you write your report NEAL that I am fucking pissed off so what you put may or may not get me banned. But you are in a Mature area. And if I get banned for expressing my feelings, I would expect all the people who bash me in the forums and in IM and in your papers to be banned as well.

Neal Stewart: Have you got this 'Dead Jew/crazy guy' texture so I can have a look at it, Katja?
Katja Eisenberg: I never had a texture and it's not a Jew. [She rezzes the object --Neal]

Neal Stewart: Wow, that's pretty wicked-looking.
Katja Eisenberg: Yeah. I know some good builders. And it doesn't look like a Jew to me.

Katja Eisenberg: Have fun writing your report. OH WAIT. Take a Picture of Hitler so everyone knows what kind of a Nazi I am.
Neal Stewart: Heh heh
Katja Eisenberg: Come up here for just a moment, Neal. I will give you a good picture to take before you leave.
Katja Eisenberg: Pee. [Here, Katja squats and produces a urination animation, complete with yellow stream --Neal]
Katja Eisenberg: Take a picture.
Katja Eisenberg: LMAO
Katja Eisenberg: Pee.

Neal Stewart: Golden showers at the Sido sim, eh? Some of the people at Evil L.L.P said that you peed on the hanging guy. Is that true?
Katja Eisenberg: Yep. Right on his head.

Neal Stewart: Why was that?
Katja Eisenberg: Cause I had to pee and me and the hanging dead guy were drinking whiskey together and talking. And I just happened to be sitting on his head.

Neal Stewart: What did he talk to you about?
Katja Eisenberg: Pee. Nothing much. We just hung out and had a few laughs, kicked back some whiskey and then I peed on his head.

Neal Stewart: Evil L.L.P also claims that you liked to make jokes that they considered racist. Is that true?

[To be continued in Part II, which will be posted soon. You may wish to reserve comments until then...]

Katja Eisenberg sits atop the controversial, identity-confused hanging corpse Katja in her Skater uniform. Neo-nazi? Or misunderstood? [Inset:] "I will give you a good picture to take before you leave"

Prok’s Candid Coversations With the Core: Lordfly Digeridoo, Part Two

For those of who you enjoyed SL resident Prokofy Neva's "journalistic" debut last week, in which SL architect Lordfly Digeridoo kindly submitted himself to questions from the rhapsodist of Ravenglass (and even for those who did not), we are overjoyed to present Part Two, in which our interlocutors address questions of the grid's economy. No Linden Town Hall meeting was ever as revealing.

Lordfly Digeridoo: so let's get back to this candid conversation thing. :)

Prokofy Neva: Well, you have made a proposal to the Lindens that they buy up land that you designate as public, but...with all due respect...who the hell are you?Why should the Lindens buy from you?
Lordfly Digeridoo: i didn't say I do it. I was having folks like you in mind, whole-sim buyers that develop an area, and then sell it off.

PN: but why would I sell commons to the Lindens?
LF: so you can preserve the feel of your neighborhood.

PN: well couldn't I do that myself thank you very much?
couldn't I get players to have a stake in it?
LF: no, not unless you wanted to pay tier. people move around in-world all the time.

PN: I cover the tier by renting it. or I get people to donate into it, then they get the prims but don't build on it. Think up some scheme like that, don't involve the Lindens. Who are the Lindens? Just some people with servers? Servers that don't work well sometimes. I can't get into proper worship mode on the Lindens LF, help me out on this.
LF: well, Linden-land remains there, FOREVER. residents don't stay in one place forever.

PN: and they never auction it off? well...
LF: so in 6 months your precious little Ravenglass sim will look entirely different than what it does today.

PN: I know that. it's all good. it's all interesting.
LF: so why bother planning it at all?

PN: the idea is to see what happens in nature, not in some fake zoned thing.
LF: "what happens in nature" is 99% of SL. it's supposed to be order from chaos.

PN: but who wants the administrative headache? everything you propose to the Lindens is a huge amount of work for them. they couldn't police their zoned sims as it was.
LF: i developed my plan with the knowledge that the lindens cannot police anything. did you even READ my proposal?

PN: yes
PN: over and over
PN: to see if they want to buy it as public land forever and ever, they have to make a judgement.
LF: it's either doing it by hand, or coding up a process for it, which shoudln't be that hard, seeing as the auctions are mostly automatic now.

PN: that's not the issue
LF: yes, it is the issue

PN: they would have to see a visual portfolio. they'd have to sit and make judgements. they'd have to have criteria.
LF: why?

PN: because they'd have to decide what they are willing to take a loss on forever!.
LF: i'm saying sell 100% of a sim and let the residents decide where the linden land goes.

PN: and I'm saying it would take them time to judge, to sift through hundreds of requests like that. they'd have to have rigid criteria, and all kinds of "special cases" will emerge.
LF: hundreds of requests? how many people buy up whole sims at a time?

PN: stop thinking of it as your little game with 19,999 other people. you're forgetting that people acquire whole sims over time, sometimes in groups. it's not just the fresh sims.
LF: yes, and they would be ineligible for this plan

PN: ohhhhh
PN: well but that's not FAIR
LF: life isn't fair

PN: what, I reclaim a mouldering slag heap sim and I don't get a deal like that???
LF: no, you don't. that would take linden time and effort, as you say. this is pre-emptive planned landscape design. Imagine a time when the lindens don't sculpt the land anymore, because it's coming. 50,000 residents from now, the lindens will scarcely have the time to design continents.

PN: they sure won't. they will be busy fighting of lawsuits and the g-men for taxes and RICO and all manner of things.
LF: if you make a shitty landscaping idea, you won't sell your land.

PN: but they will have to judge. Look at their idea of beauty, the market in Boardman, yuck.
LF: they want us to run our world. philip wants to lose control of the beast.

PN: But they don't step out of the way! he MADE the beast no one can jump over now!
LF: ?

PN: The inner core, those with the ratings/land/paid tier/inventions with payoffs/riches/land etc. they are a significant obstacle to growth.
LF: uh, they drive growth, last time i checked. cool content = more players. more players = more people making cool content.

PN: they want to set things in world and go offline and just collect.
LF: so you're faulting people for not being by their vendors 24/7? customer service is an IM away

PN: You have no idea. There are all kinds of situations. disputes between neighbors over builds and view, griefers and laggers, calling in Lindens, dealing with griefer viewblockers in the bay, fighting over prims. you could spend your life on it.
LF: seems like your system needs streamlining

PN: yes LF what it needs is not one sim, but four. 99 percent of the trouble tickets relate to the view corridors and lag spreading from other sims.
LF: so... what? you're trying to define what others can put on their land, on other sims? how do you define what is griefing?

PN: If they lag a sim to 37, sure. They ought to be charged for that.
LF: no, they shouldn't. scripters would riot.

PN: Let them, I will fight back.
LF: how would you charge for this? on a CPU cycle basis?

PN: You figure it out
LF: no, it's your idea, YOU figure it out. you can't just sling these random ideas without more ideas to back them up. the hundreds of scripters will rise together and say "fuck no". you would drive people like cubey terra out of business.

PN: well these are the feted inners that block progress
LF: no, you'll drive the newbies out of business too.

PN: yeah well why should MY $40 a month subsidize their fuck-you hedonism? while I sit in 27 FPS with a goddman slide show???? Fuck that shit.
LF: because you get the unconditional ability to build WHATEVER YOU WANT on YOUR LAND

PN: I pay real money for land, and some kid with a script jones is going to dick me out of FPS? somebody has to PAY, LF
PN: PAY
LF: yes, the land owners do. feted inner elite land owners like yourself.

PN: while some kid with a portable dick dances under a strobe light? On my thousands of acres? That kid can hold me and others in 3 sims hostage?
LF: then AR him? boot him from your land? orbit him?

PN: I look at their entire grid, I see that the Lindens just serve the green dots in clumps and they don't care if the clumps even out. that's what it looks like to me, and it sucks big time and their world will not grow as a result.
LF: but their world is growing.

PN: THIS is growth????
LF: 20% a month

PN: oh, they are getting TSO spillout like me and my friends
LF: i dunno, that's explosive growth to me

PN: but that will taper off because they will disappoint people. they don't have a means of fixing the lag issues. they are utterly helpless I've seen them. they can ban somebody for a few days. but they can't address it at the root.
LF: what's the root of the problem? unfettered freedom?

PN: you have to come and see the scene of your crime now LF. I will tp you lol.
LF: ok

Destination: Prokofy Neva's Lighthouse Mall

PN: See, another mall. just what the world needs. I can spy on Anshe's mall from here LOL.
LF: just like every other mall ever.

PN: I know you will greet each new enthusiastic newbie innocent initiative with the jaded feted attitude of the inner core LOL. It's always "been done". it's always 'already tired', whether a mall or a bank or whatever. "It can't be done," you say. You're like old-timers in a village. People have to move away from you to the big city. You're a brake on progress, with your "can't be dones".
LF: i say "can't be done" so hundreds of newbies don't lose all their money on a shaky savings and loan.

PN: well don't worlds need banks?
LF: not this one. you can't do it without contract enforcement.

PN: Well from time immemorial immigrants have always made their own banks without the sort of nice contract systems that you may be thinking of. not all of it is pretty. crude but effective. it's a necessary stage.
LF: effective if there's a common bond of trust, but there isn't

PN: well why don't you trust anyone in SL? what have they done to you in two years to make you so jaded?
LF: people online turn into total morons, for the most part. the griefer shooting his neighbors and saying "FUCK YOU NAZI SLUT" at the welcoming area wouldn't dare do that in the public square of his town

PN: to be sure. what's your solution?
LF: none.

PN: you were telling me yesterday about your crusades
LF: my only stopgap solution is to find like-minded people that aren't morons, and hang out with them

PN: and push out the edges from there?
LF: no, i'm not building an empire. people are stupid in real life, too, you just don't notice it because it's less likely a random person will come by and be retarded. less so in retail, unfortunately

PN: ROFL
PN: but do you think that you and a group of your like-minded inner feted friends can then band together and push out the boundaries against the fucktards?
LF: no, generally i just want to be left alone, anymore. it's fun playing the forum game, but being the center of attention isn't my thing.

PN: have you not found any of the kindred spirits you sought when you began this grand adventure?
LF: i've found a few, for sure.

PN: but you don't really seem to believe in SL as a world, as a realm
LF: i've never developed any meaningful online relationships or friendships prior to SL

PN: you say it's not even a game, not a virtual world but a "thingie". that was your expression, it's not a game, but a thingie
LF: right

PN: Could you elaborate on that?
LF: it's 3D IRC with toys for me to create with. the concept is nice, sure, i'm a big supporter of it.

PN: So it's just your sandbox. With your toys.
LF: pretty much... my toys, and my friends

PN: well but multiply that by one million, and you have a world, but a world based on "my toys and my friends"
LF: sure, i guess... same goes for RL too

PN: which is insular, and selfish, and unsocial, and even destructive
LF: well, do you see me as insular, selfish, antisocial, and destructive?

PN: Hmmm

PN: Let's say "yes" to the first 3, but "no" to the last, because you have made landmarks in the world. you build good houses and buildings, you're among the best architects. I'd like to think aesthetics does track with character, although of course it need not do that. but I'm troubled by your essentially cynical and insular view. there's no vision, nothing higher, really, except perhaps science or knowledge.
LF: well, there is, but it's not my call to do it. LF: i merely observe the economy

PN: what are your credentials for saying antying about the economy?
LF: by that token, what are my credentials for building a house? what are your credentials for being a land owner and community developer?

PN: Your credentials are just being able to work the levers of the game better than most.
LF: so perhaps my credentials at reading a virtual economy is i've participated in it the last 1.5 years

PN: Have you ever bid on the auctions?
LF: yup, twice

PN: really, until you have walked a mile in the land baron's shoes, it is hard to see the issues. On the one hand, their land isn't selling. It is devalued. On the other hand, it's selling like hotcakes. it's like chicken pox around the map. some sells, some doesn't. but we don't have INFORMATION. we are in an unfree country like a communist Romania or Russia. We don't have the most basic fact, which is this: how much first-land is bought by newbs? how much is resold when? PN: when and for how much do they buy their first used land, etc., etc. They don't release those figures, and it is no accident, comrade. They claim that they roll out new sims to adjust to the growing population but we don't get the aggregate to make informed decisions. you can't have free markets without information and feedback like this.
LF: so ask the lindens for information. they usually give it.

PN: I personally think the formula of new-land-rollout = new players to be flawed. it's a racket.
LF: not really. most of the land is owned. the lindens will increase sim rollout until land is no longer mostly owned

PN: Like many young cynical techies, you are never cynical about the Lindens themselves. Most of the land is NOT owned. look at sims: no green dots, unsold land.
LF: uh
LF: most of the land IS owned, buddy

PN: I mean to measure how much land is marked for sale and not selling, versus how much land is sold and staying sold with the owner on it.
LF: you can't define "staying sold" without a time graph

PN: you have to measure the market, the intentions
LF: you're assuming intentions

PN: my point is there is a lot of open inventory
LF: yeah, because the world constantly changes. all a map of a lot of land for sale means is that people move a lot in-world

PN: people do move, because of lag and ugly builds. they are actually conservative by nature. they'd like to stay in their cosy cabins and cosy coves. but ugly people grief them and build ugly crap around them and they cry and leave
LF: and?

PN: lather, rinse, repeat
LF: ...until the neighborhood settles down

PN: neighborhoods don't always settle down
LF: and your solution is?

PN: player-based zoning
PN: mixed with Linden zoning

LF: the lindens don't want to zone

PN: and charging for use of server resources
LF: they want us to define things

PN: ok well we'll zone without them, I'm game
PN: just make them charge for server resources and we've got a deal
PN: OR
PN: let me be lord of the sim like that guy suggested
PN: was it blaze?
PN: let him decide where the public land goes and whether the griefing clubs get booted lol
PN: it will be even more like Russia than Russia
PN: I am more confident in American-style democracy, that groups of people can get together for the common good and can govern themselves, even without Ulrika Zugzwang. they don't need a lot of trappings of socialist democracy toys, they can rely on their own consensus, draw like-minded to like. Indeed, this is what you are ALREADY doing by making something like Grignano, aren't you?
LF: well, we'll see if Grignano works. it's a dictatorship right now, benign though it may be

PN: what makes it a dictatorship for you?
LF: the fact that i own 100% of southern grignano?

PN: hard to hvae a dictatorship on 6,000 sq. m.
LF: not really

PN: I'm going to try dictatorship on 8,192, I'll get back to you LOL
LF: "i don't like you, get out"

PN: I at least tell my tenants that it's not hot to fly around with their "attachments" hanging out LOL.
LF: that's assumed in grignano, it's PG

PN: I'll try to remember LOL
LF: anyways, i'm gonna have to wrap this up

PN: me too. have to go to Valentine's party
LF: yeah, i gotta get ready for V-day myself

PN: chocolates, can't go wrong there
LF: heh, something like that :)
anyways, ciao prok

PN: thanks, that was interesting, no?
LF: sure, hehe

PN: Happy Valentine's

Nazi Training Camps and Dead Boys In Trees

Athel Richelieu and Grandduke Ferdinand face-off at Tom Bukowski's residence in Dowden, following an Ethnography discussion event.

Neal Stewart takes a look at a face-off between two Second Life residents over an SS training camp - one is the builder and the other reported the abuse.

Apparently in his first life Grandduke Ferdinand is a 23 year-old Firefighter/Emergency-Medical-Technician. He's been doing it for seven years but only lately is it starting to really get to him. Grandduke is now leaving the service to attend business college. He claims that the night before we spoke, he had "held a guy's guts in while he died" and recently attended a call where a 7-year old boy and his mother were killed in a car-accident. He says the child's body found was in a nearby tree.

And I believe him.

"So you see all that and yet you still sound like you hold inhumane views. Like the SS was somehow glamorous," Athel Richelieu comments to Grandduke.

In Second Life, Grandduke (yes, that Grandduke) has just returned from a 7-day ban - for contributing to a build of a Schutzstaffel (SS) training camp, replete with propaganda posters and the trademark thunderbolt imagery. Only moments after watching The Pianist, Athel had logged onto SL and discovered the camp. He was offended by the Nazi symbolism, particularly since he is gay and well-versed on the Nazi persecution of homosexuals. He abuse-reported it, the Linden fairies leveled the build and Athel is poised to take on what he fears may become a growing tide of Nazi and extremist elements to SL.

Amazingly, the two only discovered each others' involvement in the controversy when Grandduke happened to overhear Athel and I discussing the subject.

Grandduke showed us his cap with the Death Head ('Totenkopf') and Third-Reich Eagle-Swastika badges. The Swastika has been distorted by lopping off one of the arms and twisting those remaining, and in this form is what Grandduke calls 'Linden-approved'. But Athel is apparently no less offended by the remaining Death Head than he is by the Swastika. What was most interesting to me however was not the subject of the SS-camp conflict but the way the heated exchange between Athel and Grandduke played out.

Athel Richelieu enjoys a quiet smoke on the balcony

Conflict in Second Life is not the same conflict you'd find in a chat room or a MMORPG game like World of Warcraft. In WOW (if we were to pretend that the alliance and the horde could communicate) you might abuse one another and hang around your enemy's territory. All of the land, objects and buildings are created and staged by Blizzard, the company behind Warcraft. If a conflict spills into the virtual parking lot, it's not particularly personal - the parking lot was chosen, positioned and asphalted by the powers that be. The relationship between the players and the land they live in is themed and purely semantic. Digli the balding dwarf didn't spend 36 hours building the tavern at Ironforge.

In Second Life it's different.

If you get into a debate or a conflict with another resident in SL, you may become a part of the personal world that they live in and have built with their own code, prims and textures. In IRC, the guy you're arguing with quits the session and you'll never see him again. In SL, he may retire to a building he has personally made and paid for with money from his First Life. Pictures of him and his friends' avatars may be framed throughout his home. You might watch through the living-room window while he streams his favourite music and plays Chess with his girl-friend.

In Warcraft the worst that's gonna happen is he'll gang-kill you with his friends and maybe try his hand at spawn-camping. That's about it. In Second Life he'll hover in the distance and rez a pair of tan-coloured deer humping on your living-room table. He may try and ruin your wedding. He might cost you real money by convincing hundreds of people that your blackjack tables are rigged. In SL, conflict has an uncommon gravity and complexity.

None of those things took place in the conflict between Duke and Athel.

Except for the thing with the deer.

For several hours they debated the subtleties of racism, genocide, Nazism and community standards. A URL or a rezzed picture flying through the ether to back an argument. That's something you can't do in a street-discussion in your first life - produce relevant statistics directly from Encyclopedia Britannica.

“Neal, are you writing a story? Well, if you do, don't forget....” says Grandduke. Don't forget what? He emits a Right Said Fred audio sample and suddenly starts shaking his hips: “I'm too sexy for my shirt, too sexy for my shirt, so sexy it hurts...”.

This is during a conversation about Jews killed in gas chambers.

The conversation between the mild-mannered gay Jazz-Club-owner in a tuxedo and the right-wing ex cage-fighter in his sheep underwear.

In Second Life you find yourself gradually being conditioned and co-opted into an illusion. The process is as much about self-conditioning as it is about responding to external influences. There are elaborate social rewards and insights to be had from contributing to the shared hallucination. You know that the emperor isn't wearing any clothes but you eventually realize that you don't care, because the emperor - butt-naked - is one sexy bastard.

The effect that this has is to imbue all of the objects and physical context around you with significance. When you're sitting in the couch in someone's SL lounge-room, you'd be hard-pressed to identify ways that - in terms of meaning and origin - it's any different from their real lounge.

What was most interesting about the discussion between Athel and Grandduke was that something about the way they had spoken to each other, for so long - and in this compelling physical space that I have spoken about - something about it eventually led to them them sharing profoundly personal information about their first lives. Like two opposing protestors at an abortion rally who somehow end up discussing what it's like to lose a loved one in a car-accident.

But I'm not saying it's all Little House On The Prairie.

One day they'll probably stumble upon each other in Jessie...

Athel (left), Grandduke (right)

Prok's Candid Coversations With the Core: Lordfly Digeridoo, Part One

The Feted Inner Core: what is it? If you have to ask, that doesn't mean you're not a member. But it certainly exists -- at least according to SL resident Prokofy Neva, who coined the term way back in January, deep in this thread on the SL forums.

Since then, forum traffic indicates the term has caught on. But threads like The Feted Inner Core of Second Life, Feted Inner Core?, and Feted Inner Core - woot! give only a vague idea of just what the Core is and just how it works.

To further enlighten Herald readers, we sent self-appointed Core Monitor Prokofy Neva out into the grid to gather the thoughts of several prominent SL residents who may or may not be members of the Feted Inner Core, as well as those who may or may not belong to the even more exclusive clubs known as the Fetid Inner Core and the Feted Outer Core. [Ed. note: The Herald editorial board is not entirely certain of the membership of these groupings, but we assume that their members will figure it out for themselves once they read their names in our newspaper.]

Prok's first victim interlocutor was Lordfly Digeridoo, who kindly agreed to a long and leisurely chat atop his clock tower in Grignano.

Part One of Two:

PK: I will ask you insulting questions and you can faux get mad if you like LOL. How much have you actually earned here?
LF: Around US$1,000 since January of 2004. Not a gigantic amount, but it did help me get the rest of my classes for my associates.

PK: It's hard for me to think of someone more feted and inner than you, my friend. You epitomize for me the techie kid who is literally paying for college with his dollhouses here. I mean, sheesh, I used to sling hash to pay for college.
LF: I sling prims. You'd be surprised how little I'm connected to the various cliques in SL.

PK: How you have been so busy when you have only what, 6,000 square meters? I thought you were working on an entire city, to hear you tell it!
LF: Well, college and work cut into a lot of my time, as well as more social matters, so I don't get much time to build anymore. And I just found someone special in SL.

PK: Do you have free 4,096 land with paid-up tier? In Grignano?
LF: Yes. I was one of the last ones to snag them up before they ran out. 100% of my land is tied up in Grignano, minus the monolith in Europa.

PK: That's $25/month you save over everyone else, correct? You seem to have gotten a significant leg up over the rest of us with that 4,096.
LF: Eh, it's not that significant of a leg, really.

PK: His this free 4,096 area has given you significant visibility in the game? Or is it more likely your architectural monuments like the SL Public Library?
LF: Nah, that'd be my buildings. My free tier land was never used for much prior to Grignano.

Did Lordfly's free 4,096 give him a leg up in SL?

PK: How did you get started on your path to the inner core? Who gave you your first big break?
LF: Beryl Greenacre.

PK: She gave you a commission?
LF: She actually advanced me the money in order to finish her building. Lemme explain that. Prior to 1.2, if you rezzed a prim it cost you $L10. When I started out, I didn't have much money, so when I made her building, I only got halfway done before I was literally broke.

PK: So your point is we are all living on prim socialism now.
LF: No, we're living in a more sensible approach to server resources now.

PK: So that's why you have this quaint method of still pricing your buildings per prim?
LF: Yup, I can't find an honest price otherwise.

PK: We know that on Ravenglass the 2,048s sold with your house for $19,500. So that's significant.
LF: Yeah, that's huge. That's about 10 times more than I make on any other house.

PK: I want to ask you about those early days, when Bob Bunderfeld was going to be your tutor. But it wound up with a big sign on land you had access to, saying BOBLAND. What was THAT all about?
LF: One of the high water marks of my drama-inducing sludge in the game. Back in the day, the Slate sim was one of the most beautiful Sims in-world. When I moved in in July 2003, the sim was pristine... tree houses, log cabins (that was Bob's), wooden homes... and a railroad. Oh, and a gigantic castle with a flying pirate ship docked on it. I bought my first plot by the river, befriended my neighbors (who are still about the only folks I hang out with in-world to this day), and learned how to build. Fortunately, Olive was a sandbox sim back then, so it was a hop-skip-and-jump away to practice building (money permitting). One day as a newbie I decided I wanted to become a virtual architect, as my "profession" in SL. But, lacking any sort of street credentials, I asked the only fellow architect I knew... my neighbor, Bob Bunderfeld.

PK: How did you do that? You aren't an architect in RL?
LF: I'm a college student in RL. I've been making 3-D stuff on computers since the early Quake days. Aaaaanyways, Bob gave me a test to see if I was worthy to join his building troupe. Fortunately, he rejected me. And upon retrospect it WAS a shitty building.

PK: Ah-HAH!
LF: Regardless, I got over it and moved on. Fast forward a few months. Since then me and my fellow Slater Ezhar Fairlight had made a small garden, a walk bridge across the Slate river, and a clock tower with working gears and chimes. The sim was looking wonderful. About that time (we're in November, I think), Bob started getting grandiose plans to "control" Slate. He began buying up all vacant land and strongarmed various people out of the sim.

PK: Hmmm, control? Grandiose? Why would that be wrong? Was this a question of two feteds duking it out in a changing climate?
LF: Nah, it was a question of him taking control of the Slate Neighborhood Association. Which, sadly, I was a part of starting.

PK: So there were economic considerations here. Although whoever controls a sim merely gets to pay tier, LOL.
LF: There was no tier then. Fifteen bucks a month across the board, regardless of how much land you owned.

PK: wait.
PK: run that by me again.
PK: *THERE WAS NO TIER THEN?????*
PK: GASP
LF: There wasn't a tier. Everyone in-world paid 15 bucks a month.

PK: It's worse than I knew, then. You all had all this land and all this space and all these resources without the staggering costs we pay today. To get yourself established and feted by the Lindens
LF: No, SOME did. There were a few folks with 4-5 sims under their account. Everyone was soundly de-feted by the few.

PK: How did they get the sims? Was it an auction?
LF: No, all sims were released as public land. We had the traditional "land rush" for people to run in and snag the land in the sim.

PK: Are you saying that sims people acquired back then, that they didn't pay tier on, remain in their possesssion now?
LF: No, everyone pays tier now. Except the few that bought lifetime accounts.

PK: It's even more feted than I could have EVER dreamed. WOW.
LF: I... guess.

PK: OK so you put up your harassment BOBLAND sign...and then...moved on? and what propelled you?
LF: Well, Bob was strong-arming people, so the remaining folks left the Sim entirely. I didn't approve of it, so prior to me jetting off I bought a piece of land in Teal and erected the sign. That didn't sit well with Bob. He somehow tied it in to me being bitter over him not accepting me into his little building group. (By this time I had my own business going, quite well, for the record.)

PK: OK, so your business was swinging. You were sitting happy on your free 4,096, collecting your ratings welfare.
LF: Er, when? :P My 4,096 allotment was used in two places: 1) Tan, for Tan Tower, and 2) in Grignano. Tan was used to make a large apartment complex to make money and eventually sell it off.

PK (left) grills LD (right)

PK: How much did you make on that deal?
LF: $L25,000. A princely sum back in the day. Now I hear it's small potatoes. Back then the linden dollar was barely at US$0.80/$L250. People were speculating if the Linden would ever hit $1/$L250. Then the land speculation bubble happened, summer of 2004.

PK: Tell me what you see as being the biggest obstacles in the game. I feel that the presence in the game of classes of hardcore geeks and feted designers and so on is a real obstacle to progress and expansion of the game. Some older player makes something, charges a fortune, then doesn't want to do any customer service. There are many rackets like that, holding people hostage to their wares.
LF: Older folks are just as vulnurable to shitty business practices as newbies. The ones that make bad business decisions get hit hard on their reputation.

PK: I'd like to hear what your own main beefs are in the game. What do you find gets in your way, LF?
LF: Eh, drama becomes muted whispers, muted whispers become smear campaigns, smear campaigns become damaged reputations. What gets in my way are cliques, my annoyance with people, a lack of solid economic data. The commercialization of the game is fine by me, because if I don't want to participate in it, I don't have to.

PK: So what are your annoyances? You like the concept of people, yet people themselves annoy you, as you say on your slogan, but who the hell are YOU, Lordfly?
LF: I'm all me, baby. I'm just this guy, you know?

PK: What annoys you about people most? Do you hate malls? Clubs?
LF: It's hard to poinpoint. People take this game WAY too seriously. Clubs are wastes of time. TOTAL wastes of time.

PK: Hmm, why would they threaten a nice architect like you with cool stores with bodily harm??? Over what, exceeding your prim count???
LF: Well, that'd be the other high mark of my drama involvement in SL. In case you hadn't noticed in the forums, I hate bullies. I don't like people that belittle others for no reason. There was a certain club owner that had a space in Federal for a long time. He had recently flared up on the forums, typing truly incoherent posts. Keep in mind he's a native-born English speaker, from St. Louis. He went on to call about 2 dozen people "fags" in-world and on the forums, spouting general hate everywhere. So I got sick of it, and I went over to his club and erected a sign right in front of it: "Chairman Mao says NO to ugly club builds!"

PK: What annoys you then about the game itself? Or is it only the people?
LF: The game itself: Crashing. The people: unwillingness to change.

PK: IS there an inner core that is die-hard? Refusing to reform?
LF: No, it's everyone in SL. Everyone gets used to their little routines, their entitlements, their proceeds, and then the lindens come in and go, "Okay, well, this shit's broken, here's some new rules," and then everyone goes batshit loony.

PK: Well, can you blame them?
LF: Yes, yes I can. The entire point of SL is that it changes constantly. It's a virtual economy of course, but it CHANGES. The entire game changes. Every day thousands of builds go up and down.

PK: Tell me, why do YOU want the Lindens, Lordfly? Do you know them? Have you partied with them? Do they love you to pieces?
LF: Some of the Lindens don't like my attitude on the forums. Others tolerate me because I make good content. A few like me because I have good ideas sometimes. I really like the company, they're a good set of people.

PK: Yes, you do have good ideas and your work speaks for itself.
LF: ack. I have to run, I'm late for a social engagement.

PK: Could they have created a monster, however, in this insular community that lives on its entitlements and fear of change?
LF: I'll answer that question later, I really have to run.

PK: kk. Thanks so much.
LF: ciao.

Look for Part Two of Prok's Candid Coversation with Lordfly Digeridoo shortly in the Herald.
[UPDATE: Read part two here.]

Outrage Over W-Hat Twin Towers Meets PoMoBabble Defense

by Brody MacDonald and Walker Spaight

New controversy erupted recently over a W-Hat build in Baku sim depicting New York City's World Trade Center towers under attack, as they were on September 11, 2001. But in addition to questions of taste, both the build and the community's reaction to it also raise questions about just how much free expression Linden Lab would like to see in a place where LL "does not exercise editorial control over the content of Second Life" (as the somewhat schizophrenic Community Standards document puts it).

Several SL residents were dismayed to see such a violent depiction of the towers on the grid, complete with flames, planes and crashing trucks. "I had been in the Twin Towers on 9/11," says Gina Fatale. "I don't find any humor in their display at all."

Fatale says she visited Baku sim with an SL resident who in RL is in the military. When the W-Hats in attendance refused to see things their way, her friend opened fire, eventually resulting in his being banned. "I do believe we all deserve to express our views, but not when it comes to racism, or finding humor in something where thousands died," Fatale says. "I don't believe it is moral, making fun of the dead."

But several W-Hats and friends said outraged avatars were simply taking the build too seriously. "Don't try to read a Russian novel's worth of intentions into why the towers are there," said Huns Valen. "The towers are a jab at all those jingoistic idiots that plastered their cars with American flags, when they didn't feel a whit of patriotism the day before."

"When is it going to be okay to make jokes about it?" asked Alexandra DeFarge. "Are we going to get an official memo from the Department of Homeland Security?"

Some residents felt the build went further, actually promoting terrorism rather than simply making a crude joke at the expense of the dead. (Some simply felt is was a crude bid for attention.)

"Once the act of violence itself is glorified in any way, it makes people believe that it is okay to do it again and again," says Mystique Suavage. "It truly offends me. I have a lot of friends and relatives that are in the military. I have seen the effects on their lives, reserves that have been recalled, some that wound up losing their jobs [because their tours of duty were extended]. To have someone recreate a tragedy of such magnitude is truly distressing. There is a line where their freedom infringes upon mine. This not only infringes on mine but upon all of those innocent lives that were lost that cannot defend themselves, and the family members of those victims that are not here to defend their loss."

The W-Hats remain convinced that free speech is better than none at all. "Living in fear supports terrorism more than some pixels," Alexandra DeFarge said.

"It's an example of the absurdity of life," put in Cromulence DeGroot, attempting to clear up the issue once and for all. "Superimposing pop culture over tragedy shows how we manufacture our national outlook through the media," he said (in a fitting example of the absurdity of post-modern commentary).

Bakuzelas Khan, a W-Hat officer, pointed out that no one had come to complain directly to him. And in any case, "I can't take this place too seriously. I dont think people should," he said. "It's not real. It's a fantasy place. So many people get so serious in it, they can't play anymore. I have seen a lot of friends leave because it gets too uptight in here. If the community wants people to STAY, we have to be accepting."

The outrage is all relative, according to the W-Hats. "There are far more disgusting things out there than some people who choose to make fun of knee-jerk patriotism," said Alexandra DeFarge. "Apparently it's okay to make balls that put your avatars into sexual positions or a prosthetic orgasming penis, but it's not okay to write the word FUCK on something in a mature sim."

Nor is it okay to depict a statuary nipple in a PG sim, as Stormy Roentgen found out recently.

This is perfectly in keeping with the Community Standards, which state, "Content, communication, or behavior which involves intense strong language or expletives, nudity or sexual content, the depiction of sex or strong violence, or anything else broadly offensive must be contained within private land in areas rated Mature (M)."

It's not known whether Stormy's stone nipples raised much of an outcry -- certainly no complaints reached the Herald. But in a place that's supposed to be a virtual society shaped by its residents, it seems odd that a piece of art that seems to have offended no one would be removed, while one that ruffled many feathers would be left to stand. Perhaps one day, SL's Community Standards will be just that: standards set by the community, fulfilling the bottom-up promise of interconnective worlds like SL, rather than something dictated from on high that ignores the distributed power that makes places like SL great.

Extinct Native American Tribe Finds Second Wind

by Neal Stewart

Duuya Herbst, taking the tribe to SL

"The tribes are taking over the world [...] Tribes are agendas. Aesthetics. Ethos. Traditions. Ways of getting things done. They're competitive. They may not all be based on time-zones. There are knitting Tribes and vampire fan-fiction Tribes and Christian rock tribes, but they've always existed."-- Eastern Standard Tribe, Cory Doctorow

Tavarua 160,78, Deeni Land -- Second Life resident Duuya Herbst is a real-life descendant of the Deeni people, a small tribe among about 15 others living in the northwestern United States, who were virtually wiped out by the U.S. government in the late 1800s. With no surviving pure-blood of the actual Deeni tribe alive today, he is trying to salvage the spirit of his ancestors in an online community and save a language spoken fluently by only 10 or so people on the planet.

Living in Oregon and northern California, the population of pre-contact Deeni and surrounding tribes was over 8,000 strong, Duuya tells me. In just under a century, there remained less than 1,000. In the 1850s, the arriving settlers and federal government that followed them was responsible for what was effectively the genocide of the Deeni people. The government funded the removal of native Americans protecting their homes -- who gold miners considered an obstacle to prospecting. "Eventually a war broke out, " says Duuya, "and the government sent troops. You can guess who won in the end. It's a long, long story that will eventually be online, in Second Life and deeni.org."

Duuya shows me the virtual replica of the dance hall that is host to his RL tribe's "Nadosh" ("feather dance"), a summer/winter solstice ceremony celebrating "Creation and Earth Renewal". Wearing shades, white sneakers and a red jumpsuit jacket with a white campfire logo, his avatar reminds me of a summer-camp counselor. The focus-piece of the hall is the huge photo that lines the back wall.

Deeni hall, Tavarua sim

"You're looking at something that almost got lost from time", Duuya tells me. Pictured are about 20 members of the Deeni tribe in ceremonial dress around a fireplace in front of the very same wall in the real-life hall. Duuya has built a crackling fireplace here that overlaps the 2-D picture of the real one, enmeshing the First Life event with the Second in a blazing orange animation. He stands in front of the photo and gestures towards two figures facing each other in a war-dance, "Me," he says pointing, and pointing again, "My father."

The image is oddly moving, but the way I've become a part of this virtual scene is almost surreal. This is the first time I have seen a Second Life avatar point to a photo of his real-life self. And it happens to be a photo of a very sacred and personal event. "It used to be an 11-day celebration. With each day passing they'd wear the better regalia. Now it's down to three days," Duuya tells me.

There has been something of a rift between Duuya -- who now lives in Southern California -- and the rest of his RL tribe. He accuses some of them of both literal and ideological corruption and believes that the tribe should spend less frivolously so that it can try to buy back the original land of his people.

I ask Duuya if he resents the government because of what happened to the Deeni tribes. "Not at all. Different time period, I wasn't alive then. It is what it is. I don't have an ill-will towards the government. In fact, I served in the U.S. Army mechanized infantry. My job was to take out heavy equipment, aka tanks."

I first encountered Duuya -- who has been in SL since early 2005 -- in the Thinkers group. Among other things, we discussed the ironies of virtual government -- a hotly debated topic in Second Life. Some SL residents advocate player-created governments in-game. Layered on top of this is of course the governing of Linden Lab, which has been described perhaps not so jokingly as a "benevolent dictatorship". Linden Lab is subject to real-world local, state and federal government law in the U.S. As individual players, Duuya and I both live in different countries and are subject to our own different laws. Interestingly, Duuya is also bound by the RL law of tribal government, which he compares to a foreign embassy on U.S. soil.

Duuya's goal is to keep the Deeni language alive (a language which was banned in early federal boarding and public schools) and to create a resilient community that can transcend IRC, SL or multiplayer games. "There is a big absence, a disconnection," he says. "I find a tribal community is something missing from today's world: a support structure." His vision for the community is essentially open-ended, and he stresses that it is not necessary to learn the Deeni language in order to join: "I'd like to think the online version [of the Deeni] would be like a 'family,' in a sense. We spend enough time within these 'worlds' with each other."

Part of the reason Duuya created this online community, he tells me, is because he's been thinking about the finality of what humans do on earth and about what legacies we leave behind when we are gone. It occurs to me that Duuya is himself part of the legacy left behind by the original Deeni people.

I ask how he would deal with leadership or ideological challenges from within his own community. "That's the way of politics. And the beauty of it. I don't want to be some e-God. I don't have time for that shit. LOL. I'd like to see the tribe be able to function without me. For people to feel like they are invested in something, you have to give them some control. A voice."

Duuya leads me outside the hall and rezzes a slick, blue RA-3 Hammerhead aircraft (built by Rick Roentgen) from nowhere. With our discussion still in my mind, I suddenly picture Kicking Bird from Dances With Wolves reaching into his buckskin pouch to produce an Imperial TIE Figther. As the shining spacecraft ascends into the clouds and the forested reservation drops away behind us, the contrast hits me and I'm struck by another of those "Holy shit" moments which seem to be indigenous to Second Life.

Cruising with Duuya

After we've landed, Duuya shows me his virtual home. On each side of the fireplace is an artwork made from eagle feathers."Those feathers are hanging on my wall as we speak" he tells me."In RL?" I ask. "Yeah. If I wasn't tribal it'd be a federal offense to have them."

He shows me a map on his wall, of tribal lands of the Indian nation. "Let me show you where we are from," he says, gesturing to an area of the land marked Siuslaw, near the coast of Orgeon.

We conclude our discussion in the open green fields of SL Deeni reservation land. "The whole Deeni project is really up to the people that are in it and make it what it is. Much like Second Life," Duuya explains. Duuya -- which means "bear" -- has to get back to the monumental task of transcribing the Deeni language into HTML documents and Second Life notecards. "There is no word for Internet," he laughs.

For more information, contact Duuya Herbst or Deeni Land in Tavarua.

'people think I'm teh sexy': A Conversation With SL's Charles Manson Stalker

by Neal Stewart

grandduke Ferdinand, sometime Charles-Manson-look-alike. Stalker or teh sexy? Griefer or misunderstood?

Recently, a Second Life resident reported on her blog an incident that she had experienced in-world: For some time, an avatar dressed as Charles Manson had hung around the bedroom of her virtual residence, watching her and brandishing a knife. She was, in her words, "scared shitless." The alleged stalker was banned from the island where both resided.

It was hard to tell, at first, whether the accompanying screenshot was comical or haunting. Was the incident just a misunderstanding? If not, what makes stalkers tick? Is there anything to ph33r from a person like this?

Well, I found him. And he told me.

Here since the beta days, grandduke Ferdinand weaves the story of a disenchanted man. As he tells it, right-leaning folks are a dying species in Second Life. Living in the anything-goes battlefields of the infamous Jessie sim, he was a member of a formidable group of isolationist WWII enthusiasts. By some definitions, some of what they did would be considered griefing. By the Linden definition, some of what they did indeed was griefing.

Now there are only a handful of his kind left. Today his homeless, unemployed avatar has a black eye and a stream of blood running from his nose down through his scraggly beard. His dark hair is thick, matted and unkempt. Carrying a beer bottle, he wears a tatty black trench coat and a pair of shorts made from yellowing 1940's newspaper. But at the drop of a hat he can transform into a clean-shaven soldier with boyish features, polished boots, and a neatly-pressed and ironed WWII uniform. The changes in his avatar and in the role he plays seem to reflect changes in the way he feels about his place in Second Life--just as residents adjust their in-world behavior and persona as their feelings about the grid evolve.

As we talk, the grandduke swigs continually from a bottle. Pacing erratically and jumping along the terrain around us, he rarely stands still. He says he is 23 in his First Life. His purple-bruised right eye-socket looks like an eye-patch, and with the sun setting behind the palm-tree behind him, he resembles nothing so much as a shipwrecked pirate, forced to survive on the shores of a world he no longer knows.

Neal Stewart: So they locked you out of the island, did they?
grandduke Ferdinand: Yeah

Neal Stewart: What happened exactly?
grandduke Ferdinand: Umm... I just watched people through their windows
and they cried.

Neal Stewart: Were you dressed as Manson?
grandduke Ferdinand: That is a semi-yes but not for sure. My avatar kind of looked like Manson but it wasn't really. The body was made to look like him but at the time that wasn't the point.

Neal Stewart: Did you have a knife?
grandduke Ferdinand: Yeah, but that wasn't the reason why I got locked out. It was because I walked into people's rooms and I watched people through their windows. And my Av looks bummish / killer/ drunk.

Neal Stewart: Were you deliberately trying to scare people? By standing at the windows?
grandduke Ferdinand: Well, I neither confirm or deny.

Neal Stewart: Do you think it was fair that you were banned?
grandduke Ferdinand: No, it wasn't. I didn't do anything that violated the TOS [Terms of Service] and I didn't say anything rude or nothing like that.

Neal Stewart: Didn't the people you were looking at tell you to leave?
grandduke Ferdinand: It wasn't really their room, I was outside. And I had a place in the apartment so I somewhat had a right to be there.

Neal Stewart: Would you have left if it was their room?
grandduke Ferdinand: Well, mostly all of them yes, but there was this one time and there was a Linden and they were talking about me so I didn't leave because I wanted to see what they where saying to the Lindens about me. And say my bit.

Neal Stewart: Did you hear what they said? Did you say your bit?
grandduke Ferdinand: Well, for a few minutes, then I got locked out of the sim and I got banned for 7 days. The Lindens said I was right but I should just mute them [the other party] and go on my way. It was about something else, why I got banned. They said I shot in a sim. One I have never been in. And I never have a gun out. So, I don't know. They said I was in a sim I never have been in.

Neal Stewart: Did they say when you were meant to have been in that sim? Was it the same day?
grandduke Ferdinand: Yeah. I wasn't even on then. I'm at work at that time and I never even been in that sim. I stay in only a few sims. But Lindens just ban [World War II Onliners] for the fun of it. Lindens love to ban WWIIO for nothing.

Neal Stewart: Why do you think that is?
grandduke Ferdinand: Because we used to be big and we had a lot of people. They think we are "nazis" but we have always claimed we are WWII re-enacters. And we used to do marches and shit and we had some members that used to be griefers.

Neal Stewart: Are you interested in the Nazis?
grandduke Ferdinand: No, not the party. I am interested in German soldiers of WWII and allied soldiers. But now most of the group's been banned for one thing or another. Because people are dumb, they think German and right off the bat - "Nazis".

grandduke Ferdinand in uniform

Neal Stewart: So you were banned from the area you were renting in?
grandduke Ferdinand: Yes.

Neal Stewart: Did you get any money back? Was the rental agreement canceled?
grandduke Ferdinand: I got some of the money back. And yeah it was canceled. Then he was telling people I bombed his place. And I never did. So now I'm banned from a lot of other land on his behalf.

Neal Stewart: Have you moved somewhere else?
grandduke Ferdinand: Nope. I don't know no good places

Neal Stewart: What do you do for fun?
grandduke Ferdinand: Meet people.

Neal Stewart: So you're pretty sociable?
grandduke Ferdinand: Yeah. I would say so

Neal Stewart: Do you like that aspect of SL the most?
grandduke Ferdinand: Yes, for the most part. But they need to work on who runs it.

Neal Stewart: What is it that you like the least about it?
grandduke Ferdinand: Lindens.

Neal Stewart: Apparently the people who felt you were harassing them said that you were hiding in their bedroom and at one point laying on the floor beside their bed. Is that true?
grandduke Ferdinand: They thought I was in their house because of an animation. But I really was a floor down. See this thing. When I turn it on, I go about 3-4 body-lengths down or up. So I go through floors sometimes. Making it look like I'm in their room.

[Grandduke shows me an animation called 'poofimp' where he flips upside down, passes through the floor then crouches upside down on the ceiling below. Later I experiment with the gesture and discover that it can be used on land to completely hide your avatar underground - title and all.]

Neal Stewart: So you're saying you didn't hang around anybody's room, you were actually on the floor below?
grandduke Ferdinand: And above. Yeah. I did go into peoples apartment once or twice but left when they said.

Neal Stewart: It's just that some people said you didn't leave when they told you to.
grandduke Ferdinand: It was that last time. Like I told you, I didn't leave because I wanted to speak to the Linden. Other times I went outside and looked in the window. Some think thats still "there".

Neal Stewart: So you weren't lying beside anyone's bed? Just using that animation through the floor?
grandduke Ferdinand: Yeah.

Neal Stewart: Do you think that some people, girls maybe, might be scared by someone dressed as Charles Manson, walking around their place with a knife?
grandduke Ferdinand: I only had the knife one time and it was for like 2 minutes. 99% of the other time was with a beer. How can you be scared on a game? I just think they want to fight with people and get people in trouble.

Neal Stewart: I think some people take SL very seriously. And they might think that if someone is dressed in a way that is scary, and hanging around them, that the real person wearing the Manson Av might be trying to scare them.
grandduke Ferdinand: People think im teh sexy.

Neal Stewart: Heh heh. Like who?
grandduke Ferdinand: Too many to count.

Neal Stewart (left) interviews "teh sexy" grandduke Ferdinand

Neal Stewart: Your avatar is pretty different from most of the ones you see around.
grandduke Ferdinand: Is it bad to be different?

Neal Stewart: I don't think so. Why do you like that particular Av?
grandduke Ferdinand: Cos I look teh sexy

Neal Stewart: Heh heh. Are those Winston Churchill boxers you're wearing?
grandduke Ferdinand: LOL newspapers

Neal Stewart: Heh heh. Where from?
grandduke Ferdinand: I don't know. Something I Googled.

Neal Stewart: WWII newspapers?
grandduke Ferdinand: Yeah.

Neal Stewart: Did you come up with the face yourself?
grandduke Ferdinand: Yeah.

Neal Stewart: Looks like you've been in a bit of a scrap?
grandduke Ferdinand: If you look way back in the newspaper - yours - you will see a story about why that happened.

Neal Stewart: Can you remind me?
grandduke Ferdinand: I was a cage fighter at Dirty Dicks bar.

Neal Stewart: How'd that go for you?
grandduke Ferdinand: Fun. But most of the guys that ran it got banned. And now you can see where my life went after I was out of work.

Neal Stewart: You took to the bottle?
grandduke Ferdinand: Yeah, and these are the stuff I wore on my last fight and they have never been washed.

Neal Stewart: Heh heh. Why's that? Do they have sentimental value? Or have you just become lazy?
grandduke Ferdinand: A little of both. And I'm homeless.

Neal Stewart: Are you on a $9.95 basic plan or the monthly one that lets you have land?
grandduke Ferdinand: I think the $9.95.

Neal Stewart: So are you still looking for work?
grandduke Ferdinand: No, I gave up. Begging and digging through the trash is my full time job now. And I make my own hair gel.

Neal Stewart: Heh heh. Should I ask how? :)
grandduke Ferdinand: lol

Neal Stewart: You don't make it like Ben Stiller do you? :) Cos that can get really tiring...
grandduke Ferdinand: lol

Neal Stewart: How long have you been playing WWIIOL for?
grandduke Ferdinand: 3-4 years.

Neal Stewart: Wow. And SL?
grandduke Ferdinand: Since beta.

Neal Stewart: How has it changed since you've been here?
grandduke Ferdinand: Really just Jessie. Game hasn't changed much.

Neal Stewart: How has Jessie changed? Other than people leaving.
grandduke Ferdinand: Jessie used to look cool but now it looks like an uncleaned sand box. WWIIOL used to own all the land in Jessie, well most, so we had unified building codes. So it was like all the same.

Neal Stewart: Why do you think so many of WWIIOLers were griefers?
grandduke Ferdinand: Because for the most part, the guys are to the right and most people that play this game are to the left. But it was only a very small number that were. We had a good leader back then who kept us in line. Our group was very anti-commie and anti-liberal. Also, people didn't like us because we controlled Jessie 100%. If we didn't want you there, you weren't going to be there.

Neal Stewart: What is the leadership like now?
grandduke Ferdinand: We don't have the members that play. So there isn't a need.

Neal Stewart: What do you think the future is going to be like for WWIIOL in SL?
grandduke Ferdinand: It will be over.

Neal Stewart: When?
grandduke Ferdinand: Whenever the leader sells the land.

Neal Stewart: What will you do then?
grandduke Ferdinand: Sleep.

Neal Stewart: Grandduke Ferdinand, thank you for your time.
grandduke Ferdinand: No problem.

Luck Has Nothing To Do With It

A Second Life Herald parable

The following is a chat log of an actual SL conversation, submitted by a pair of luckless gamblers for your edification. Not one word has been changed.

Poker Player #1: you wanna hear a funny story?

Poker Player #2: sure

Poker Player #1: since 2 days im playing poker a bit
Poker Player #1: loving it
Poker Player #1: i used to play a lil bit here and there
Poker Player #1: texas holdem on them fairplay tables

Poker Player #2: at the edge?

Poker Player #1: nah
Poker Player #1: at fairplays casino and aka fools place
Poker Player #1: anyways only minor games

Poker Player #2: nah play at the edge

Poker Player #1: since i dont know the tables

Poker Player #2: ok

Poker Player #1: so like theres an event going on 4am my time
Poker Player #1: a 50k holdem tournament
Poker Player #1: buyin 5k
Poker Player #1: play till last man standing
Poker Player #1: winner takes all
Poker Player #1: no rakes
Poker Player #1: so im like OMG i wanna try

Poker Player #2: DAMN

Poker Player #1: i will get my ass handed to me but i will play that table dammit
Poker Player #1: so i powernap 3 hours from 12 to 3ish
Poker Player #1: get up
Poker Player #1: make some coffee and wait for the game
Poker Player #1: so im likechilling
Poker Player #1: playing it slow
Poker Player #1: checking out how pplz play
Poker Player #1: 10pplz playing
Poker Player #1: 5k a piece
Poker Player #1: 50k on the table
Poker Player #1: it all goes well im like staying aroudn 5k
Poker Player #1: then suddenly someone starts playing like a madman
Poker Player #1: just rushing raising doing crazy shit on no cards
Poker Player #1: and the whole game gets fucked up
Poker Player #1: pplz flip out
Poker Player #1: get nervous etc
Poker Player #1: really weird atmosphere
Poker Player #1: the blinds started at 10/20
Poker Player #1: but moved up
Poker Player #1: doubled every 10 hands

Poker Player #2: damn

Poker Player #1: so around 100/50 blinds pplz were paying more attention and calming down
Poker Player #1: so im like picking my fights
Poker Player #1: all goes well ish
Poker Player #1: and i take a dive on some stupid hand
Poker Player #1: someone had an impossible to get combination
Poker Player #1: and im close to going below blind rate
Poker Player #1: then with my last 3k i go ALL OUT on this hand
Poker Player #1: and win a 10k pot
Poker Player #1: so im back in the game
Poker Player #1: chilling
Poker Player #1: still playing it slow
Poker Player #1: and one by one pplz drop out
Poker Player #1: tired
Poker Player #1: broken
Poker Player #1: etc
Poker Player #1: this was 3hours into the game
Poker Player #1: im still staying alive
Poker Player #1: picking my pots
Poker Player #1: then we played for an hour with the madman outplaying pplz
Poker Player #1: just on the amount of money he has
Poker Player #1: me just chilling watching him take pplz out
Poker Player #1: and suddenly im sitting against this lunatic
Poker Player #1: that has insane luck combined with superb strats
Poker Player #1: me on 12k he on 28k
Poker Player #1: blinds at this point were aroudn 500/250

Poker Player #2: DAMN

Poker Player #1: so we playing with 4-8k pots
Poker Player #1: exchanging blinds etc
Poker Player #1: just fucking with each others head
Poker Player #1: and finally i see a shot
Poker Player #1: and i go
Poker Player #1: FULL OUT
Poker Player #1: the blinds were 1.3k+
Poker Player #1: so this was this 30k pot
Poker Player #1: and whoever lost would drop below buyin limit

Poker Player #2: walkd

Poker Player #1: and automatically get disqualified
Poker Player #1: so im doing it
Poker Player #1: going for 2 pairs
Poker Player #1: he is raising my ass off
Poker Player #1: we both go all out
Poker Player #1: and on the last card
Poker Player #1: the river i get
Poker Player #1: a flush
Poker Player #1: im like OMG RAISE RAISE RAISE
Poker Player #1: slamming the button
Poker Player #1: pplz start screaming around the table
Poker Player #1: OMG THIS IS IT
Poker Player #1: for 50k WHO TAKES IT HOME

*Not* a Second Life poker game

Poker Player #1: and as i try to hit the raise button
Poker Player #1: it disapears
Poker Player #1: and the fold button
Poker Player #1: shoves over
Poker Player #1: into its place
Poker Player #1: before i realise this
Poker Player #1: i click
Poker Player #1: on where the raise button used to be
Poker Player #1: and fold

Poker Player #2: NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOooooooo

Poker Player #1: i had the winning hand
Poker Player #1: to0

Poker Player #2: JACK ASS

Poker Player #1: the guy felt sorry

Poker Player #1: and gave me my buyin
Poker Player #1: +2k
Poker Player #1: he walked away

Poker Player #2: come here so i kick you in the balls

Poker Player #1: with 43k
Poker Player #1: this game lasted
Poker Player #1: 5 hours
Poker Player #1: i outplay him
Poker Player #1: and i win
Poker Player #1: but due to the table that i didnt know i lost the pot

Poker Player #2: damn

Kremlinden Lab vs. Academic Freedom: interview with Durkheim Edelbrock

Sociology Undergrad Durkheim Edelbrock

Universities and the academic profession have established policies covering the ethics of academic research. So why have the Linens established themselves as arbiters of ethical research above and beyond these policies? Good question. It might be to hide unsavory aspects of Second Life, or it might be simple pandering to SL Forum Ho's, but either way it amounts to a dictatorial intrusion into academic freedom by people with no obvious training in research ethics. This came to a head recently when the research project of U of Chicago undergrad Durkheim Edelbrock ("The Red Pixel District") was put on hold until it could be approved by Czar Philip and Kremlinden Lab. Can you say "chilling effect?" Well, now you can.

Durkheim chilling in the Bedford Simulator

You: The subject of your research is the virtual sex trade in SL?
Durkheim Edelbrock: More like the adult industry in SL
Durkheim Edelbrock: My tentative project title is "The Red Pixel District"
You: hahah
You: what kind of people did you plan on interviewing?
Durkheim Edelbrock: Well, so far I've talked to a number of people in a variety of club roles. An owner, a security guard, a dancer, and an escort, to name some.
You: tabloid publisher? lol
Durkheim Edelbrock: You can see there are number of different roles that are intertwined with the industry
You: So lemme see if I understand the situation, You are a grad student?
Durkheim Edelbrock: I'm an undergrad, 3rd year
You: in sociology?
Durkheim Edelbrock: yes
You: what school?
Durkheim Edelbrock: University of Chicago
You: is this research part of a thesis project?
Durkheim Edelbrock: Not presently. Virtual worlds have always been a very strong side interest for me, and this project is a 10-week process in a class I'm taking on qualitative field methods
Durkheim Edelbrock: However, it's not part of my thesis
Durkheim Edelbrock: That will likely be on experimental education in Japan, incorporating my other major
You: so what do your colleagues say about the idea of doing research inside a game. Do they think it is bogus?
Durkheim Edelbrock: Actually, quite the opposite
Durkheim Edelbrock: This project, as I mentioned, is being undertaken in a 10-week workshop on field studies
Durkheim Edelbrock: The response I've recieved has been tremendously positive. This is such an uncharted area that many people are fascinated by it.
You: what sort of issues arise with field studies and data collection (and analysis of data) from inside a MMORPG that are different from r/l studies.
Durkheim Edelbrock: Well, I unfortunately can't speak on data collection, because again, what I'm doing is primarily qualitative, based on observation and interviewing.
You: ok how do r/l and vr qualitative studies differ
Durkheim Edelbrock: I think one of the largest differences is that the barriers to entry are much lower in VR.
You: true...
Durkheim Edelbrock: Issues such as race and gender are essentially irrelevant here -- or, at least, even if they are, you can change your avi and instantly fit in. I've met very few people who've done this in RL with much success
You: did your research project have to be approved by an ethics committee at the U of Chicago?
Durkheim Edelbrock: to answer your question, any study of this kind does not need to go through an ethics board as long as it's not submitted for publication.
Durkheim Edelbrock: i believe the rationale is that the project is considered under the professor's jurisdiction, and so long as it gains his/her approval, it's fine for classroom use
You: but now the Lindens enter the equation
Durkheim Edelbrock: Yes, indeed they do.
You: And what are they saying about this?
Durkheim Edelbrock: Well, let me give you a little background first
You: sure
Durkheim Edelbrock: They first found out about the project because I posted a message about it in the forms, stating my intent and mentioning that I was looking for interview subjects.
Durkheim Edelbrock: If they didn't see this thread, I doubt they would have found out about it.
Durkheim Edelbrock: But, lo and behold, I received an email from Robin Linden on Saturday, saying that LL had a policy that all researchers had to follow
Durkheim Edelbrock: Additionally, she told me that any research project needed approval, following the researcher's signing a consent form to the policies they outlined
You: approval from the Lindens?
Durkheim Edelbrock: Yes
Durkheim Edelbrock: I spoke with Robin on the phone this afternoon, in fact.
You: and what were they conditions on their consent form?
Durkheim Edelbrock: I'd be happy to send you a copy
You: sure, but what are the highlights?
Durkheim Edelbrock: I might have misspoken though -- it's less of a consent form and more of a recognition that you have read and agree to their policies.
You: right, but is there anything you can't agree too?
Durkheim Edelbrock: Here's the gist of it, coming from Robin's email
Durkheim Edelbrock: "If you'd like to conduct research on our forums or in SL, you'll need to send me a proposal, and have it agreed to. You'll also need to sign an agreement that says you're aware of the policy and that your University ethics committee has reviewed it"
You: ic, so they are insisting that undergrad research projects have to go to university ethics committees?
Durkheim Edelbrock: Well, I'm not sure if they were aware that it's an undergraduate project when they sent me the email. I subsequently explained my situation to them, and they seemed understanding.
You: so they will let you continue?
Durkheim Edelbrock: To be honest, it seems like the whole process is handled rather autocratically: if Phillip says yes, the project lives. If Phillip says no, the project dies.
You: so did King Philip give you thumbs up?
Durkheim Edelbrock: Robin indicated as much to me. She at first mentioned that she "was waiting to hear from a few people," but by the end turned into, "I'm waiting to hear from our CEO"
You: hahaha
Durkheim Edelbrock: King Phillip's Royal Jury has so far been out. [since the interview, Philip has approved the project. –Uri]
You: yes, and we know what an expert Philip is on research methodology ethics.
Durkheim Edelbrock: I hear he did a dissertation on it on the side when he was at Real.
You: But now there is some buzz about this on the forums, no?
Durkheim Edelbrock: That's what it looks like.
Durkheim Edelbrock: The biggest issue, it seems to me, is whether researchers should have to be out in the open at all times
Durkheim Edelbrock: And unambiguous in regards to their intent
Durkheim Edelbrock: The problem is, there's no real world equivalent to this
Durkheim Edelbrock: This seems like a research policy written by the Chinese government.
You: that is, if you're studying the child sex trade in RL you wouldn't be required to wear a sign over your head saying "sociologist"
Durkheim Edelbrock: Exactly. Some of the most illuminating ethnographic studies have been undertaken with a deliberate cover.
Durkheim Edelbrock: Knowledge of being studied can alter the situation so much that what a researcher discovers may only be an ersatz version of the normal state of things
You: Well, how do you respond to SLers that say "we pay to play and have fun here and not be studied like frogs on a dissecting table".
Durkheim Edelbrock: I'd say that they might be one of those frogs in RL and never know it.
Durkheim Edelbrock: There's no law, whether in RL or (hopefully) in SL, that expressly forbids observation except under consent
You: well, it is their game, their world, why can't they set whatever rules they want, even if it is no academics period
Durkheim Edelbrock: Well, I think I have two responses to that.
Durkheim Edelbrock: First of all, it would be almost impossible to draw the line short of an outright ban on any sort of out-of-game commentary, journalism, or reporting.
Durkheim Edelbrock: And second, even if you did issue such a ban, you can bet it would go on anyway.
Durkheim Edelbrock: It seems extremely problematic to make systematic restrictions on someone observing and expressing their views on a world, virtual or otherwise.
You: Do you think their policy amounts to a kind of attempt to hide what is happening in the game?
Durkheim Edelbrock: Well, I think frankly that LL is perpetually weighing how free and open they want SL to be.
Durkheim Edelbrock: I don't think they're deliberately trying to "hide" anything, but I do think they're concerned about residents expressing dissatisfaction about being "lab rats."
You: Whatever the motive, would you say that their actions represent a kind of attack on academic freedom?
Durkheim Edelbrock: Well, it's difficult to say at this point. Part of the problem is that LL has been as yet unclear about exactly what is and is not acceptable to them. I think, in fact, that I might be the first person whose study has been halted pending approval.
You: alright, anything else we should cover?
Durkheim Edelbrock: Well, I should probably add that I think the Lindens are particularly concerned about issues of consent
Durkheim Edelbrock: The thing is, a lot of opinion related to the community is shaped by the forums -- a place where anyone can post and comment and produce potentially scarring remarks
Durkheim Edelbrock: It's hard to think of a real life environment with the same significance -- it's much closer to the Greek agora than to anything we have in modern day society.
Durkheim Edelbrock: So, while the forums can be of tremendous use and value in connecting the community, they can (and often are) turned into battleground where defamation runs rampant
You: tell me about it.
Durkheim Edelbrock: Exactly -- and while I think it has an important role to play, it can also be abused
Durkheim Edelbrock: So, this all ties into research, because one could so easily interview someone in confidence and post their remarks in full text on the forums.
You: do you think the forums are being abused in your case now?
Durkheim Edelbrock: No, but the thing is, while what I'm doing is real, someone posing as a researcher could learn facts in confidence and exploit them for whatever reason suited them.
You: true
You: they could post them in the Herald!
You: But they would be banned for that.
Durkheim Edelbrock: It takes time for bans to be issued, though -- and word travels fast nonetheless
Durkheim Edelbrock: So, in a sense, while I can see the potential for the Lindens going overboard with security, I think a measure of it might be helpful
Durkheim Edelbrock: Robin told me they're considering creating a group entitled "Researchers" for approved projects. It goes back to the sign-over-the-head sociologist, but at the same time, it might help establish trust.
You: possible

Op-Ed: When the Game Goes Too Far

by the Teflon Don

A recent incident in which three Louisiana high-school students were arrested for something called "cyber-bullying" should put the fear in some MMOG residents, as it now appears that what some groups do in-world can be considered a felony.

"Cyber-stalking," for example, is considered a "relative felony." According to the article, "A judge can decide if it is a misdemeanor of the more serious felony crime. It's punishable with a $2,000 fine or one year imprisonment."

Many virtual-reality Mafia groups and other corrupt organizations engage in activities which could be considered felony cyber-stalking or cyber-bullying, just in the everyday business of enforcing their codes of conduct. The three teenagers who were arrested had only put up a Web site which only talked smack about a fellow student and made threats against him.

Granted there was no game involved in the arrests, but if this article indicates a growing trend, then a lot of those who play MMOGs and have Web sites for their groups may be in jeopardy of being arrested. In his extensive experience, the Teflon Don has seen numorous Web sites made by player groups in which individuals are threatened and talked about negatively. Mainly in the Mafia sector, these Web sites could be considered cyber-bullying, depending on how the intended victim takes the message.

Some players and groups do take things too seriously at times and the line can get grey between what is reality and what is virtual reality. When that happens, players put themselves at risk of getting busted. So, it's bully beware. To quote from the article, "Kris Wartelle with the Attorney General's Office said, 'It sort of was like bullying on the Internet that got even worse, and we're lucky it didn't escalate to something even worse.'"

Turning the Pages at the SL Public Library

by Walker Spaight

Anyone who's enjoyed the view lately from Eddie Escher's striking Seacliff Tower has probably noticed the clean lines and purple windows of the building that sits just across the water to the south, in Gualala. A good-sized build whose heavy dark columns make the rest of the structure seem to float easily above the estuarial Gualala waters, closer inspection reveals the building to be the Second Life Public Library. Closer inspection still reveals there to be not a book in the place--at least, not yet.

I met library director Jade Lily--who herself has been in the news lately--on the building's grounds on a quiet, sunny Saturday morning recently for a chat about her plans for the place. Like the building itself, her plans are formidable.

"My ultimate goal is [to build] a place where SL residents can go to research anything related to Second Life," Jade says. "It will be a repository of resident-produced, SL-related articles. I'll be emphasizing the culture and history part, because that's what I believe to be the most important for residents to understand, and that's the kind of information that is the most lacking in SL."

Though Jade and her team--which includes treasurer Lily Lightcloud--already have some competition from the SL History Wiki and the SL Historical Society in Phobos, her approach appears to be far more comprehensive than any existing project, at least in its conception. Jade envisions the library eventually comprising thousands of articles on SL's history and culture, as well as creative writing and tutorials, produced by organized teams of writers drawn from SL residents new and old.

It's not a project Jade has taken on lightly. Conceiving and planning the library began almost from the moment Jade first became a volunteer SL mentor, in November of 2003. "The library is really just a reflection of my desire to bring understanding of SL to residents," she says. Features like a coffee shop and open-air reading rooms are also a reflection of Jade's desire to create "a social atmosphere for residents who prefer not to go to clubs."

One of the reading areas at the SecondLife Public Library

Though the library has yet to begin producing articles, Jade says the institution will take an active role in acquiring content. A Requirements team will determine the content needs of the library, develop the category structure, and write assignments for the Production team, which will then recruit writers.

Writers in turn will be given a list of sources they'll need to approach for information (thus opening the positions to newbies as well as SL veterans), and will be paid a fee for their work. A Collections team will also oversee contributions that are volunteered by residents, including resident-produced fiction and non-fiction, which will go through an editing process similar to assigned articles.

Visitors to the library will access its holdings through searchable and browsable terminals linked to a r/l database that will return a notecard visitors will be welcome to keep, free of charge. The system's code is being written by Jade, Christopher Omega, and Robin Huber. Librarians will also be on hand eventually to help visitors navigate the system.

Hearing about such an ambitious project--one that stands on a 38,896 square meter plot--raises the obvious question: Who's paying for all this stuff?

The financial requirements will obviously be substantial. Though the Lindens have expressed interest in seeing what will become of the library, Jade says, the project will have no direct Linden funding. Instead, a fund-raising committee has already begun its work. A Webcast radio show and raffle designed specially for the library by Robin Huber raised more than L$150,000 in three hours last October.

One SL resident has told the Herald that Philip Linden is interested in experimenting with telecommuting from within Second Life and has considered renting space at the library for the purpose, but Jade says no such arrangements have been made.

Most of the build is already finished. The original building was designed in early 2004 by Lordfly Digeridoo, though Jade herself has made many extensions and modifications on the plot, which was originally only 8 km square. Eddie Escher and Alan Edison have contributed textures to the build, Fallingwater Cellardoor created the library's stately interior furniture, Water Rogers is working on furniture for the coffee shop, and Nephilaine Protagonist and Doops Lomax are creating furniture and electronics, respectively, for other areas of the building.

The SecondLife Public Library from the outside, as it stands today

The big question now is how hard it will be to fill the library with material that people will want to read. "Jumping into Second Life is like opening a novel to the middle and reading from that point forward, without any knowledge of the plot up to that point," Jade says. "There is a lot that has happened, which has led us to where we are now. Changes in the technology and economy have brought down great builds and have shaped the way we do things around here, and how we interact with people. That's what we hope to uncover."

Just mastering the personnel involved will be a challenge. At least a dozen people have already contributed to the project, and an even greater number will probably be added to various committees in coming months. But Jade brings r/l skills to the task from her experience as a computer programmer on active duty with the US Air Force. "Process can be applied to anything," she says.

As to how long the process will take, Jade gives the typical developer's answer: "I don't want to throw a date projection out."

From the sound of things, it will be worth the wait.

On Scamming Scammers

by The Phantom

Recently someone on TSO scammed a scammer and then gave the proceeds to the victims of the scammer. Three cheers for the virtual Robin Hood or bad idea? A discussion has opened on Stratics.

raganarok and cultural design

at terra nova, nick yee has written an interesting discussion about how cultural assumptions inform the design of in-game culture. he mentions the differences in ideas about how appearance and profession affect identity in western v non-western game.

read it here.

Hammie ponders his independence

Hamlet Linden in a reflective mood

In a recent entry in New World Notes, Hamlet Linden addresses the issue of his independence as an employee of Linden Lab. At State of Play he said it was analogous to writing for a newspaper in a company town. Now he isn't so sure. I say he should leave Boss Rosedale and come work for the Herald. He'll have to start as my coffee bitch, but he should move up the ranks pretty rapidly...

But yeah, it is an interesting issue.

Exploring Online Conflict Resolution

In an historic meeting at the State of Play, a group of game developers, lawyers, and conflict mediators met to discuss strategies for conflict resolution online. The headline idea emerging from the meeting was the thought that rather than impose uniform conflict resolution strategies in a top down manner, it might be more useful for open ended social platforms like Second Life to allow users to organically develop their own conflict resolution strategies in a bottom up fashion ? perhaps leading to multiple strategies. Games like SL could then become laboratories or incubators from new kinds of conflict resolution tools and structures. The question then becomes what kinds of tools can SL make available to the users to assist in this?


Some of the attendees. From the left, Daniel Terdiman (Wired Online), Philip Rosedale (Linden), Jack Balkin (Yale Law), Robin Harper (Linden), Colin Rule (eBay director of conflict resolution), and Randy Farmer (Yahoo!).

David Johnson (NY Law), Susan Crawford (Cardozo Law), and Cory Ondrejka (Linden lab).

Hey, where are the EA reps??? I guess they have it alllll figured out already.

For further discussion see Daniel Terdiman's article in Wired Online.

Free Speech for Avatars! And?like?Now!

Ludlow blasts Stratics.

In a Session at The State of Play entitled Avatar Rights, Virtual Liberty, and Free Expression in Virtual Worlds, Peter Ludlow blasted the organized censorship policies of Stratics, while Fred Schauer of Harvard University suggested that the possibilities for free expression in virtual worlds should be used to explore alternative models of free speech. Jack Balkin of Yale maintained that government and the legal profession were going to insert themselves into game worlds whether game devs like it or not and that by offering to protect free speech game companies may be able to insulate themselves from certain kinds of legal liability.

Streaming webcast of the talks can be found here.
Discussion on Terra Nova here.
Article by Daniel Terdiman in Wired Online is here.

Streaming Waggie, Teppie, and Uri

Whew, a week in detox has *almost* helped me to recover from my night with the gamedevs, and I can (belatedly) get back to blogging The State of Play. These posts will dribble out as I have time. First thing you might want to check out (if you haven't already) is the streamcast of the first session, which included Wagner James Au (aka Waggie Jim, aka Hamlet Linden) and Andrew Tepper (aka Teppie, aka Pharaoh). There is an especially cool discussion of Teppie's introduction of the sexist pig NPC into the narrative of A Tale in the Desert, and Ludlow talks about the possibility of Open Source versions of Second Life. You also get to see Beth Noveck's new hair cut! Notice though, what 48 hours with gamedevs and philosophers can do to the most 1337 5th ave. doo!

Ahh, the crazy hijinks of GM created sexist NPCs

I was waiting for the situation to clarify before I posted on this, but it is really only getting more murky, and I do think it is very important that dedicated Herald readers check out the situation. Near as I can tell, the GMs in A Tale in the Desert 2 constrtucted an NPC trader that refused to trade with women and said something to the effect that they would make good slaves. Terra Nova reports that a player based riot ensued, but it seems more like this riot consisted of angry emails. And what was the point? Well, who knows, some sort of element introduced into the narrative by the GMs. The usual brain dead slashdot discussion has ensued ("it's a game, get a life, yadda yadda yadda). Maybe the lesson should be this: players are quite capable of generating their own drama, so GMs (even Pharaohs) please do us all a favor and butt the f out with your third grade sociology rat lab clustermuck pschodrama thought experiments.

Thank u for your attention.

SL modifies Terms of Service and EULA (sort of)

Well, at least they let us know when then introduce a new agreement. The new TOS seems like a lot of legal CYA without much thought to forging serious business partnerships. For example, how much are *you* willing to invest in a platform that keeps this clause in its TOS?

?7.1 Termination. Linden has the right at any time for any reason or no reason to suspend or terminate your Account, terminate this Agreement, and/or refuse any and all current or future use of the Service without notice to you.?

Now vaguely following suggestions of the SLH editorial board, they *may*(then again, they may not) auction off your land in the event of a termination and return the proceeds to you (after they skim off what they think you owe them), but not if you have been bad (as determined by them). So I guess this means you *might* get back some of your assets if they agree that they terminated you for no reason whatsoever. In other words, you ain?t getting? jack back. The question is, how long are customers going to keep bending over and taking it from these platform owners? Maybe its time for us to take up Croquet??? Read on for details.

From Linden Lab:

The Second Life Terms of Service and EULA have been updated. Please take time to read the new agreement and make sure you understand it before you agree. The Terms of Service serve as the legal agreement for the customer relationship between you and Linden Lab. The specific sections which have changed are:
1. Section 3.2: added account limits per credit card
2. Section 5.1: clarified that behaviors include actions within Second Life as well as 'uploads'
3. Sections 3.7 and 7.1: added a refund clause for termination due to 'bad acts'
4. Sections 7.2 and 9.1: clarified that Linden Lab does not have a service level agreement in the EULA, and will not offer refunds for interrupted service
5. Section 12: added binding arbitration for dispute resolution.

TERMS OF SERVICE AND END USER LICENSE AGREEMENT FOR SECOND LIFE

1. TERMS OF AGREEMENT

1.1 The Agreement. Linden Research, Inc. ("Linden") offers to allow you to use its multi-player online service "Second Life," use the software provided to you by Linden (collectively, the "Linden Software") and participate in the environments that support the service, including without limitation the websites located at www.lindenlab.com and www.secondlife.com, (collectively, and together with the Linden Software, the "Service") solely conditioned on your agreement to all of the terms and conditions contained in this Terms of Service document (the "Agreement") and your compliance with the posted Community Standards on the Second Life website which you can find at this link: www.secondlife.com/corporate/community.php. Your use of the Service constitutes your agreement to all such terms and conditions and your agreement to comply with the Community Standards. To confirm your agreement, you should accept this Agreement. If you do not so agree, you should decline this agreement, in which case you are prohibited from accessing or using the Service. Accessing or using the Service will be considered acceptance of this Agreement.

If you have any questions regarding these terms and conditions or the Community Standards, please contact a Linden customer service representative at [email protected].

1.2 Changes to these Terms. Linden reserves the right to change the address of its Website at any time for any or no reason. Linden may amend this Agreement (including without limitation the pricing terms set forth herein) and/or modify the Community Standards at any time in its sole discretion by posting the amended Agreement or modified Community Standards at http://www.lindenlab.com, http://www.secondlife.com, another current website designated by Linden or by communicating these changes through the primary contact methods you have established with us. Amendments to the Agreement will be effective after the amended Agreement is posted. Modifications to the Community Standards will be effective immediately upon posting. Your use of the Service after the effective date of any amendments to this Agreement constitutes your agreement to the amendments. You agree to check this Agreement and the Community Standards periodically so you will be familiar with their content as amended or modified from time to time.

2. ACCOUNTS

2.1 Eligibility. You must establish an account with Linden (your "Account") to use the Service. Accounts are permitted only for adult individuals who are 18 years of age or older. Those who meet these standards, open an account and maintain their account in good standing are sometimes referred to in this Agreement as "Participants." By accepting this agreement you represent that you are an adult 18 years of age or older.

2.2 Registration Obligations. You agree to provide true, accurate, current and complete information about yourself as prompted by the registration form ("Registration Data") and maintain and promptly update the Registration Data to keep it true, accurate, current and complete. Linden reserves all rights to vigorously pursue legal action against all persons who misrepresent personal information or are otherwise untruthful about their identity.

2.3 Account ID. You must choose an account name to identify yourself to Linden staff (your "Account ID") and choose character names for your characters in the Service (each a "Character Name"). You may not select as your Account ID or Character Name the name of another person, a name which violates any trademark right, copyright, or other proprietary right, a name which may mislead other Participants to believe you to be an employee of Linden, or a name which Linden deems in its discretion to be vulgar or otherwise offensive. Linden reserves the right to delete or change any Account ID or Character Name for any reason or no reason. You are fully responsible for all activities conducted through your Account or under your Account ID.

2.4 Passwords. At the time your Account is opened, you must select a password. You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your password and are responsible for any harm resulting from your disclosure, or authorizing the disclosure of, your password or from use by any person of your password to gain access to your Account or Account ID. At no time should you respond to an online request for a password. Linden will never ask for your password offline or online, except that you will be required to enter your password as part of the log-on process. You are not allowed to ever disclose your password to another person.

2.5 Account. By using the Service you agree that even though you may retain certain copyright or other intellectual property rights with respect to works you create (your "Content," as defined in Section 6.1 below) while using the Service (as specified in Section 5.3 below), you do not own the account you use to access the Service, nor do you own any data Linden stores on Linden servers (including without limitation any data representing or embodying any or all of your Content).

2.6 No Internet Connection. Linden does not provide Internet access, and you are responsible for all fees associated with your Internet connection.

3. BILLING POLICIES

3.1 Account Types and Charges. You may access the Service through either of two types of accounts. "Basic Access" accounts require a one-time access payment but do not include recurring charges for access to the Service. "Premium Access" accounts do not include a one-time access payment but do include recurring charges for access to the Service, and may be arranged for varying billing periods as described in Section 3.3 below. In addition to the applicable access charges, recurring Land Use Fees will be charged to you depending on how much land you hold within the Second Life world.

3.2 Payment Terms. All Access subscription charges for the Service are payable in advance. Land use fees will be charged once each month, and will reflect the peak amount of land you held during the previous month. Linden is not responsible for any charges or expenses you incur resulting from charges billed by Linden in accordance with these Terms of Service (e.g. overdrawn accounts, exceeding credit card limit, etc.). By providing a credit card number, you authorize Linden to continue charging the credit card for all charges due Linden until your Second Life account is terminated by either you or Linden. Linden reserves the right to limit the number of accounts that may be charged to a credit card (for example, no more than 5 accounts per credit card).

3.3. Billing Periods for Recurring Charges.
Monthly accounts will be billed monthly on the same date of each month (e.g. the 10th of each month), beginning on the first day following the end of your trial period.

90 Day accounts will be billed quarterly on the same day (e.g. the 10th of every third month), beginning on the first day following the end of your trial period.

Annual accounts, including beta charter accounts (no longer available but still recognized), will be billed each year on the same date, beginning on the first day following the end of your trial period.

Lifetime accounts (if and as available from time to time in Linden's discretion) and Basic Access accounts will be billed in full at the time of purchase.

Land Use Fees will be billed 30 days following the first land purchase for users not already paying recurring monthly fees. Land Use Fees will be billed on the first billing date following the in-world land purchase for users already paying recurring monthly fees.

3.4 Trial. After registering, you will be given a 7-day trial period beginning with your first login to Second Life. You may cancel your account at any time during the 7-day trial. If you want to change your account type you may do so at any time (either before or after the trial period - see Section 3.6 below). You are limited to one 7-day trial per credit card for any 3-month period. If you do not cancel your account during the 7-day trial, you will be charged based on the account type you selected during registration unless you have spent less than an hour in-world during the trial period.

3.5 Unique Accounts. When an account is created the address on the account must match the address on the credit card. You may register multiple accounts per credit card but will only receive one trial period for the card in any 3-month period and each additional account on one credit card will begin its billing when the account is created.

3.6 Changing Plans. If you decide to change your plan, for example from monthly to a longer-term discounted plan, you may do so at any time by making the change on the My Account page. The new plan will go into effect but your credit card will be charged with the new rate when your current subscription period billing cycle ends.

3.7 Cancellation, Refunds, Reactivation. Accounts may be cancelled at any time, by going to the My Account page and clicking on "cancel". Upon clicking "cancel," your account will be cancelled immediately, but you will be allowed to use the remaining time according to these Terms of Service unless your account or this Agreement is suspended or terminated based on our belief that you have violated or acted inconsistently with Section 5.1 of this Agreement. THERE WILL BE NO REFUNDS FOR ANY UNUSED TIME ON A SUBSCRIPTION. At the end of a subscription period, your cancelled account will become dormant for 60 days. If during that time you want to reopen your account, you will be able to return to your My Account page and click the "re-activate" button at which time you will be prompted to review billing details to confirm that the plan you want is selected and that your credit card is still valid. If, for any reason, your credit card cannot be charged or payment is withheld, your account will become dormant as if you had cancelled it.

3.8 Account Retention. While your account is dormant, unless you renew your account, any land held by your Character in that account will become public to the Service after 30 days. Any of your Character's objects remaining in the Second Life world will begin to decay at that time and your character will lose them in their entirety. Avatars and inventory items held by your Character will be retained until the account has been closed and dormant for 60 days, at which point the account will be expunged. You understand and agree that none of the actions specified in this Section 3.8 will constitute a violation of any copyright or other intellectual property rights you may have in any of your Content, and for the avoidance of doubt you hereby grant Linden the irrevocable and perpetual right to take any or all of the actions specified in this Section 3.8 under the circumstances described.

4. LICENSE

4.1 License. Subject to the terms of this Agreement, Linden grants to you a non-exclusive, limited, fully revocable license to use the Service and the Linden Software during the time you have paid for but only as long as you are in full compliance with these terms and conditions. You may not charge any third party for using the Linden Software to access and/or use the Service, and you may not modify, adapt, reverse engineer (except as otherwise permitted by applicable law), decompile or attempt to discover the source code of the Linden Software, or create any derivative works of the Linden Software or the Service, or otherwise use the Linden Software except as expressly provided in this Agreement. You may not copy or distribute any of the written materials associated with the Service. Nothing in this Agreement, or on Linden's site, shall be construed as granting you any other rights or privileges of any kind with respect to the Service or Content other than your own. You acknowledge that your participation in the Service does not make you a Linden employee and that you do not expect to be compensated for #
such participation. Notwithstanding the foregoing, you may copy the Linden Software for backup purposes and may give copies of the Linden Software to others free of charge.

4.2 Internet Service. You acknowledge that Linden is not a traditional game provider; instead Linden acts as a venue and an Internet service provider that may allow people to interact virtually regarding almost any topic, at any time, from anywhere, in a variety of formats. In addition, the Service may allow some users to alter the gaming environment on a real-time basis. Linden is not involved in actual communications between users or even in users' interactions with the virtual world of the Service. As a result, Linden has very limited control, if any, over the quality, safety, morality, legality, truthfulness or accuracy of various aspects of the Service. As a condition of access to the Service, you release Linden (and Linden's shareholders, partners, affiliates, directors, officers, subsidiaries, employees, agents, suppliers, licensees, distributors) from claims, demands and damages (actual and consequential) of every kind and nature, known and unknown, suspected and unsuspected, disclosed and undisclosed, arising out of or in any way connected with any dispute you have or claim to have with one or more Participants. You further understand and agree that: (a) Linden will have the right but not the obligation to resolve disputes between Participants relating to the Service; (b) to the extent Linden elects to resolve such disputes, it will do so in good faith based solely on the general rules and standards of the Service and will not make judgments regarding legal issues or claims; (c) Linden's resolution of such disputes will be final with respect to the virtual world of the Service but will have no bearing on any real-world legal disputes in which Participants may become involved; and (d) you hereby release Linden (and Linden's shareholders, partners, affiliates, directors, officers, subsidiaries, employees, agents, suppliers, licensees, distributors) from claims, demands and damages (actual and consequential) of every kind and nature, known and unknown, suspected and unsuspected, disclosed and undisclosed, arising out of or in any way connected with Linden's resolution of disputes relating to the Service.

4.3 All Data Is Temporary. When using the Service, you may accumulate treasure, experience points, equipment, or other value or status indicators and contribute to the environment ("Accumulated Status"). THIS DATA, AND ANY OTHER DATA RESIDING ON LINDEN'S SERVERS, MAY BE RESET AT ANY TIME FOR ANY OR NO REASON. ALL CHARACTER HISTORY AND DATA MAY BE ERASED IN WHICH CASE EACH CHARACTER MAY BE RESET TO NOVICE STATUS. YOU ACKNOWLEDGE THAT, NOTWITHSTANDING ANY COPYRIGHT OR OTHER RIGHTS YOU MAY HAVE WITH RESPECT TO ITEMS YOU CREATE USING THE SERVICE, ALL OF YOUR CONTENT AND ACCUMULATED STATUS HAS NO INTRINSIC CASH VALUE AND THAT LINDEN DOES NOT ENDORSE, AND EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMS (SUBJECT TO ANY UNDERLYING RIGHTS IN THE CONTENT), ANY VALUE, CASH OR OTHERWISE, ATTRIBUTED TO CONTENT OR ACCUMULATED STATUS.

5. USER CONDUCT

5.1 Participant Conduct. In addition to abiding at all times by the Community Standards, you agree that you shall not: (i) take any action or upload, post, e-mail or otherwise transmit Content that infringes or violates any third party rights; (ii) impersonate any person or entity, including, but not limited to, a Linden employee, or falsely state or otherwise misrepresent your affiliation with a person or entity; (iii) take any action or upload, post, e-mail or otherwise transmit Content that violates any law or regulation; (iv) take any action or upload, post, e-mail or otherwise transmit Content as determined by Linden at its sole discretion that is harmful, threatening, abusive, harassing, causes tort, defamatory, vulgar, obscene, libelous, invasive of another's privacy, hateful, racially, ethnically or otherwise objectionable; (v) take any actions or upload, post, e-mail or otherwise transmit Content that contains any viruses, Trojan horses, worms, time bombs, cancelbots or other computer programming routines that are intended to damage, detrimentally interfere with, surreptitiously intercept or expropriate any system, data or personal information; (vi) take any action or upload, post, email or otherwise transmit any Content that would violate any right or duty under any law or under contractual or fiduciary relationships (such as inside information, proprietary and confidential information learned or disclosed as part of employment relationships or under nondisclosure agreements); (vii) upload, post, email or otherwise transmit any unsolicited or unauthorized advertising, promotional materials, "junk mail," "spam," "chain letters," "pyramid schemes," or any other form of solicitation; (viii) interfere with or disrupt the Service or servers or networks connected to the Service, or disobey any requirements, procedures, policies or regulations of networks connected to the Service; (ix) attempt to gain access to any other user's Account or password; or (x) "stalk" or otherwise harass another user. You agree that Linden may take whatever steps it deems necessary to abridge, or prevent behavior of any sort on the Service in its sole discretion, without notice to you.

5.2 Use as Provided. Linden has designed the Service to be experienced only as offered by Linden at its web site or partner websites. You agree to use the Service only as offered by Linden at its web site or partner websites and not through any other means. You further agree not to create or provide any other means through which the Service may be accessed or used, as through server emulators. You acknowledge that you do not have the right to create, publish, distribute, create derivative works from or use any software programs, utilities, applications, emulators or tools derived from or created for the Service, except that you may use the Linden Software to the extent expressly permitted by this Agreement. You are prohibited from taking any action that imposes an unreasonable or disproportionately large load on Linden's infrastructure.

5.3 Participant Content. Participants can create Content on Linden's servers in various forms. Linden acknowledges and agrees that, subject to the terms and conditions of this Agreement, including without limitation the limited licenses granted by you to Linden herein, you will retain any and all applicable copyright and/or other intellectual property rights with respect to any Content you create using the Service. NOTWITHSTANDING THE FOREGOING, YOU UNDERSTAND AND AGREE THAT BY SUBMITTING YOUR CONTENT TO ANY AREA OF THE SERVICE, YOU AUTOMATICALLY GRANT (AND YOU REPRESENT AND WARRANT THAT YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO GRANT) TO LINDEN: (A) THE ROYALTY-FREE, FULLY PAID-UP, PERPETUAL, IRREVOCABLE, NON-EXCLUSIVE RIGHT AND LICENSE TO USE AND REPRODUCE (AND TO AUTHORIZE THIRD PARTIES TO USE AND REPRODUCE) ANY OF YOUR CONTENT IN ANY OR ALL MEDIA FOR MARKETING AND/OR PROMOTIONAL PURPOSES IN CONNECTION WITH THE SERVICE; (B) THE PERPETUAL AND IRREVOCABLE RIGHT TO DELETE ANY OR ALL OF YOUR CONTENT FROM LINDEN'S SERVERS AND FROM THE SERVICE, WHETHER INTENTIONALLY OR UNINTENTIONALLY, AND FOR ANY REASON OR NO REASON, WITHOUT ANY LIABILITY OF ANY KIND TO YOU OR ANY OTHER PARTY; AND (C) THE ROYALTY-FREE, FULLY PAID-UP, PERPETUAL, IRREVOCABLE, NON-EXCLUSIVE RIGHT AND LICENSE TO COPY, ANALYZE AND USE ANY OF YOUR CONTENT AS LINDEN MAY DEEM NECESSARY OR DESIRABLE FOR PURPOSES OF DEBUGGING, TESTING AND/OR PROVIDING SUPPORT SERVICES IN CONNECTION WITH THE SERVICE. YOU ALSO UNDERSTAND AND AGREE THAT BY SUBMITTING YOUR CONTENT TO ANY AREA OF THE SERVICE, YOU AUTOMATICALLY GRANT (OR YOU WARRANT THAT THE OWNER OF SUCH CONTENT HAS EXPRESSLY GRANTED) TO LINDEN AND TO ALL OTHER SECOND LIFE PARTICIPANTS A NON-EXCLUSIVE, WORLDWIDE, FULLY PAID-UP, TRANSFERABLE, IRREVOCABLE, ROYALTY-FREE AND PERPETUAL LICENSE, UNDER ANY AND ALL PATENT RIGHTS YOU MAY HAVE OR OBTAIN WITH RESPECT TO YOUR CONTENT, TO USE YOUR CONTENT FOR ALL PURPOSES WITHIN THE SERVICE. YOU FURTHER AGREE THAT YOU WILL NOT MAKE ANY CLAIMS AGAINST LINDEN OR AGAINST OTHER SECOND LIFE PARTICIPANTS BASED ON ANY ALLEGATIONS THAT ANY ACTIVITES BY EITHER OF THE FOREGOING WITHIN THE SERVICE INFRINGE YOUR (OR ANYONE ELSE'S) PATENT RIGHTS. YOU FURTHER UNDERSTAND AND AGREE THAT: (I) YOU ARE SOLELY RESPONSIBLE FOR UNDERSTANDING ALL COPYRIGHT, PATENT, TRADEMARK, TRADE SECRET AND OTHER INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY OR OTHER LAWS THAT MAY APPLY TO YOUR CONTENT HEREUNDER; (II) YOU ARE SOLELY RESPONSIBLE FOR, AND LINDEN WILL HAVE NO LIABILITY IN CONNECTION WITH, THE LEGAL CONSEQUENCES OF ANY ACTIONS OR FAILURES TO ACT ON YOUR PART WHILE USING THE SERVICE, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION ANY LEGAL CONSEQUENCES RELATING TO YOUR INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS; AND (III) LINDEN'S ACKNOWLEDGEMENT HEREUNDER OF YOUR INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS IN YOUR CONTENT DOES NOT CONSTITUTE A LEGAL OPINION OR LEGAL ADVICE, BUT IS INTENDED SOLELY AS AN EXPRESSION OF LINDEN'S INTENTION NOT TO REQUIRE PARTICIPANTS TO FOREGO THEIR NORMAL INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS WITH RESPECT TO CONTENT THEY CREATE USING THE SERVICE, SUBJECT TO THE TERMS SPECIFIED HEREIN.

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The Myth of Fiction

I'm happy to report that we finally got Professor Ludlow off of his fat derrier and got some product out of him -- in this case a paper titled "From Sherlock and Buffy to Klingon and Norrathian Platinum Pieces: Pretense, Contextalism, and the Myth of Fiction." Wordy mofo ain't he? Not sure I get the point of it, except that EA's Jeff Brown was his inspiration (can a romantic cruise be far behind?).

A description of the paper byProfessor Bill Irwin (Seinfeld and Philosophy) follows.

If you would rather just cut to the chase (rtf version): Download file

10-2-04 addition: discussion of this on Terra Nova as well.

"We readily recognize that real people, places, and things can appear in works of fiction; in Annie Hall Marshall McLuhan appears as himself in line at a theater in Manhattan. More curiously though, people places and especially things from works of fiction have invaded the space of reality. Klingon and Elvish are spoken by real people outside Star Trek and The Lord of the Rings­ and the currency of online roleplaying games, such as the Norrathian Platinum Piece of EverQuest, have real world exchange value. How are we to account for this? In “From Sherlock and Buffy to Klingon and Norrathian Platinum Pieces: Pretense, Contextalism, and the Myth of Fiction,” Peter Ludlow draws on his experience as a renegade journalist and founder of the The Alphaville Herald in The Sims Online to address the question. Ludlow had the plug pulled on him after reporting in his Alphaville Herald on unsavory elements of game play and criticizing the game owner, Electronic Arts (EA). Much real world controversy ad media coverage ensued, leading Jeff Brown, Vice President of Corporate Communication for EA, to remark, “If Peter Ludlow is a journalist, then I’m a railroad tycoon whenever I play monopoly.” Reflecting on Brown’s statement, Ludlow concludes that he is in fact a journalist when playing the Sims Online and Brown is indeed a railroad tycoon whenever he pursues the losing strategy of buying up the railroads while playing monopoly. How can this be? Ludlow argues against pretense theory a la Kendall Walton and in favor of contextualism, an idea imported from epistemology to metaphysics. In being or becoming real it is not the ontological status of fictional objects or identities that changes but their contexts that change. Indeed fictional objects don’t become real; they always were real. Sarah Michelle Geller does not just play Buffy Summers; in some contexts she is Buffy Summers. There are, then, no fictions per se; fictional statements are merely statements that hold true in certain contexts." -- Bill Irwin

If you want a rtf version, click this: Download file

Bartle Mourns the Loss of Creative Freedom in MMORPGs

In a recent post on Terra Nova, game making pioneer/god Richard Bartle (d00dz, he co-wrote the first MUD) mourns the loss of creative freedom in the new MMORPGs. Why are we all giving up our creative freedom so happily? Do we all just wanna be SOE's beyotches or is it just that we have no alternative.

Here's a sample passage:
"Players still have freedoms, but they're restricted. The designers don't let you be who you want to be, just who from a number of class/race combinations you think you want to be. They don't let you do what you want to do, because then you might upset people whom it inconveniences in some small way. The limitations are much stronger than they were before: even the designers themselves have less freedom, being increasingly wrapped in creative paradigms from which they can't escape."

Captain Will on BBC Online

We're going to see a lot of Will Wright as the Sims 2 release approaches, but this intereview in BBC Online is special because...well because Doc Pete is mentioned too! What does Will think about the shady side of virtual life?: "it makes the game more interesting." We couldn't agree more. Don't miss the audio interview, and finally, gopod bless Captain Will for remarks like this: "By building your life into a toy, it enters your consciousness. People start to see the juggling act. They wake up a bit more and see that they have been playing this game in real life, but never realised." At tip of the cap and a hearty HAAARRRR!!! to the cap'n for that one.

Herr Doktor Professor Ludlow on German Public Radio

Well, our very own nutty professor and resident media ho, Doc Pete, has resurfaced in the infosphere -- this time on German Public Radio. Since our German ist sehr schlect we don’t really know what he’s talking about (hell, we don’t know what he’s talking about when he speaks English), but we think it has something to do with the difference between offline and online sims and (i) how in offline Sims players get to play Homeric gods with absolute control over their families (notice how many of Will Wright’s games have this quality) whereas in online Sims one is just one shlub among many and (ii) how offline Sims had the transmogrifier and a whole community of users that traded skins, textures, objects, etc.. With Online Sims, EA essentially stripped all that from the users. In effect, not only did the online game kick players out of Mt. Olympus but also deprived them of almost all their tools for object creation and aesthetic control.

Here’s a quote from the interview that went up on the website:

“Peter Ludlow, Philosophieprofessor an der Universitt von Michigan, beobachtet das merkwürdige treiben der Sims schon seit langem.
Er glaubt, dass es den Leuten nicht darum geht sich Trume von der westlichen Konsumwelt zu erfüllen, sondern im Gegenteil mit Alternativen zu experimentieren.

Prof. Ludlow: "Sehr interessant ist doch, dass viele Spieler ihre eigenen Vorstellungen in das Spiel einprogrammiert haben. Pltzlich tauchten ganz neue Klamotten, Gegenstnde und Texturen auf. Das wiederum hatte zur Folge, dass sich ganze Communities gebildet haben, nur um diese neuen Items hin und herzutauschen. Das zeigt, dass die Leute sich bei diesem Spiel nicht einfach vor den Computer gesetzt haben und den Regeln gefolgt sind, die ihnen von der Firma Electronic Arts vorgegeben wurden. Sie probieren neue Sachen aus. Da gibt es keine Regeln, wie sich deine virtuelle Familie benehmen muss. Man kann einfach herumexperimentieren und sie verschiedenen Situationen aussetzen. Das Spiel ist nicht mehr so festgeschrieben, sondern lsst viel Raum für sthetische, kreative und sogar moralische Experimente."”

Word!

Um, we think that what he’s saying is something like this: Contrary to what some people think, the Sims is not really about living out the bourgeois fantasy of a nice suburban home, but in fact people often use the Sims as a tool for experimenting with different kinds of homes and different kinds of lifestyles – it becomes a tool for aesthetic, creative, and moral experimentation.

Computer Viruses as Art

By rights this should be a humdog post, but while we wait for the good dog to return to us, I give you the following very interesting post from amico Allesandro Ludovico of the Italian hacktivism and cyberculture magazine Neural. Computer viruses as works of art? Oddly this sort of makes sense to me.

I love you [rev.eng]
The Aesthetics of Computer Viruses. German Exhibition on International Tour

Providence (USA) / Copenhagen: The return of
"Made in Germany" - "I love you [rev.eng]"
(rev.eng = reverse engineering), the extension of
the successful exhibition in Frankfurt devoted to
the phenomenon of computer viruses, is going on
an international tour. It can be seen from
September 11th to October 4th at the renowned
private Brown University in Providence, Rhode
Island, USA, and then from October 7th to
November 14th in the Museum for Communication in
Copenhagen, Denmark.

Nowadays computer viruses are an integral part of
our computerised everyday life. The damage to
national economies caused by the more than 90,000
viruses that have already appeared worldwide runs
into many billions. The independent US research
institute Computer Economics puts the damage in
the case of "I love you" in 2001 alone at 8.75
billion US $. But not all computer viruses are
harmful. Computer viruses can also result from
experimentation with (programming) language. "I
love you [rev.eng]" is the first exhibition
worldwide dedicated to the phenomena of computer
security and computer viruses, and takes up both
these aspects to carry out a controversial
experiment with contemporary culture that goes
far beyond current vehement debates on hacking.

"I love you [rev.eng]" is divided into political,
technical and historical areas of investigation
and focuses on the controversial positions of
security experts and hackers, of net artists and
programmers, of literature experts and code
poets. What actually is a computer virus? Who
creates them, and why? What sort of world is
hiding behind these everyday phenomena? The
exhibition provides background information,
presents artworks, and reveals the role of
computer viruses as a destructive force and
economic threat as well as an inspiration for
creative art. "I love you [rev.eng]" is conceived
and presented by the cultural organisation
digitalcraft.org based in Frankfurt, Germany.

"digitalcraft.org sees itself as a future
oriented model for a changing understanding of
cultural communication," says Franziska Nori, the
leader of the digitalcraft.org team. "The big
question being raised by the exhibition as to
what digital culture is today and will become in
the age of the information society doesn't only
determine contemporary artistic and cultural
production, but is also intended to motivate
cultural institutions to rethink their practice
and their own role."

What can visitors to the "I love you [rev.eng]" exhibition expect?

- Computer viruses in close-up. At isolated
terminals ("in the zoo"), visitors can activate
infected data with viruses like "Sasser" or
"Suicide" and force computers to close down. A
presentation of the 30 year history of computer
viruses and their technical development offers
background information on the development of this
phenomenon right up to the present day.

- Virus outbreaks in real time. An interactive 3D
game world has been developed specially for the
exhibition to allow visitors, by operating a
joystick, to experience in real time the
otherwise invisible processes involved in a
global virus outbreak. Visitors can also click
together their own viruses using a computer with
so called virus construction kits like the ones
often used by budding hackers to flood the
Internet with evernew viruses.

- The web artists 0100101110101101.ORG and
epidemiC present the computer virus
"biennale.py", which, over and above being a
self-reproducing program, has been declared as a
social work of art. The work "The Lovers" by the
British artist Sneha Solankis creates, using two
mutually-infected computers, an analogy between
the distorted communication between the computers
and that between lovers. '"I love you" [?but do
you know what love really means?]' by the artist
Caleb Waldorf is an
installation video montage reflecting how media
represents the phenomenon of viruses and how
governments and corporate entities react to the
increasing threat of cyber terrorism.

- Insights into the heterogeneous culture of
hackers with a broad spectrum of film material
created in the scene itself, including "Freedom
Downtime" by the New York hacker community 2600,
and "Hippies from Hell". Historical and current
material provide insights into the development of
the scene from its origins in the late 50s, when
the term "hacker" was a neutral word for students
at the MIT who lived out their fascination for
logical tasks and enthusiasm for understanding
the new computers, to the criminalisation of what
is now known as the VX Scene, to the
commercialisation of the phenomenon, supplemented
by a wealth of interviews in which various virus
authors talk about their motives.

- The aesthetics of the source code. Apart from
its pure functionality, a program code (which
computer viruses are based on, just like any
other computer program) can also be an aesthetic
and artistic creation. "Obfuscated C Codes" are
examples of such highly virtuoso programming. The
exhibition presents two exceptional contributions
from the "International Obfuscated C Code
Contest" that has been held regularly since 1984,
the three-dimensional flight simulator by C.
Banks (1998) and the Saitou.c Code by Don Yang
(2000), a program with a graphic layout that
generates a set of mutually reproducing programs.

- Program code as language. Here, comparisons are
drawn between traditional poetry and contemporary
code poetry. The unbroken line from the Carmina
Figurata of antiquity and the Middle Ages via the
concrete poetry of the 19th Century to modern
poets and contemporary code poets show a
coherence of form that reveals the source code as
a new material for contemporary poetry.

- Internet security. Security concepts and
current methods for preventing global attacks on
the network are presented for an interested
audience.

Through a collaboration with experts at Brown
University's Watson Institute for International
Studies and researchers from Symantec - the
market leader in internet security -
digitalcraft.org further delved into the
political, economic and social actuality of this
subject. At both locations, the exhibition will
be complemented by symposiums, in the USA with
the theme "The Power and Pathology of Networks".

The cultural organisation digitalcraft.org is
taking up with this project the challenge of
exploring complex virtual phenomena and
presenting them in a visual way. "I love you
[rev.eng]" (rev.eng = reverse engineering) is the
revamped and expanded version of the initial
exhibition which was successfully shown in June
2002 in the Museum for Applied Art in Frankfurt
and in February 2003 at the "transmediale.03" in
Berlin.

Further information on all exhibits, the digital
version of the exhibition catalogue and extensive
pictorial material can be found on the project's
website www.digitalcraft.org/Iloveyou (+ press
section) or direct from:

Dr. Gabriele Reinartz
PR and communication
Phone: +49 (0)171 / 8 34 56 48
Fax: +49 (0)69 / 48 00 61 32
E-Mail: [email protected]

http://www.digitalcraft.org
http://www.infopeace.org
http://www.watsoninstitute.org
http://www.ptt-museum.dk
http://www.symantec.com

Brief profile of digitalcraft.org

digitalcraft.org was founded in 2003 as a
spin-off of the "digitalcraft" section of the
Museum for Applied Art in Frankfurt am Main
(2000-2003). Its mission is to research and
document fast-moving trends in everyday digital
culture and to present them to the public. Since
2003, digitalcraft.org has been an independent
cultural organization under the direction of
Franziska Nori. Its work includes
interdisciplinary exhibition projects such as
"adonnaM.mp3" (2003) on the phenomenon of file
sharing, "Origami Digital" (2003) on the digital
demo scene, public lectures and publications, and
consultancies for public institutions and
museums. The subjects it explores reflect the
rapid development in communications technologies
and methods and their significance for modern
society.

Brief profile of the Watson Institute for International Studies

Brown University in Rhode Island is one of the
most renowned private Universities in the USA.
One of its associated institutes is the Watson
Institute for International Studies, named after
its founder, which is dedicated to
interdisciplinary studies. Under the direction of
Prof. James Der Derian, the "Information
Technology, War and Peace Project" has been
started up to make a targeted analysis of the
potential impacts of network structures in the
globalised society. In September,
"InfoTechWarPeace", a new, one-year research
project, is starting up with the heading, "The
Power and Pathology of Net-works". The central
matters it will be dealing with involve analysis
of the questions: What new forms of global
security and governance are needed to manage the
potential, allocate the resources, and reduce the
risks of networks? How do we assess the dangers
of global interconnectivity (networked terrorism,
computer viruses, pandemics) against the vaunted
benefits (increased transparency, higher
productivity, global interdependence)? The
research project will be inaugurated with a
symposium and the "I love you [rev.eng]"
exhibition.
--

Alessandro Ludovico
Neural.it - http://neural.it/ daily updated news + reviews English.Neural.it - http://english.neural.it/ Neural printed magazine - http://neural.it/n/nultimoe.htm

Finally, Skewl is Kewl

I took an hour off from war reporting yesterday to drop in on a course being taught by Ancient Earth (AE) member Archaegeo Platini, and while I was AFK and up to my neck in IMs for much of it, I have to say that for the first time ever I had the impression that online instruction actually made sense. In this case Archaegeo was teaching a course on 3D space, introducing the notion of vectors and rotation. Not only did he have streaming video of his notes and graphics to boot, but the basic structure of SL made it ideal for a ?virtual hands on? medium for playing with vector values to see what happens. Students can even rez representations of the XYZ axes themselves and make their objects rotate through them, for example. Really a brilliant idea. I could have done without the new age music being piped in though. Some snaps follow.

Stuttgarter Zeitung examines Alphaville mafias

S? Iwersen, of the Stuttgarter Zeitung has just published part one of a two part article on Alphaville -- this part dedicated to the golden age of Alphaville when JC Soprano of the Sim Mafia squared off agains the SSG. Lots of discussion of Piers and Jen and JC. I only have the article in PDF format, but it's hereif you wanna look.

"Two Steps From The Move" (If You Want It): A passionate cyber hater encourages us to look "inward" instead of to the Internet

EleanaTobias

In case you haven't noticed, there is a fairly substantial group of people who display a great deal of antipathy toward the Internet. In this interview (and if you think it's easy to get someone who hates the Internet to agree to sit down for a piece appearing in an on-line journal, think again), we have the chance to find out what might be motivating some of this rage against cyber space.

EleanaTobias: Okay, you're here today to share some of your feelings about cyberspace; particularly we're going to focus on the animosity you feel for the Internet. You're infamous for hating all things having to do with cyberspace, so let's start there. Just what is your problem with the Internet, generally?

Cyber Hater: Well, I guess the big thing is isolation; I think it promotes isolation. This is especially true for people who have grown up on it.

EleanaTobias: Okay, we'll get to the argument that it does promote isolation (some would beg to differ) but even so, if it does promote isolation, why is that bad?

Cyber Hater: (Laughing) Why is it bad? Because we're human beings, we're not robots, ya know. We have to have some interactive people skills and that takes away from that. If you're just looking at a screen, even if you're talking w/ someone, that's a different type of communication. It's not human communication to me. Say, you know, you play games and send e-mails to people; how informal? Anyone can type something up. It just feels impersonal to me.

EleanaTobias: This gets us into the argument about isolation. A lot of people play games on-line, they are constantly interacting with other people, perhaps more so than if they actually went out in the world and had "normal" interactions. Why isn't this enough?

Cyber Hater: But you're not interacting with others. You're interacting with a screen. You're typing in words and playing with your keyboard; I don't consider that interaction.

EleanaTobias: I want to press that point.

Cyber Hater: Sure.

EleanaTobias: I think that a lot of people would definitely classify that as interaction, of a special kind. You're right that it's mediated through a keyboard instead of say, a phone. But it's interaction of a sort. In fact, like with these games, lots of people invest substantial amounts of time and energy (a big part of their life) into their characters and people that they play with on-line. This is bad? Why isn't this healthy interaction and why are you so opposed to it?

Cyber Hater: First, why create characters to play against other characters? Shouldn't they look within? Have they lost themselves so much that they need to create another character? You can just log off if it gets too stressful for you and that's that. If you could spend the rest of your life and never have to go out then that's fine but that's just not the way it works, and pray to god it never does. For people who are anti-social to begin with, I'm sure they find great comfort in this. In the long run, though, it's sorta doing damage though, you know? Christ, what happens if we ever have a massive black out? That's my biggest fear. Pipe bombs in the subway? Uh uh. You know some day someone is going to get a hold of our computers and "what do I do, what do I do? I can't play my games any longer. I'm alone. They're all gone." But, who's all gone? A whole generation, that's all they know. Mind you, I understand the attraction to this, but in the long run, I think it's detrimental.

EleanaTobias: Is it possible (containing laughter) that you're being a bit alarmist? People have been using the Internet, gaming on-line, for a while and what are these horrible consequences that you speak of? Aren't you a bit over the top? Let me add this: you talked about why people create these identities in games, on-line, like there is something deficient and deviant with such activity. There was something said about "looking within." However, many see this activity (creating characters) as "looking within," if you will, and then expressing it like in a movie or play or what have you?

Cyber Hater: Looking within may help create the characters but with no growth. We all create characters and personas but you have to deal with people face to face. On a computer there is no room for growth, because if someone calls you on it, you can log off and no one will know the difference. It's just safe. Intellectually, even, ya know?

EleanaTobias: No, what do you mean?

Cyber Hater: Well, there is intellectual growth but it's not in a way; ya know, when you're talking to someone personally many things come up, you may be intimidated, a lot of dynamics come in and you have to learn to deal with them. Here, you're just typing into a screen.

EleanaTobias: Well, what if one were to say that you can become "intimidated" for instance, on-line. And before you say that "well, you can log-off" and that's a crucial difference, what about the fact that someone in real life could just as well run away from a situation. So what's the difference?

Cyber Hater: You could run away, but you'd be followed. You're going to have to develop a skill: a fast runner or some savvy. They might be faster than you. With the keyboard, press a button and you're done. If you get used to that and you're in the real world and you want to log off, you can't log off. At work, you have to deal with them. If you want to be able to cut it off as the internet provides, then there will be more conflict in real life because you can't deal with it emotionally or anything.

EleanaTobias: Well, even if one concedes that real life and on-line environments put different demands on an individual, can you help me understand your antipathy to cyberspace a little better? In games, there is a lot of interaction. A lot of gamers read this blog. Specifically, can you speak to any of that? What do you think of these gamers? Are they just wasting their time? Couldn't they develop skills in game, interact with people, and come out into the real world, all the better for that time they devote in game?

Cyber Hater: They could develop technical skills. They could be savvier on the computer, and it may help them on the job. That's about it. Are they ever going to get off their asses and go out in the real world and use it?

EleanaTobias: Well, they very well may "use it"--- use what they learn. Let's talk more about interactions on-line. So, as I understand it, your position has a lot to do with saying that the internet corrupts through isolation, but if people form solid on-line relations and it makes them happy, and then they *do* go out in the world and they're, whatever, nicer to people because they learned positive interactions on-line, isn't that a good thing?

Cyber Hater: That's a good thing, but you don't get that from playing a game. You get that from within. That will be you deciding that you're going to be a nicer person.

EleanaTobias: But couldn't the game facilitate that---- make it more likely that people will be nicer generally or whatever because of their identification w/ their character and those things they've learned from positive on-line interactions?

Cyber Hater: Well, no, I think that would only pertain to the people who are playing the game at the time. It's a mistake to think that if you have good on-line interactions (however that is assessed) that it will translate into better real life interactions. You can't go out in the world and say "I'm Zeus"--- people would think you're nuts. I don't think it will help you when you go out with these supposed skills because if you've been in-game, you're not developing that real person-to-person dynamic. I suppose it can influence you, give you a new perspective as anything can, but it all comes down to you as a person and this is often obscured. You will have to actually physically act out and gather information from the others' reactions (in real life). If someone is rude to you, and you punch them in the nose, you can do it but someone better be calling the cops. Here, you just press the button and you're out of there. Life is sort of a crapshoot. On these games, it's not; everything is controlled.

EleanaTobias: Well, that may be, but many will object. I see your position more clearly now. Let's move on a bit. What about convenience? Hasn't the Internet made research, for instance easier?

Cyber Hater: I don't like that either. You learn through the journey. In fact, I believe you learn more through the journey than the actual facts that you find.

EleanaTobias: Can you give me an example?

Cyber Hater: Half the fun of going out and looking and researching (to the library, to purchase stuff) is sometimes you find things that you weren't looking for, and again it comes down to interaction. In the old days, when I wanted to go look for a record, I had to go places, and if you can just get it all at once then you have all this information and it's so convenient, fast, easy; it takes away from what life is about, ya know? As far as gathering info, you just read facts but you have to interact with people to really research because not everyone is the same, ya know?

EleanaTobias: Well, take the example of looking for your record. What's so great about that journey that you can capture by going to record stores instead of going on line?

Cyber Hater: You can talk to the person who works there and you're interacting face to face. I have a good friend who owns the Record Store. I know what he looks like, and I've seen him change over the years. I have great memories associated with that, and I don't think you could ever get such an experience on the Internet. For instance, all those records I got, I could have ordered them on-line, but it is no substitute for that real journey. I could tell you a story with each one about when I got them, the girlfriend I bought them with, what we did afterwards when we got home and put them on.

EleanaTobias: No, thanks, that's not necessary to this interview. Really.

Cyber Hater: And it was a real person, ya know. That's so important. Not someone on the Internet who could be anyone- male/female, you don't know. You don't know them. You might think you do, but?

EleanaTobias: Again, a lot of people would beg to differ on that point. They would say you could meet real people and form important relationships. Hell, people have apparently gotten married to people they've met on-line. You must have some thoughts on that business.

Cyber Hater: Once again, we go back to that actually meeting somebody. By chance, you could meet someone, and that's half the fun.

EleanaTobias: Couldn't you meet someone on-line?

Cyber Hater: Sure, but it's still not going to be enough. You see someone (in real life) and then there is a spark, there's no substitute. You're going to have to make the leap to human contact eventually. The Internet just impedes this and at worst, I truly think it hurts society. If you've just been isolated on a computer all your life, it's just going to make that leap harder, ya know? You won't learn about the person on-line, really. You could say anything on the Internet but if someone says it in person, they could be bullshitting you but you can learn that in a way that you can't otherwise. It's just part of the journey. Without face-to-face contact, it's just words on a screen. And if you run into them again on the Internet you'd never know. Where, on the street, you could say, "yeah, I remember him/her."

{Editor's note: At this point in the interview, Cyber Hater, was invited to help himself to some Cola on my desk}
Cyber Hater: If I spilled a little of this on your keyboard where would you be? You spill a little of this on me and I'd just go change my clothes. You'd have to go buy a whole goddamn keyboard.

EleanaTobias: I think I have enough of this interview to?

Cyber Hater: to make fun of me in front of legions of people?

EleanaTobias: Definitely, but that's not what I was going to say.
What I'd like to do is hear some of your proposal for changing society for the better, as it involves this topic- the internet, on-line gaming. So, you're given free reign to make policy. How would you change things? In your ideal world, what role does the Internet play?

Cyber Hater: My ideal world? I'm not that much of an optimist. It's too big; it's too complex. You can't say "if we do this, everything is going to be Nirvana; Internet or non--- it never was and it never will be."

EleanaTobias: Maybe I shouldn't use the term "ideal world," but if you can get on board with this: I'm asking you what role you would envision for the Internet if you were in control of the land.

Cyber Hater: I'd pull the plug on the fucker completely. Basically, it's back to books, you fucking ignoramuses. At least, you have to touch the pages. The dust in the books might make you sneeze and we'd get some kind of interaction going. Like learning all this information on the computer is fine, but as I've already stated it's lacking the great journey part of the learning; the mistakes, consequences and all that. In life, you can't delete or quit, you can't log off. Your actions will have consequences.

EleanaTobias: "Pull the fucking plug"- since your proposal is so drastic, let me push the idea that there might be some middle ground; some way that we could still utilize the internet alongside everyday person-to-person interaction. What's wrong with that? Why can't people play their on-line games like they watch movies, to relax and have fun and *not* a substitute from life?

Cyber Hater: They can, as long as it's not a substitute for life. That's true for anything.

EleanaTobias: Yeah, so why pull the plug?

Cyber Hater: If you put the carrot in front of the rabbit, he's going to be running for it. Ya know what I mean?

EleanaTobias: I don't know what you mean. Could you bring that metaphor down to earth for us?

Cyber Hater: Oh, now this is challenging. Okay. Humans, by nature, are going to take the easy way out, or a quick way. And that's what the Internet is. Then people bitch about how no one has patience anymore. Well, if you grow up on the Internet, you expect instant gratification. "Why isn't it happening now?" This makes human communication even more difficult because you can't react as quickly as you type. There are just obstacles in life that you don't encounter on your little screen there.

EleanaTobias: So, do you think that the Internet, these games specifically, are ill-preparing future generations?

Cyber Hater: Well, let's see. How about instead of playing Internet games, you could get a group of people to come over and play board games, join a softball team, have them watch movies together. If we're just on line, they are just letters on a screen and you can't get past that. I think this medium is very limited this way.

EleanaTobias: Let me really play the devil's advocate: I want to ask, what about someone who wants to respond to you with: "who the hell are you to tell me that the Internet is stifling my growth. What if I don't care? What if the majority of people I've met are pains in the ass and I prefer this gratification to real life? Screw you." What would you say to that?

Cyber Hater: I would say that's your choice, your choice in life, you fucking douche bag, if we're going to get nasty.

EleanaTobias: Well, but here you say, "it's your choice" yet you would support measures to eliminate the Internet? So, isn't there some tension there?

Cyber Hater: Sure, there is some tension. That's the point. I'd like world peace too. No crime, but I'm not going to get it. So, I'm going to have to deal with the Internet. Since, it's here, it'll be my choice to use it or not use it just as it's my choice to rob someone's home. I think it's a destructive thing to do just as I think the isolation of the Internet is destructive. If all you do is play on the Internet, it eats away your life. I mean, this is specifically true for people who devote a lot of their life to the Internet.

EleanaTobias: Okay, so your position is that people should be free to choose whether they use the Internet or not. The "plug-pulling" comment was your expression that you wish it did not exist, but since it does, you have to learn to live with it and you're not actively seeking to abolish it (which would be a tough project, I imagine).

Cyber Hater: Yes, like nuclear weapons, they're here to stay and I realize the Internet is too although I really feel a responsibility to caution people about it and I'd be thrilled to live in a world without it. Realistically, a person has to learn to live with it. The Internet may not be as destructive as a nuclear weapon, mind you. Still, I really think the world is better without it.

EleanaTobias: Thanks for your time today.

Cyber Hater: You are welcome. I know that when you print this you're going to put my name and address. I'll have all these tech-head people showing up on my doorstep---- "I think the Internet is a very useful tool." Get a life. Really.

Bodega Dialogues II --

Hamlet Linden has posted part II of the Bodega Dialogues (a discussion between me and The Thinkers in Second Life). This one has some interesting discussion of language in the context of MMORPGs; how does the MMORPG lexicon develop, etc.

MMORPGs, company towns, and free speech

A few weeks ago we blogged Yale Professor Jack Balkin's paper on free speech issues in the context of MMORPGs. Now attorney Peter Jenkins has contributed to the discussion on this topic with a paper in the Journal of Internet Law: "THE VIRTUAL WORLD AS A COMPANY TOWN: FREEDOM OF SPEECH IN MASSIVELY MULTIPLE ON-LINE ROLE PLAYING GAMES". In it, he argues that virtual platforms like MMORPGs have replaced the company towns of days past. But if courts have upheld 1st ammendment rights in company towns, shouldn't they likewise uphold them in MMORPGs? Also click here for Terra Nova discussion.

Here's a nice passage from the article:

"In the 21st century, traditional company towns like Chickasaw, Alabama, where a corporation steps into the shoes of the state for purposes of the First Amendment, are almost non-existent. This paper postulates that they have been replaced by Massively Multiple Online Role Playing Games (MMORPG's)... The paper emphasizes that the case law on freedom of speech in MMORPG's will have a profound precedent setting effect on how the First Amendment is applied to [a] coming universal virtual platform, since the legal principles concerning new technologies tend to be set at an early stage of their development."

Uri meets The Thinkers

A couple weeks ago Hamlet Linden organized a meeting between me and The Thinkers -- a group of 100+ Second Lifers that like to cogitate/discourse/ruminate about deep things etc. It was a fun time, but it does raise questions about exactly how far one can get with discussions in an online setting (at least one where one has to type). I find the format pretty restrictive in the paradoxical sense that it was hard to stay restricted to a single issue or topic. I think the problem is that typing allows too many gaps in the conversation that beg to be filled by too many people bursting with ideas. But then maybe I'm just a control freak?

Anyway, Hamlet has begun blogging the meeting in New World Notes.

op/ed: RULES

--humdog

rules seem easy enough for people to talk about -- at first. everybody thinks they know what rules the rules are for a given game, and how they work. but rules are not that easy. the superficial simplicity of rules for gaming is a lie.

when most people think of rules what they think about are the rules that guide the operation of a game or a procedure. when people think of rules what they call to mind are the statements that say "do THIS!!!" "don't do THAT!!". these are nice rules and if that were all there was to rules, it would be easy and we could play our games in harmony and there would be no fights.

but rules, especially rules for MMORPGs are not like that. MMORPGs have multiple layers of rules and most of these rules are both unspoken and invisible to the naked eye.

i give an example: there is a layer of rules that has to do with the construction of the game. these are mathematical formulas and assumptions that guide the game, and that have to accounted for in order for the game to work. even as simple a game as tic tac toe, as katie salen and eric zimmerman have pointed out, is to one extent or another guided by the concept of the magic square.

another example: there is a layer of rules that are assumed to be there, but that nobody talks about or even thinks about or notices except when the invisible rules are broken. if you and i play checkers, i can make you impatient and upset and maybe even angry with me if i take too much time to make my move. there is a rule about how long i should wait between moves, and we don't talk about it, but we know that its there. we know its there because if i take too long, you will get annoyed with me for breaking that rule.

on account of this we can easily see that the rules that many players cling to like life-rafts in a game are on one level only the tip of the iceberg relative to the rules of a given game. it could also be that maybe the written rules are even the least important of all of the rules that govern any game.

i think that these invisible and unspoken rules need to be brought up to the surface of gaming and discussed, particularly where they impact MMORPGs. the invisible rules need to be described and discussed because in some cases their invisibility creates difficulty particularly where the invisible rules of a game contradict the written rules of a game.

nowhere is the contradiction between written and unwritten rules more visible than in TSO. There are people, including EA corporate representatives, who insist that the terms of service agreement (TOS) for TSO clearly describes the rules for TSO. i don't think this is true. the TOS makes an attempt, in the most awkward and general language possible, to describe the operational rules for TSO. the TOS also describes in much more practiced language the various uses that electronic arts (EA) is happy to make of any personal information, conversation, behavior, and/or any other activities that an end user may say or perform or participate in while under the TSO roof. the TOS, however, does not address any of the invisible rules of this game.

the TOS will fall down eventually fall down because the document was written by corporate lawyers and not by gamers. because it was written by lawyers whose expertise is the law and not gaming, the document does not allow for the operation of the invisible rules of MMORPGs within TSO. one of these invisible rules is that the operational rules are also part of the active game, and are meant, as TSO designer will wright once put it, to be "played". the operational rules are more paintbox than they are handcuffs. the operational rules of TSO were meant to be tools. they were not meant to be enforced like the california vehicle code. the operational rules of TSO were meant to be used to enrich play.

my thought is that EA ought to consider revising the TOS so that it openly accounts for the presence of the invisible rules of MMORPGs. ignorance of, and insensitivity to, the tension between visible and invisible rules, has robbed TSO of part of its potential.

Essay: On Online Artistic Expression

David Pierce recently posted the following essay on Stratics and invited us to repost it here. It's q good read in prep for his upcoming in world production of Waiting for Godot (in tso).

In just one week, Pierce Entertainment, LTD. based in Alphaville will present its latest project, a full-length production of Samuel Beckett's classic play, Waiting for Godot

In light of this performance, I would like to take a moment to discuss the concept of artistic expression in an online venue.

You're probably thinking- why bother making art in an online game? Why not save it for real-life? What's the use in making an artistic statement in a space so transient as a virtual world?

To answer those questions, we might want to look back at the history of artistic expression. When did we begin to see art take form? The answer: as early as people began to populate the world. From the beginning of time, humans have attempted to express themselves artistically through devices that enhance the enjoyment and fulfillment of their lives. They create the wheel, bows and arrows, artistic achievements to improve their lifestyle. Ultimately, they create masterpieces of ingenuity from such basic supplies as stone and wood.

Flash forward to the present. Gaming begins to take hold in one of the most important scientific breakthroughs of the 21st century, the Internet. Thousands of people from computers around the world populate virtual worlds and create "beings" to live in these worlds. They create a society, and from this society they create an online presence. They populate an online world remarkably similar to the real one, one that began with ingenuity, creativity, and survival. In an online world, they start new, they can be anyone they choose to be and do anything they choose to do; the sky is the limit.

And yet, many of them choose only to live exactly the same way as they do in real-life. They learn new skills, which help them to make money, they build their homes, and they fulfill their basic needs.

Don't we have a real world to do that?

The modern world began when man decided to take the rock that had been provided... and chiseled. Rather than to accept the norm, the routine, man took the road less traveled. He created. He chiseled a masterpiece so monumental that his descendents would lead a life vastly different from his.

To create art is to create a world centered not in the mundane, but in the fascinating. To create art in an online world is to stimulate our mind's greatest creations, with the resources available to do so. The most amazing feature of online gaming is the simplest feature of all... imagination. In an online world, we can create freely without the limitation of resources or disability.

So as I prepare to showcase my creation, I will present a challenge to each of you. Find the art you have always wished to realize. Find the imagination you have yearned to release. Stimulate your life, change your world... reinvent the wheel.

David Pierce