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The Game Archaeologist spins A Tale in the Desert: The highlights
Readers of the ever-so-humble Game Archaeologist will recall that earlier this year I had the opportunity to exchange informative words with Dr. Richard Bartle, the creator of MUD. Since he was -- and is -- a highly opinionated designer, I asked him what he thought was the most innovative MMO from the last decade. The answer was short and succinct. "A Tale in the Desert, he replied, then added: "Note that 'innovative' doesn't necessarily mean 'successful.'" Right there is the crux of ATITD's unique position in the MMO industry. Instead of storming down a path well-traveled, it took a machete and made its own trail -- a trail down which few have followed. As Jef recently noted in Some Assembly Required, it is an "odd duck" of a game, skewing as far away from combat as possible to focus on two often-neglected aspects of MMOs: crafting and politics. Even though its population has pegged it as an eternally niche game, it's proven that constant fighting isn't the only thing that can draw an online community together. This week we're going to look at some of the more unique features of this innovative yet diminutive MMO, which began telling its tale back in 2003.
Anti-Aliased: Crime and punishment in MMOs
You're grinding in World of Warcraft's Stranglethorn Vale (voted most ganktastic by our friends at WoW Insider) when a level 70 druid finds it hilarious to moonfire your lowbie buttocks and camp your corpse for the next eight hours. You're grinding in Lineage II when suddenly someone completely rips you apart with Demon Sword Zariche, and the proceeds to do it over and over again. Face of Mankind players saw the days of other players killing player character police officers "just because it was fun and easy". Final Fantasy XI players dealt with the controversy of monster player killing, known as an MPK. Diablo had the problem of people raising you, killing you, raising you, killing you, raising you, killing you, raising you, killing you... I think you got the point.Griefing is a problem in MMOs -- a very big problem. As more users enter our wonderful worlds of fantasy and intrigue, more and more of them think it's hilarious to make others suffer and waste time. So why is this phenomenon occuring, and what can developers do about it?
Federal judge caught playing solitaire during a trial
We'll abstain from the card-related puns. On last Saturday, the New York Daily News reported that Manhattan Federal Court Judge Shira Scheindlin, was busy playing computer solitaire while overseeing the case against John "Junior" Gotti. The allegation comes from radio host Curtis Silwa, who noticed her gaming habits while testifying on the witness stand. Silwa was almost killed at a 1992 shooting that Gotti is accused of planning. Silwa said he has seen Scheindlin gaming during the last two trials, but did not speak up "until Scheindlin dumped cold water on the government's third try" to convict the mobster. Silwa is asking that Scheindlin should step down from the case. Mayor Bloomberg in February fired a low-paid office worker after spying a game of Solitaire left on the person's desktop. It'll be interesting to see how a high-paid judge with political clout is reprimanded (if at all) for her in-trial shenanigans.[Thanks, Harold]
