[arg_discuss] Re: Communities and resources

[despain at quantumcontent.com]

The problem as I see it is that some of the things developers might
say to each other could inadvertently offend the major player base our
games are aimed at if they are listening in on the conversation.

For example, someone has already said my point of view is "anti-game"
and I have to wonder if that would affect how those players might
interact with any games they knew I was involved in.

Have I shot myself in the foot here?

I took this on because a) I'm not endangering any currently-running
game and b) I'm interested to see how this plays out. I've been
involved in online communities for 14 years, so hashing out
misunderstandings via e-mail doesn't scare me.

But in some ways developers use one language to talk to each other and
another language to talk to players. It's not easy to speak in both at
the same time. I think this mailing list is a really interesting
space, and I'm curious to see how we'll navigate this situation.

Wendy Despain
quantumcontent.com



> Mike, I disagree about the possibility of being able to step back and look
> at the community objectively. It is certainly not easy to do and I fail at
> it as much as I succeed. However, I do think that it is possible and I
> think
> one way to make it easier, is to hear from people, with a variety of
> levels
> of involvement with the community. It is only through hearing/reading
> others
> with different vantage points that we can look at the community from a
> broader level of understanding. That is true whether one is an observer of
> the community, highly involved in the community, or completely unaware of
> the community.
>
> And, you're right, in this forum - a list set up for ARG designers and
> those
> interested in ARGs - we do need to be able to discuss UF and other player
> resources openly and honestly and without fear of making people feel that
> they are attacked. We make games for communities and we need to be able to
> discuss the tools that help the community experience the games - for
> better
> and for worse.
>
> I certainly can't speak for the others as actively involved in the
> community
> as I am, but I am very interested to hear other thoughts and insights,
> whether they conform with my notions or not. I can't promise that I will
> always be objective, but sometimes there is much to be learned from the
> more
> personal and emotional insights.
>
> So, please, do share. And, while I understand your wariness, it's only
> from
> crossing those bridges that we can make them easier to cross in the
> future.
>
>
> (yeah, I notice that I didn't answer any of Colin's questions or offer any
> of my own opinions. It's not something that I can speak clearly on at 3 AM
> ;))
>
>
>
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: arg_discuss-bounces at igda.org [mailto:arg_discuss-bounces at igda.org]
> On
> Behalf Of Michael Monello
> Sent: Friday, March 31, 2006 1:04 AM
> To: Discussion list of the IGDA ARG SIG
> Subject: Re: [arg_discuss] Re: Communities and resources
>
> I have a big long post to add but I am truly wary of posting it at
> this point.
>
> I don't think it is possible to be an active, involved member of the
> UF community and also be able to step back and look at it objectively.
>
> We need to be able to discuss UF and other player resources openly
> and honestly without fear of making people think they are being
> attacked. Every community has it's pluses and minuses, and I do think
> that puppet masters get to see the best and worst of the UF community
> while the UF players are too involved in the game to recognize or see
> this bigger picture.
>
> Best,
>
> Mike
> __________
> haxan | films | http://www.haxan.com
>
>
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