Post by Morreion on Dec 8, 2009 8:35:08 GMT -5
Accountability System for Dynamic World MMOGs (Thats A Terrible Idea)
The clearest example of accountability in MMOs that comes to my mind is the murder system in UO. Yes, you could kill any other player you wanted to in UO, but you'd be flagged as a murderer; your avatar would be bright red, other people knew you were a PK'er and could kill you with impunity, and town guards would kill you on sight. This produced a system where you had freedom to do what you wanted, but there were consequences to certain actions that affected your gameplay. Of course players could use alts to get around the consequences part, so it was not perfect. But accountability can turn a virtual world into a framework where choices matter as opposed to a free-for-all Lord Of The Flies slaughterfest. Approved PvP could happen through guild wars, even in towns where the guards would ignore 2 guilds fighting because they were officially at war.
A more classic example would be the Alignment system in D&D. A Neutral Thief and a Lawful Good Cleric had very different action frameworks. Alignment guided a character in the options that they had. Divine intervention from the gods could hang over the heads of those who blatantly flouted this system (in other words, watch your step).
Accountability and moral agency are tightly bound. If we can be held accountable for our actions, we have the capacity to make moral decisions and be held to moral standards. We want the morality of actions to make a difference in what a player chooses to do when he interacts with others.
Societies in online games take on much of the morality of the real-world society in which the game is played. The effect of morality is deadened significantly in online games, though, leading to plenty of negative, uncooperative behavior that leads to undue pain and suffering.
Active morality promotes social order and cooperation, which, in general, leads to a much better social experience and a more enjoyable gameplay experience. In order for morality to matter in the game world, though, there needs to be accountability. Actions taken against (or with) other players need to have consequences, positive or negative, in order for the morality of those actions to matter to the player. Consequences cannot be enforced by players without knowledge of the precedent action.
Societies in online games take on much of the morality of the real-world society in which the game is played. The effect of morality is deadened significantly in online games, though, leading to plenty of negative, uncooperative behavior that leads to undue pain and suffering.
Active morality promotes social order and cooperation, which, in general, leads to a much better social experience and a more enjoyable gameplay experience. In order for morality to matter in the game world, though, there needs to be accountability. Actions taken against (or with) other players need to have consequences, positive or negative, in order for the morality of those actions to matter to the player. Consequences cannot be enforced by players without knowledge of the precedent action.
The clearest example of accountability in MMOs that comes to my mind is the murder system in UO. Yes, you could kill any other player you wanted to in UO, but you'd be flagged as a murderer; your avatar would be bright red, other people knew you were a PK'er and could kill you with impunity, and town guards would kill you on sight. This produced a system where you had freedom to do what you wanted, but there were consequences to certain actions that affected your gameplay. Of course players could use alts to get around the consequences part, so it was not perfect. But accountability can turn a virtual world into a framework where choices matter as opposed to a free-for-all Lord Of The Flies slaughterfest. Approved PvP could happen through guild wars, even in towns where the guards would ignore 2 guilds fighting because they were officially at war.
A more classic example would be the Alignment system in D&D. A Neutral Thief and a Lawful Good Cleric had very different action frameworks. Alignment guided a character in the options that they had. Divine intervention from the gods could hang over the heads of those who blatantly flouted this system (in other words, watch your step).
