The Dark Side of Sims

[the_gneech]

Snagged from libertarianism:

Blood on the Virtual Carpet: Tempers Flare as 'Editor' is Thrown Out of Online Town With 80,000 Inhabitants

Why does the phrase "get outta Dodge" seem appropriate, here?

-The Gneech

Comments

[kelloggs2066.livejournal.com]

Gah...

Sims Online sounds exactly like the sort of distopia I'd rather avoid. :p

Scott

[level-head.livejournal.com]

It is sadly reminiscent of the book "Garden of Rama" -- wherein an international population of humans is invited to settle in an ideal environment aboard a giant spacecraft.

Slums developed in short order, and slumlord, gang lords, crime lords -- it was science fiction, but saddening to read. Rather than the 23rd century, it was last night's news.

This article is not encouraging.

===|==============/ Level Head

Life in...

[inner-linbo.livejournal.com]

a Company Town.

If you start rabble rousing (or unionizing) don't expect the company to keep selling you food and letting you live in their housing, even at company rates.

[trpeal.livejournal.com]

That's nuts! But fascinating at the same time.

Frank Zappa once said "The meek may inherit the Earth, but it will be interesting to see how long they will be able to hold onto it," and TSO and Alphaville seem to me to be an example of what happens when there are no incentives for being meek, and no punishments for not being meek.

What was the response to this article in the group you snagged it from?

[the-gneech.livejournal.com]

What was the response to this article in the group you snagged it from?

Mostly the same one you had. :)

-The Gneech

[koogrr.livejournal.com]

Quite interesting, now I know why a lot of the There players identify themselves as TSO refugees. Certainly seems like a place to escape. Of course, many of the same elements want to set up.

[rowyn]

I think what amuses me most about this is that Maxis wrote the code. You'd think, if they didn't want this sort of thing to happen, that they'd set up the code so it wasn't possible, or at least so that people were adequately incentivized by the game not to do it.

And yet, here they are, clumsily trying to fix things with "human law" by imposing individual penalties, what they should fix by "natural law" -- making the game just not allow people to steal from each other, for example.

Some folks never learn. >:)

Virtual worlds...

[agtiger.livejournal.com]

Virtual worlds have no real consequences. All you can do is unplug people and let them suffer cold turkey withdrawl from their addiction, and in far too many cases, it IS addiction.

Because this is the only consequence, and as the article noted, those banned find ways back in, it's really no consequence at all in the long run.

Actions without natural consequences tends to bring out the worst in us.

I'm really not that surprised, nor am I ever interested in visiting that world. I have other more interesting things to do.