[MUD-Dev] Criminalize Community Volunteers?

[Madrona Tree]

----- Original Message -----
From: "Koster, Raph" <rkoster at verant.com>
To: <mud-dev at kanga.nu>
Sent: Wednesday, September 06, 2000 8:27 AM
Subject: RE: [MUD-Dev] Criminalize Community Volunteers?


> I think your math is off by at least a factor of four in terms of number
> of volunteers; you're also not counting the (considerably higher than
> minimum wage) cost of supervisors for all those people.

Surely (egads - hopefully!) there are supervisors for the counselor program
now?  Or are they unpaid too?


> Well, of course they do build customer service in. Just they happen
> to use the volunteer model (which is far from being without costs,
> of course).

.. which I disagree with.  You're talking like this is -- ordinary.  I
don't think it's ordinary at all.  Can you name one other non-computer
related industry (academics isn't an industry :)) that uses the 'volunteer
model' of customer service?


[snip costs]
>So now you have $1 million in profit a month.
>
> If you chop out an additional $600,000, you're now down to a
> profit margin below 25%. And if that happens, well, companies
> won't make MMORPGs.

And you are sure that you cannot trim that 60% of profits drained down to
40% or even 25% without using free labor?  I'm not unhappy with their
wanting to make a fair margin -- that's what they're there for.  I'm unhappy
with the fact that companies believe that the only way they can provide
adequate customer service is by using free labor.

You guys are *so smart* and *so innovative* that you make up this whole new
industry ... but you can't figure out how to provide (comparitively) low
cost, effective customer service?  Bah - I don't buy it.  And if it is true,
perhaps you need to outsource it, or hire a Customer Service Program
Developer, or something.


[snip interesting article]

> Basically, my fear would be that if the entire MMORPG industry
> suddenly has to cut their profits in half, that you're going to see
> a lot less [publishers].  As it is, the [publishers] have to have deep
> pockets.  (cf some of Jessica Mulligan's articles on Biting the Hand
> about that).

Maybe.  However, I don't think that just because the first generation of
MMORPGs set their price point at $9.95 means that all followers have to.
Perhaps UO could keep its price at $9.95 and UO2 (or whatever they're
calling it now) can be $12.95 ... and let folks choose if they want to keep
their tower and play the game with the dated graphics, or play the next game
for only $3 more.  Or something.


Madrona Tree.



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