<!-- MHonArc v2.4.4 --> <!--X-Subject: Re: [MUD-Dev] Administrative Responsibilities --> <!--X-From-R13: [vxr Eryyref <zvxrNbayvar-nypurzl.pbz> --> <!--X-Date: Tue, 03 Feb 1998 19:34:15 +0000 --> <!--X-Message-Id: 3.0.32.19980203112821.00718de8@online-alchemy.com --> <!--X-Content-Type: text/plain --> <!--X-Head-End--> <!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 3.2//EN"> <html> <head> <title>MUD-Dev message, Re: [MUD-Dev] Administrative Responsibilities</title> <!-- meta name="robots" content="noindex,nofollow" --> <link rev="made" href="mailto:mike#online-alchemy,com"> </head> <body background="/backgrounds/paperback.gif" bgcolor="#ffffff" text="#000000" link="#0000FF" alink="#FF0000" vlink="#006000"> <font size="+4" color="#804040"> <strong><em>MUD-Dev<br>mailing list archive</em></strong> </font> <br> [ <a href="../">Other Periods</a> | <a href="../../">Other mailing lists</a> | <a href="/search.php3">Search</a> ] <br clear=all><hr> <!--X-Body-Begin--> <!--X-User-Header--> <!--X-User-Header-End--> <!--X-TopPNI--> Date: [ <a href="msg00378.html">Previous</a> | <a href="msg00380.html">Next</a> ] Thread: [ <a href="msg00378.html">Previous</a> | <a href="msg00370.html">Next</a> ] Index: [ <A HREF="author.html#00379">Author</A> | <A HREF="#00379">Date</A> | <A HREF="thread.html#00379">Thread</A> ] <!--X-TopPNI-End--> <!--X-MsgBody--> <!--X-Subject-Header-Begin--> <H1>Re: [MUD-Dev] Administrative Responsibilities</H1> <HR> <!--X-Subject-Header-End--> <!--X-Head-of-Message--> <UL> <LI><em>To</em>: <A HREF="mailto:mud-dev#null,net">mud-dev#null,net</A></LI> <LI><em>Subject</em>: Re: [MUD-Dev] Administrative Responsibilities</LI> <LI><em>From</em>: Mike Sellers <<A HREF="mailto:mike#online-alchemy,com">mike#online-alchemy,com</A>></LI> <LI><em>Date</em>: Tue, 03 Feb 1998 11:30:27 -0800</LI> </UL> <!--X-Head-of-Message-End--> <!--X-Head-Body-Sep-Begin--> <HR> <!--X-Head-Body-Sep-End--> <!--X-Body-of-Message--> <PRE> At 02:45 AM 2/2/98 PST8PDT, Greg Munt wrote: >You suggest that to comply with my demands (yes, they *are* demands - >explained later) an administrator must decide between not opening the >mud, or giving it to someone else. > >I do not agree that these are the only options. Even the geekiest of >coders has a social conscience, and a sense of morality. Are you sure? I think you assume a degree of social and moral refinement, not to mention maturity, that is unwarranted. All admins may have *some* sense of social conscience and morality, but that in no way ensures that theirs is at all developed, that they understand and listen to their internal compass, or that their sense of these things agrees with yours in the smallest degree. Sadly, I am speaking from all-too direct experience. >The >legitimisation of harassment and victimisation is immoral. It also has a >huge potential to damage the society. My solution: outlaw such activities. >Deal with aggressors in a predetermined manner. If the administrator is >incapable of dealing with social problems, they should delegate their >responsibilities. How do you mean "outlaw"? You mean using real-world law, or somehow standardizing all internal mud laws? Either way, your option appears ludicrously draconian. And as for dealing with aggressors in a predetermined manner, how do you propose to do this? You cannot enumerage all of the various possibilities and nuances that go on between aggressor and victim, even assuming you can identify two such parties (often you can't). >You also say that I cannot demand that administrators assume these >responsibilities. Again, I disagree. Demanding that administrators act >responsibly is not putting my desires ahead of those of others; for, >attempting to prevent harassment and victimisation benefits the society >that has developed within the mud. And what if you're running a MUD that is trying to recreate a society similar to an ancient Klingon, Kurgish, or Kzinish society? Maybe the admins *want* their mud (or even just parts of it) to be truly merciless, not just mock-merciless. That's their choice -- they run the MUD. If you don't like it, don't go there. There's an old saying in the US, "freedom of the press belongs to him what has one." I think there's a similar idea here: you cannot control what you do not own, and you do not own the muds you are on as a player. >A 'safe' society aids in satisfying this goal: "We aim to encourage all >users to have as much fun as they can, providing that this fun does not >detrimentally affect that of others." This sounds like HobbitonMUD to me. Or maybe SmurfMUD. I agree that rampant aggression should not be encouraged or enabled in any MUD I would want to play on. OTOH, I do not favor eliminating PK or using any other heavy-handed, draconian, even parental measures to achieve this end. The top-down method of ensuring societal harmony does not work (except maybe in Singapore, where there is the small matter of real-world personal freedoms and privacy to consider); it has to be built into the world and arise from the bottom up. -- Mike Sellers Chief Alchemist -- Online Alchemy mike#online-alchemy,com "One of the most difficult tasks men can perform, however much others may despise it, is the invention of good games. And it cannot be done by men out of touch with their instinctive values." - Carl Jung </PRE> <!--X-Body-of-Message-End--> <!--X-MsgBody-End--> <!--X-Follow-Ups--> <HR> <!--X-Follow-Ups-End--> <!--X-References--> <!--X-References-End--> <!--X-BotPNI--> <UL> <LI>Prev by Date: <STRONG><A HREF="msg00378.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] Administrative Responsibilities</A></STRONG> </LI> <LI>Next by Date: <STRONG><A HREF="msg00380.html">Ada?</A></STRONG> </LI> <LI>Prev by thread: <STRONG><A HREF="msg00378.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] Administrative Responsibilities</A></STRONG> </LI> <LI>Next by thread: <STRONG><A HREF="msg00370.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] OT: Following in the footsteps of JCL</A></STRONG> </LI> <LI>Index(es): <UL> <LI><A HREF="index.html#00379"><STRONG>Date</STRONG></A></LI> <LI><A HREF="thread.html#00379"><STRONG>Thread</STRONG></A></LI> </UL> </LI> </UL> <!--X-BotPNI-End--> <!--X-User-Footer--> <!--X-User-Footer-End--> <ul><li>Thread context: <BLOCKQUOTE><UL> <LI><STRONG>Ada?</STRONG>, <EM>(continued)</EM> <ul compact> <LI><strong><A NAME="00382" HREF="msg00382.html">Ada?</A></strong>, Andrew C.M. McClintock <a href="mailto:andrewm#tiger,hsc.edu">andrewm#tiger,hsc.edu</a>, Tue 03 Feb 1998, 20:06 GMT <UL> <LI><strong><A NAME="00386" HREF="msg00386.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] Ada?</A></strong>, Jon Leonard <a href="mailto:jleonard#divcom,umop-ap.com">jleonard#divcom,umop-ap.com</a>, Tue 03 Feb 1998, 23:26 GMT </LI> </UL> </LI> </ul> </LI> <LI><strong><A NAME="00376" HREF="msg00376.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] Administrative Responsibilities</A></strong>, Chris Gray <a href="mailto:cg#ami-cg,GraySage.Edmonton.AB.CA">cg#ami-cg,GraySage.Edmonton.AB.CA</a>, Tue 03 Feb 1998, 07:21 GMT <UL> <li><Possible follow-up(s)><br> <LI><strong><A NAME="00378" HREF="msg00378.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] Administrative Responsibilities</A></strong>, Mike Sellers <a href="mailto:mike#online-alchemy,com">mike#online-alchemy,com</a>, Tue 03 Feb 1998, 19:33 GMT </LI> <LI><strong><A NAME="00379" HREF="msg00379.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] Administrative Responsibilities</A></strong>, Mike Sellers <a href="mailto:mike#online-alchemy,com">mike#online-alchemy,com</a>, Tue 03 Feb 1998, 19:34 GMT </LI> </UL> </LI> <LI><strong><A NAME="00370" HREF="msg00370.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] OT: Following in the footsteps of JCL</A></strong>, Chris Gray <a href="mailto:cg#ami-cg,GraySage.Edmonton.AB.CA">cg#ami-cg,GraySage.Edmonton.AB.CA</a>, Mon 02 Feb 1998, 03:40 GMT <UL> <LI><strong><A NAME="00371" HREF="msg00371.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] OT: Following in the footsteps of JCL</A></strong>, coder <a href="mailto:coder#ibm,net">coder#ibm,net</a>, Mon 02 Feb 1998, 07:38 GMT </LI> </UL> </LI> <LI><strong><A NAME="00367" HREF="msg00367.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] Administrative Responsibilities</A></strong>, Chris Gray <a href="mailto:cg#ami-cg,GraySage.Edmonton.AB.CA">cg#ami-cg,GraySage.Edmonton.AB.CA</a>, Sun 01 Feb 1998, 18:19 GMT <UL> <LI><strong><A NAME="00372" HREF="msg00372.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] Administrative Responsibilities</A></strong>, Greg Munt <a href="mailto:greg#uni-corn,demon.co.uk">greg#uni-corn,demon.co.uk</a>, Mon 02 Feb 1998, 10:36 GMT </LI> </UL> </LI> </UL></BLOCKQUOTE> </ul> <hr> <center> [ <a href="../">Other Periods</a> | <a href="../../">Other mailing lists</a> | <a href="/search.php3">Search</a> ] </center> <hr> </body> </html>