From: kinsman@jupiter.sun.csd.unb.ca (Aphoriel/Kinsman)
Subject: Re: God Conference on Player's Rights
Organization: University of New Brunswick
Distribution: rec.games.mud, rec.games.mud.lp, rec.games.mud.misc
Date: Wed, 6 Jan 1993 18:50:15 GMT

In article <C0G1wF.74M@uxa.ecn.bgu.edu> msjle@uxa.ecn.bgu.edu (Joi L. Ellis) writes:
>johnm@cajal.uoregon.edu (John Martin) writes:
>
>>As the god of Singlenesia, I have given much thought to the subject of
>>players' rights.  I have spoken with other gods who share my concerns.  The
>>recent postings concerning the Quicksilver virus on Furry reinforce my belief
>>that this is a topic of urgent concern for us all.
>[snip]
>>The goal of the conference will be to draft a general "player's bill of rights"
>>of sorts. This document would be developed by the attendees and will be posted
>>in these newsgroups, along with the names of the gods (and their muds) who agree
>>to implement the document in their worlds.
>[snip]
>>Players are also welcome. When the time and date are set, a notice will be
>>posted here to that effect. The conference will be open to spectators.
>>However, due to the expected number of people, players will be non-participant
>>observers and will watch from a spectators' room.  It is hoped that players
>>will provide more specific feedback to the gods and wizards of their own
>>worlds.
>
>Why are you EXCLUDING the PLAYERS!?  THEY are the ones who are directly
>affected by any policy decisions you make.  Who do you think you are to
>exlude the very people you are directly affecting?  This is like a bunch
>of whites getting together to dicide what rights they're going to allow
>the minorities to have.  
>
>I hope I never find  myself on one of your muds!
>
>>                -Zalcor@Singlenesia
>>                 singlenesia@cajal.uoregon.edu
>>-- 
>>John Martin                                        johnm@cajal.uoregon.edu
>>Institute of Neuroscience,   University of Oregon,    Eugene, OR,    97402
>-- 
>Joi Ellis                      msjle@uxa.ecn.bgu.edu
>Student Residential Programs   Western Illinois University
>

As creators and administrators of their MUD, they are the ones in charge and
do in fact have the right to determine the rights of players. (I believe 
Raistlin of Darker Realms has some good points about this a few days ago.)

We are not being excluded.  If you wish to make some points about the rights
of players, go to the gods and wizards of your specific mud, as he suggests.

Your comments seem to imply you consider MUD players to be somehow 'oppressed'.
This is not quite true.  The conference is not here to semi-liberate chained
players, but rather to take the priveliges (sp?) players have been given and
make rulings to lock and secure them so that players can claim that their
vr characters are being violated without fear of being merely dismissed.

I do have a suggestion, though.  Points may come up during the conference
which I might wish to comment on, those points not having been made during
personal conversations with my own gods and wizards.  Would it not be
simple and inobtrusive programming to give each of the (likely numerous)
spectators a like/dislike buzzer?  This would likely give the conference    
at atmosphere similar to the French Revolution (angry roaring crowds drowning
out the elegant positings of the aristocracy and all that) but this archaic
from of democracy would likely be better that sitting in the spectator room
and hoping to God the wizards aren't really going to go through with what
they're chatting about in there...

-Aphoriel/Kinsman
-Sean Givan
-'Sean' on Nightmare (orlith.bates.edu 2999)

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