[MUD-Dev] wherefor in-game artists?

[Ola Fosheim Grøstad]

"Richard A. Bartle" <richard at mud.co.uk> writes:
> On 08 September 2004, Ola Fosheim Grostad wrote:

>> I thought you stated in your book that it wasn't meant to be a
>> predictive model.

> The 4-type model can be used to predict how a virtual world will
> react to changes (using the dynamic model), but not how players
> themselves will change over time.

I think maybe I misunderstand what you mean by "can". I'd agree that
the type of model is formulated in a way which lends it towards
prediction. I'd disagree that it has been shown that it is capable
of predicting.

Not that predicting should be a goal. I don't think so, myself.

> The 8-type model doesn't have the dynamic model (well, it has one
> but I haven't figured it out yet!), but it does show how players
> change over time. It's not perfect - players will sometimes get
> stuck, or jump the rails - but it's a start.

Mmm... I would've come up with different patterns, but there you
go. Cannot expect me to be agreeable all the time. (As I have issues
with the 4-type model it probably doesn't come as a surprise that I
have even more issues with the 8-type ;-)

> Although respondents did say what they thought they liked, they
> also said what they thought other people liked. This debate lasted

Yes, respondents often do that, even when you ask about what they do
themselves. Usually I'd consider that as a problem. Talking about
what others do, or framing your own actions as "normal", seems to be
some kind of protection against talking about things that make the
individual vulnerable. I think.

> several months, and there wasn't a consensus at any point during
> it.

Right, public discussions can polarize positions. MUD-Dev is a good
case.

> I agree that if I'd set out to obtain data systematically I would
> have done things differently (actually, I wouldn't have started as
> I find the process of doing that kind of thing intensely tedious).

I am not complaining about the data. Data are always flawed. All
indirect information (interview, questionaires and so on) will be
biased. I just want to understand what was "measured".

> However, I didn't set out to write a paper about player types;
> that just came when I tried to summarise the debate after it had
> run its course.

I don't think that is a problem either. You probably factored in
your own ingame observations in the summary? I think it would be
difficult not to.

--
Ola - http://folk.uio.no/olag/
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