Another Perfect World?

Another Perfect World?

Wow! I've just watched a programme on the TV channel More 4 called 'Another Perfect World?' basically it is about online gaming, and I really wish that it came out a few months ago when I was studying this kind of thing. But I'm posting now out of genuine amazement in the program and seeing just how deep, confusing and big these 'worlds' that are created online are.

I think its right to use to word 'world' when talking about MMOs, people actually live in these places spending more time there than in the real world, they have their own currencies and economy's, one in particular 'EVE Online' has its own countries. There's even a hypothetical Decleration of Rights for Avatars which can be found at; http://www.raphkoster.com/gaming/playerrights.shtml. I'm amazed and quite embarassed when I was looking at all of this stuff I commented on the graphics and how big the games where (this can all be found on my blog... if your interested) but I totally missed all of these aspects of the games, I realise now that these aern't games that you play they're worlds that you live in. I still think that the whole idea of living in an online world is flawed but its an interesting phonomenon non the less, having played a few of the games mentioned in the program I understand what they are talking about.

It's hard to explain but the power especially in MMOs is with the stronger players, just because they are the biggest or the strongest it doesn't make them the best people to lead a country, you wouldn't make Ricky Hatton prime minister (even though he's an absolute legend) just because he can throw a hard punch. So what you end up with is nothing more than a tribal society where the strongest man is king. But what a found most amazing is how the program showed a revolt on a game called 'Lineage' where all of the weaker players revolted together against the bigger players who ruled the world. This just shows however that these aern't games they're places where people live out lives different to their own, maybe it's possible to create a society online that is perfect and we can all live in it like the Matrix. Who knows personally I can't think of anything worse but it could happen, I enjoy gaming and like the idea of MMOs creating a character that represents me and roaming around with a cool sword doing quests, things that I can't do in the real world but not totally living in the world.

For me its a game not a world but things are very different for other people, but if thats what they want to do. Very interesting and brilliant show though.