Being the *commercial-free* adventures of a bluff and hearty Irish Hobo as he transits the perils and pitfalls of existence in various places in Second Life. PROUDLY RPing or NOT RPing with Grownups since 2006! (more or less)
"Riamh Nar Dhruid O Spairn Iann"
An orrery is a mechanical device that illustrates the relative positions and motions of the planets and moons in the solar system in a heliocentric model. They are typically driven by a large clockwork mechanism with a globe representing the Sun at the center, and with a planet at the end of each of the arms. YHN has been puttering about with rotation scripts lately, for no particular reason (ostensibly, to create a working Zoetrope, but that is a subject for a later post). YHN, in RL, is a fan of ancient navigation and mathematical measuring and calculating devices. He has several Slide Rules, two working sextants (and yes, he can navigate with them, given sufficient time, Chapman's Piloting, and decent calibration), and several lovingly handmade sundials. There is something charming about ancient mathematic devices-- functional, to be sure, but also made with an eye for beauty and opulance.
YHN is, alas, never going to be considered a world class builder, but he likes to putter about now and then on projects of interest, and as he is currently reading a novel where measurements of reality factor into the plot repeatedly (ANATHEM, our Second Life secret library choice, and an excellent story), he got to thinking about Orrerys lately.
This is still fairly crude. It requires a sun to go in the center axis of rotation and for the planets themselves to rotate (as well as making the arms tidy up a bit, they are too fat). But I wanted to get the general motion down, and I'm pleased with the result.
YHN's hobo friend and RL and SL Space Advocate Rocket Sellers introduced him to Spindrift the other night, as she was hosting a YADE at that excellent space, science and science-fiction themed collection of sims. At some point in the conversation, Ringworlds were mentioned, and I expressed an interest in the series, having read all of them (some of them more than once). Someone mentioned "Oh yeah, we have a ringworld." Snort. Splutter. "You DO? How? Where?"
One would have to be conversant in the series to understand my credulity.. let's just say the Ringworld from the Larry Niven novels is a very hard concept to grasp as a SL object. Some things are just too large to model in a virtual world, no matter how clever a builder you are. If you have never heard of the series "Ringworld", follow that wiki link and browse for a second to grasp just how big a Ringworld is. Consider it a meaty slice taken from a Dyson Sphere.
Coordinates were provided, and YHN popped in to examine an interpretation of a Ringworld in Second Life.
As you might make out, the Ringworld is miniaturized, and horizontally inclined, versus the vertical inclination to the viewer in the novels. I suspect that this was the only way to represent much of a Ringworld visually would be to display it in this fashion. There's just too much to show. The sim architects simulate this sense of scale by miniaturizing the ringworld and making the astonishing landscape a repeating texture that stretches all the way aroung it.
Most of the viewing takes place at (more humanly scaled) platform in the center, which is a sort of museum/homage to the series itself, trying to show elements of the Ringworld's composition to the casual visitor. The Ringworld itself is a large phantom prime collection that intersects the platform for closer viewing of its components. All general hulls, including the tiny one used for space messages and the gigantic one used as a space liner are mentioned. There were also several displays that attempted to show the vast differences in scale.
Jimbo's Ringworld quite an achievement in Second Life, and quite a compliment to Mr. Niven and his series. YHN is doubly thankful he didn't run into any rogue Kzinti while he was exploring).
The following is a generalized outline for posted rules of the road for Iron Melee and future scenario-based battles to be held in and around the waters of Lilliput and Artificial Isle. I worked these out with Zatzai and solicited input from all naval leaders (except the mystery Commodore from Caledon, whom I have not yet met), and all agreed with the common sense “act like an adult” approach. In the interests of full disclosure, Here’s what we’re going to be posting.
Suggestions & Guidelines for Combat Events in Artificial Isle
These guidelines are designed to facilitate a fun and successful combat event that many people can take advantage of with common-sense rules and thoughtful enforcement. It is not our wish to become “rule Nazis” or to make things so structured that they become impossible to enjoy. We ask that one exercise common sense, follow these guidelines and not constantly push boundaries as that is not a game we are willing to play. An individual will be on hand at official events to oversee, interpret and enforce these guidelines as best for the group as well as run the event in question.
Non-combatants need to stay in designated viewing areas and not interfere with those engaged in combat. Should an individual engaged in combat get knocked out via their destruction in the game, they automatically become a non-combatant until the next round and must move to a viewing area.
Sportsmanlike conduct is a must, while good natured ribbing is allowed and even encouraged, malicious and abusive remarks will not be tolerated. What constitutes fun and humor and what abuse is at the discretion of the event organizer who has the ability to enforce compliance via the power to eject, and/or ban an individual from the area if the situation calls for it, after having been given fair warning.
Examples of Unsportsmanlike behavior
Re-engaging in combat before the round has ended and after having been knocked out.
Shooting, blocking, or otherwise disrupting the event for ongoing participants.
Using weapons or implements not authorized for use in the event.
Using gimped or otherwise overpowered vehicles and weapons.
Hovering over, or “editing” a vehicle involved in the event.
Tantrums, argumentative, or otherwise childish behavior.
Respect the combat area, and combat time frames. Your event organizer will inform the group where combat may occur and at what time combat may begin as well as when it must end. Do not engage in combat outside the combat zone and should an organizer tell you to hold fire, then do so immediately (Regardless of what others may be doing).
Some events are more structured than others (Such as scenario driven events), if so the event organizer will inform the participants and the non-combatants of those guidelines which go on top of and/or supersede those listed here (These may include no flying, traversing from one point to another, or etc). Please stay within the guidelines of these more structured events as they are planned out in advance to serve a larger purpose than simply what happens on one particular night.
Some events will have team leaders, in such situations make sure you know which team you’re on and you are properly identifying that to others (Such as wearing the team colors or flag). Also be sure to follow the instructions of your assigned team leader to the best of your ability (Should you have one).
If you have a problem with an event, or a participant’s behavior in an event please inform the event organizer. Though also please understand that we may be unable to address your issue until after the night’s event has come to a close.
Our goal is to have a fun and relaxed event, be it structured or unstructured that people will remember and want to come back to. We hope that you can join us in this desire within these guidelines.
In which YHN opines on YADEs and Differentiation....
Dancing is an ubiquitous part of virtual life in Second Life. Literally, every night, somewhere, an average socially active avatar might expect between one and five invitations to an event that features avatars perched on dance balls gamboling about in complex gyrations as we all listen to streamed and sometimes live music. For the vast majority of Second Life customers, this activity represents the primary focus of social activity-- virtual clubs, virtual ballrooms, virtual pubs, virtual bars, virtual beach parties, all playing music, all with roughly the same dance poses (a want that greatly needs filling in Second Life.. what is with the standard dance pose balls, already?).
The vast majority of YADEs (Yet Another Dancing Event, as I've heard them called) follow roughly the same pattern-- streaming music starts, people show up, stand on dance balls, and witty banter ensues. There may be a host present encouraging us to "show the DJ some love." There may be some extracurricular event featured, like a "sploder ball," the Second Life equivalent of half and half fundraisers) or some form of contest designed to reward an individual or a couple present. The YADE may be formal, with dance cards reserving partners for the duration of the event For the most part, however, YADEs conform to the same old, same old concept of people showing up to stand on dance balls, listen to music and talk.
And why not? We aren't really dancing, are we? What we are really doing is engaging in a shared musical experience and socializing, with an emphasis on the latter. Avatars don't like to be alone in Second Life communities, for the most part. This is not universally true, of course. YHN knows a few virtual agoraphobics, but most avatars tend to cluster along the lines of shared communal interests, and they tend to choose the safest definitions of such, every time. Dancing is a very safe form of socializing that doesn't threaten any avatar's comfort zone. We know what is expected of us (stand on the ball, tip the DJ, tip the establishment, tip the host.. sigh) and make funny remarks (if you know the crowd assembled) or gallant remarks (if you are at a formal event), or just crack wise. Even just shut up and listen.
Allow YHN to preface the next two paragraphs by stating that given the opportunity to practice and the proper venue, he can be quite a dancer. Yes, there actually was a time when YHN was often to be seen engaging in a RL activity called "Swing Dancing", without even having a pressing need to impress a female with his suave demeanor and twinkling toes-- he did it solely for fun. So YHN is not against the notion of dancing as such. It's a fun, fun activity.
However, what is an all-too-rare treat in RL becomes an everyday affair in SL-- and what is commonplace, becomes tired with repetition, no matter how sparkling the bon vivants at the YADE might be. In many communities I belong to, there is literally an exhortation to come dance that is as reliable as the call to prayer from the muezzin. These are regularly occurring YADEs that are part of a recurring schedule. There's a reason for this-- the proliferation of virtual pubs, bars, clubs, beach cabanas, tree-houses, art factories, love-caves, floating sky-dance platforms, pavilions, and etc. are competing for the same commodity-- people to show up. People that show up tend to tip, and the tips are often the sole revenue stream for the pub owners. Let us not be mealy-mouthed here-- there is absolutely nothing greedy or wrong-headed about making a living in Second Life. Instead of providing some object made of prims, a pub owner has constructed an experience for customers to enjoy. There SHOULD be a dollar value attached to this, it's hard work. YHN never begrudged anyone that-- he always tips, even when experiencing a money belt light on golden sovereigns.
So, if the owner of a venue is selling an experience instead of a thing, then perhaps he or she should take a life lesson from Marketing; Product Differentiation. All to often, virtually everywhere I go in virtual life, venue owners are offering the SAME thing. The same experience as the last place I've been-- the people may be different, but the essentials are still there, time after time after time-- dance balls, people, music. Conversation. All well and good, if you fancy vanilla ice cream. For those of us in a Neapolitan mood, the YADE experience begins to pale after the 200th repetition. I wish that was an exaggeration, but it isn't. Some of us, (well, okay, me) crave differentiation. We live in a world where almost anything could happen (prim count and lag permitting). Yet a typical night at the club is, once again, people standing pose balls, listening to music, talking..
Salvador Dali used to complain that there wasn't enough surrealism in the world. He said it was a shame that when you went to a restaurant and ordered a nice piece of fish the waiter never brought you a flaming phone book. While most people recoil from anything out of the ordinary, Dali reveled in the surreal. He knew the unusual made life more interesting, memorable and worthwhile. If you have read YHN's profile blurb, you'll note he sets great store in this philosophy. Second Life could be that flaming phonebook. if you want it to be. What if, at the next YADE you attend, instead of another night of standing on dance balls and trading quips, a herd of wild rhinosceri invaded the dance floor, and attempted a freeform gambado? Or there were landmines under the dance floor? Or the floor slowly tilted everyone on it into a pool of hot magma? Or giant Raiders of the Lost Ark style stone balls were rolling around unexpectedly? Now that's some kind of market differentiation, there! What if that was tied into an activity-- something other than betting or 'sploder balls? There are so many directions a venue owner could go with the colorful palette of Second Life. All too often, we paint in monochrome.
Disclaimer: the above is an opinion of a grump that probably has been hanging out in Second Life far to long for his own good. There are many Sim communities that take a big interest in differentiation-- the community I live in makes a veritable religion out of YADE themes, for instance-- but far too frequently, it's another week of same old and same old.
"A person's heart and mind are in chaos. Concentration on one thing makes the mind pure. If one aspires to reach the Tao, one should practice walking in a circle." - Taoist Canon
YHN was approached by Mr. Iason Hasanov the other evening, who bashfully asked "would you mind terribly becoming an action figure for Caledon? It's for RFL?"
Now, that's a question one doesn't normally get every day. When Mr. Hasanov explained that he was creating abstract figures as pieces of prim art, depicting people in Caledon, I was charmed and delighted he would ask your humble correspondent. Of course I agreed.
Tonight, Iason revealed THE HOTSPUR ACTION FIGURE... figure holds a telescope, and miniature monitor style ironclad. What a perfect depiction.
I'm awestruck, and very honored to be the subject of this.
Thank you, Iason, I am truly touched. For details on the collection, See Eva Bellambi's recent post on the Realm of the Red Rose.
The Action Figures are for sale at Caledon Loch Avie's GIANT RFL area, at the end of the rail line. At 100 Lindens a piece, you can easily afford to buy the entire set.
We held a classic IRON MELEE on Thursday night at Port Merrimac. Just to try out a little structure, we divided participants more or less equally: Red flags to New Babbage and Armada, Blue flags to a polyglot of Wraths, SNS, and a local chap showing some fight.
Three Rounds of combat were held Round One had the Red Team clustering at Gregory Light and Blue attacking, Round two the same but with reversed color assignments, and Round three, we just winged it.
In all three cases, Blue met with a decisive victory, with one blue team member alive at the end of Round One, Two in Round Two, and ALL in Round Three .
The Teams concept went over splendidly. A single person acted as command liason in all instances (usually the local Commodore on hand) who would convey battle on instructions.
The big hang up in terms of time was affixing the correct flags to the boat. I promise, I will create a tutorial on how to accomplish this.
Even for a graphically challenged chap like YHN, the evening went very well indeed, with one stunning exception when I went aground at Gregory Rock
Lessons Learned
Deploy the Vendors ahead of time, so..
People can get their flags up ahead of time
Don't shoot boats that are fighting with rifles. It's not sporting.
As some of us might (at first) have trouble filling out a roster for battles, and as there are many people serving in the diverse and variegated fleets of other nation-states in the Steamlands, let it be proposed therefore to create the rank of
RESERVE CAPTAIN
as a post for a naval officer serving in a fleet from any other land, should he or she be willing to temporarily assist your fleet with the execution of a battle.
Reserve Captains have all the rank, responsibilities and duties given to a regular Captain, but will only wear the uniform and flag during the course of a battle when they are needed.
Using this method, when future "nation versus nation" battle scenarios are being consdered, a Commodore might more easily fill out his ranks for a single engagement.
The SEAWARSTORE has released a series of shirts for naval geeks like YHN that might be of interest to the nautical warfare enthusiasts out there.
Famous Nineteenth Century Naval Battle Tee-Shirts
Dreadnought Age Sea Battles Tee Shirts
And many more! Great White Fleet, Sink the Bismarck, Midway, etc. There are many history geek tshirts out there, but very few on naval subjects, and even fewer on 19th century and dreadnought era battles and themes.
There are also polo shirts with embroidered naval flags of the time period:
The SEAWARSTORE's Naval Theme and Naval Battle Shirt page is HERE.
Naval Minister Cleanslate dropped by Port Merrimac last night. Just to keep everyone in the loop and everything above board, the conversation centered around friendly, collegial intersim naval competitions, such as we have been trying to foster at the port and elsewhere. Minister Cleanslate was extremely receptive to our approach and discussions centered on how and where to proceed. At this stage we (The Wrath Fleet) have been hosting Melees on Thursday nights as a sort of 'putting our toes in the water gradually" approach, getting people from many sims used to the idea of putting iron in the water and banging away at each other. This 'free for all, informal' approach seems to work wonders. I personally hope we can create more structure scenarios in the future-- "Pirate Raids on a Port", "Naval Bombardment for points" "Different national fleets having a running sea battle" that sort of thing. Minister Cleanslate is extremely receptive to the idea.
With buy-in and extremely enthusiastic support from TotalLunar Eclipse and Tensai Hilra of Steelhead, the Council at Armada, Emperor Calamari of Steeltopia (who needs people, btw, read his latest), Guvnah Shang of Caledon and now Naval Minister Cleanslate of New Babbage, I'm very excited about the possibilities and potential of where this could and should go. Sadly, I was served notice the other evening that Antiquity would likely go their own way, and I understand and respect that-- they are more SPD-centric than the other fleets and have access to a lot of water.
As per the Autocrat Asturias agreement with the Wrath Fleet, we have adopted a "stateless" approach towards every other sim from the steamlands, so that other 'nationalities' will feel more comfortable in their transactions with Port Merrimac and the Wrath Fleet.
Let me state this without any guile. Our goal is not to create advantage for any ONE sim or ONE group, but to create a collegial, sportsmanlike and overall FUN organization for EVERYONE. More like a naval 'league" but without a lot of rules and impedimenta. This has been the dream of many of us since the very first time we put a combat ship in the water. At long last it would seem we are taking the first steps towards getting there.
I was very happy to be part of the Aether Salon program, along with Mr. Jasper Kiergarten. The program was very well attended, and the questions quite lively and fun. It's a rare day that YHN gets a chance to expostulate on a subject he holds dear like this. I enjoyed participating and hope to do so again at some point in the future.
(Bookworm Hienrichs also took some photos, here they are)
I was pleased and flattered to have a recent post on roleplaying (Part two of a series of three) paraphrased on New World Notes. I have been linked to by NWN before... I like that there's something I might write about in here that has some interest for the wider world of Second Life. I mentioned it to a friend and she said snorted at Mr. Au's description of YHN as a "Steampunk Journalist". I agreed, it felt a tad high falutin' for a blogger. I shrugged and gave the in-world equivelant of a blush. And yet, I have to think that Hamlet might be on to an essential truth, no matter if it's putting on airs or not to admit it. Blogs are creating a community 'news feed' of sorts, and I don't think it's presumptuous to admit that much of what I find NEW in world usually is the experience of somebody's blog post. We're low-rent journalists, to be sure, but I'm glad there are so many Second Life bloggers out there, they keep the world fresh for me.
The old Zen master was praised by his neighbors as one living an exemplary life of great purity, free from temptation and dedicated to contemplation and meditation.
In the neighboring village was a beautiful girl whose parents owned a food store. Suddenly, without any warning, her parents discovered the girl was with child.
This made her parents very angry. She would not confess who the man was, but after much harassment at last named the Zen master.
In great anger the parents went to the master.
"Is that so?" was all he would say.
When the child was born, the parents brought it to the Master, who now was viewed as a pariah by the whole village. They demanded that he take care of the child since it was his responsibility.
“Is that so?” the Master said calmly as he accepted the child.
A year later the girl could stand it no longer, she felt so guilty. She told her parents the truth - that the real father of the child was a young man who worked as blacksmith.
The mother and father of the girl at once went to the Master to ask his forgiveness, to apologize at length, and to get the child back again.
The Master was willing.
In yielding the child, all he said was: "Is that so?"
Join ZATZAi Asturias in Lilliput Great Dismal on April 18th from 5pm-7pm SLT. DJ Frequency Picnic will be spinning Zydeco, Dixieland, southern rock, and a variety of other tunes. We'll be dancing in the cemetery and touring the gorgeous sim. Click the invitation for the SLURL.
Thursday night was a portentous eventing for Iron Melee. The brand new New Babbage Fleet showed up in force, with very large pre-dreadnought style ships, under the leadership of the newly minted Commodore Jedburgh Dagger and Naval Minister Cleanslate. The new fleet performed very well, and the large ships were a surprise. They were NOT unsinkable, as it turns out, but they are still doughty fighters and a force to be reckoned with.
All photos credit Eva Bellambi
On a frustrating note, YHN was no friend of Second Life last night, continuously crashing out of conversations and battles. I was glad the Autocrat was around to run things.
In any event, it was an extremely good turnout, with an enthusiastic crowd of newcomers. One could not hope for a better outcome!
Due to unforeseen circumstances and the capability to add a "field trip" to the venue in order to show off the CSS Hunley cutaway model of Mr. Kiergarten, the AETHER SALON set for Sunday at 2PM, SLT, at the New Babbage Palisades has relocated to The Auditorium at Artificial Isle (click for SLURL).
The Program will commence with a demonstration of Mr. Jasper Kiergarten's cutaway C.S.S. HUNLEY model, and a description of the build itself (roughly ten minutes).
This presentation will be followed by Commodore Hotspur O'Toole of the Fleet of Wrath Exiles. He will lead a general discussion of the development of Submersibles up until the time of the American Civil War, the use of submersibles as weapons of war, and the technology challenges faced by the pioneers of undersea warfare. (roughly twenty minutes)
The program will end with general questions and comments from the audience.
The Aether Salon is a program of volunteer lectures of general interest to the Steamland community of Second Life.
YHN was invited to visit "Paradiso Mall" at Nord-Norge Sim yesterday. This is an impressive establishment on the mainland that seems dedicated to the playing of games in world. Visible on the premises was an En Garde piste, two Can't Stop games, a Frootcake game, and many other items that didn't originate with Mr. Rifkin Hapsburg-- Greedy Greedy, Backgammon, Chess, Take it or Leave it and other games. In other words, an establishment that is right up YHN's alley.
A gaming paradise
The owner, NonSmokerGirl Tulip, is a pleasant, energetic person (zebra?) that desires to get a buzz going about events at her Gaming Hall, and she has started an En Garde tournament locally to promote play of the game. The first thing she did was create an in-world group for every game she was promoting. I promptly turned her down when she asked me to join one of them-- I have too many groups filled up, and can't afford to delete many of them, so I had to decline, which seemed like a shame.
Getting my hat handed to me by a two-tailed tiger
I still like her gaming hall and still would like to be apprised of events happening there. How can a person promote group events without having a substantial amount of people signed up for an in-world group? I can think of a few ways.
1) Use a mailing list instead of a group. This way you can send a notecard with details whenever an event takes place. Here's ONE example of a mailing list maker on XStreet. There are likely more of them.
2) Get a Google Calendar, pronto. It's free, and many, many other information services talk to Google Calendar. Keep your main calendar here.
3) If you are trying to coalesce many activities or subgroups together, perhaps you'd like to try a Ning.Nings are community portals that are also free, which maintain discussion groups, sub groups, photographs, event listings (which can feed a google calendar). Possible alternatives to this might be Google or Yahoo Groups, MSN groups, etc. Ning seems to be making big inroads into the Second Life customer base, so I would stick with that for starters.
4) Create a Twitter account. Befriend as many SL people as you can find on there. Twitter like a man with Saint Vitus' Dance about your events and group. Twitter has astonishing benefits in creating interest and foot traffic. Possible alternatives might be Plurk, but I'd go with the 'name' service here.
5) If you have time, you may want to start aBlog, LiveJournal, Wordpress, etc. outside of the Ning. These tools are cheap and plentiful, and have a wider audience than the Ning. They also are hit more often in google searches than Ning seems to be.
6) Don't bother with Facebook and MySpace. These are essentially time-sinks with a lot of overhead and creaky interfaces. Given Facebook's policy towards accounts created not using one's real name, a facebook account for a Second Life avatar is always in jeopardy of being cancelled by "the man" (it happened to YHN, by the by). I am having a hard time believing that Facebook/MySpace could leverage your event any more than Twitter could, nowadays. That's my opinion, and I'm sticking with it.
In sum, these alternatives, especially all at once, should help maintain a presence online without having to ask people to sacrifice their groups.
I suspect I'm not the world's greatest roleplayer, at least in virtual environments. As I alluded to in Roleplaying in Virtual Worlds, a Hobbesian viewpoint, I find that the MMOs I have sampled are poor examples of what I would call a full immersion environment for roleplay. All too often the players (myself a prime example) cannot leave the baggage of reality behind them-- I've seen some do better than others, and rigidly never leave character, but those individuals only seem more odd for the effort they put in ("creepy", I've heard it called). When we are 'living' in enclaves of roleplay of varying degrees of rigidity, problems will crop up from time to time. These arise from interpretations of the basic premise behind roleplay, the degree of latitude every player enjoys in interpreting characters, and the amount of enforcement one encounters in shaping a roleplay environment.
I primarily play in the virtual world of Second Life (tm). About 80 per cent of my interaction with other players comes from text type interface. Text isn't the greatest medium of interaction, as most of the computer literate, internet age kids would agree. Voice over IP isn't a tremendous improvement, at least as it is implemented in Second Life. Unless you can divorce the voice from the character, a lot of the mystique is lost. For example, I "play" an Irish exile living in the virtual world of Second Life. Now, I suspect my Irish-American real self could keep up a decent front for short conversations (I grew up with the accent around me), but I'm not Irish, I'm Irish-American, and pretending to have an accent for hours on end would grow tiresome. So, increasingly, I fall back on text interface-- and that can cause problems with roleplaying as well. Text, unless it is skillfully written, cannot convey a tone, a context, a nuance, nearly as well as spoken words can. Most of us don't have the time to craft comments perfectly when dealing with a text interface. So one person may interpret a comment entirely differently from how it was meant to be conveyed. This happens quite a lot in Second Life, and there have been some bitter divisions as a result of simple missed cues. No surprises there-- mis-communication due to the text medium is as old as the Internet itself. Perhaps as old as the written word.
Again, as I've posted on before, there have been fundamental misinterpretations based on how one reads the 'ground rules' of a virtual community. If a community advertises itself as being constituted with a certain attitude towards roleplaying ("relaxed", "strict", "enforced", "easygoing", "not required" are often used as descriptors, for instance), then the players have a certain attitude towards roleplaying going into the game. There are communities in Second Life that strictly enforce RP in Second Life (some of the more notable being the BDSM Master/Slave communities with a theme based upon the books of John Norman, for instance). Players are expected to never deviate from their role, ever, unless they speak (( in brackets )). Players who violate this expectation are often encouraged to go play elsewhere. In the more easygoing communities, rules are often less set in stone, with an abjuration to "play nice" being the really tantamount rule. A relaxed RP environment can often cause more problems than it solves, in my experience.
In a relaxed environment all sorts of conflict might ensue over Premise and Enforcement. I have seen this occur in many of the communities I've visited and lived in in Second Life-- many of them. The other night, I was called to task and attacked verbally over a community communication channel for (rather mildly) commenting that I didn't understand a person playing in character. As background, understand that playing in character, in this case, is to speak, continuously, in broken, garbled English, which I personally find as interesting as claws scratching on a chalkboard, and about as welcome. My response, usually, is to politely state I don't understand the character's speech or play in his RP 'theme'. I have asked people speaking in this character voice to repeat themselves in (( Out of character brackets )) and have been told, politely and not so politely, to 'shove it'. That response is actually perfectly fine for me, I realize I don't have the right or power to change how people talk in a public channel, nor do I much care most of the time. The response to my comments have ranged from 'rolled eyes' to exaggerated 'sighs' to 'shaking heads' to patronizing comments, to demands that I go seek out the source material for the roleplay in order to 'educate me'.. so I can 'get it'. The other night, the response was more energetic. I was called intolerant and a troublemaker. The person who was picking the fight was under a lot of stress, so I really am not angry about it, but it had me thinking on this subject, and here we are.
A simulation of what might occur. I'm not saying it does occur, but it might.
Why don't I just shrug my shoulders and 'get along' about this RP, or the next one, or the one after that? I don't dislike the people involved in RP, or think they should be denied the Second Life they want to pay for. And it may surprise some people to learn I don't consider myself intolerant-- perhaps just stubborn about my own views. I'm trying, honest I am (grin).
In my mind, acceding to a RP environment I don't like violates one of the prime rules I operate under in Second Life-- "I respect what you want to do in Second Life, if you respect my right NOT to." Followed, closely, by the all important law of "if you wish for me to censor myself for the good of the community, you'd best be up front about it early, or I'll call you on it, again, and again, and again." Playing in character is certainly desirable for many people, but the when the act of playing a role forces the rest of us to experience a roleplaying environment we didn't choose, the choice of other players effectively limits the rest of us.
Here, we see the problem of Roleplaying Premise, and Roleplaying Enforcement. Was I interacting with a community that was dedicated to recreating or roleplaying the universe of the broken english speakers? Certainly not-- the avowed theme of the community is quite different from the universe the 'speakers" hail from. So my assumptions about the community should have matched the speaker's assumptions. Was roleplaying strictly enforced by the management of this community? Certainly not. In fact, the ground rules of the community state, emphatically, that roleplaying is an optional, but encouraged, activity-- so my assumption that we needn't be in character all the time holds water.
So where did this conflict originate? I've been considering this more often lately. Perhaps my perception of 'public use resources' dedicated to the community I was interacting with (in this instance, helping to pay for, as well), being in conflict with perceptions of other members of the same community. My contention being if we are all in a so-called relaxed community which does not enforce roleplay, if I am not abusing a public resource (for example, through intemperate speech in a public chat forum), should I not have expectations that public resources will not be forcing unpleasant behavior upon me in return? My conclusions should be obvious, but I'm certain there will be a wag out there that tells me to "shut up", or "turn chat off if you don't like it", "just ignore it, you idiot" or "move somewhere else then". And the descriptor "intolerant" was thrown my way, the other evening... I admit I found that ironic.
Let's look at the flip side, since we're assuming a nice, relaxed, tolerant attitude towards roles in a virtual community. I certainly don't wish for people to have a bad time, or to stop doing what they want to do. People pay to be in a virtual world, just like I do, and they should feel free to pursue the RP they want, within the context of the community they find themselves in. I am not a community owner or manager, and I don't have the right to force ANY policy on anyone. So I would hope that the nice, relaxed viewpoint of "anyone can RP the way they want" applies to me as well as the broken English speakers. Can I not RP a "codger who finds the speech of this roleplay annoying in the extreme, and lacks the capacity to understand it at times?" Where is the tolerance for that point of view? Is it not just as valid as the one that is being forced upon me? Obviously, this isn't the case, no matter how solemnly we advocate individual rights in community covenants. ONE person usually doesn't have the same rights as a majority in a conflict situation. There is a dynamic called "Fundamental Attribution Error" in play when a sufficiently large mass of individuals coalesces around an idea like roleplaying in a virtual community. Fundamental Attribution Error, or FAE, is simply the assumption that, if somebody behaves in an undesirable way, it happened solely because of the person, not the situation they are in. "He would say that, wouldn't he?" expresses it well. FAE enables convenient definitions for members of a community-- such as "he just likes to cause trouble" or "so-and-so is intolerant because they won't look the other way when this happens" etc. etc. FAE provides a comfort zone for defining problems that groups have a tendency to take advantage of from time to time.
The fact is, Second Life is not a community where we can glean tremendous insight into the psyche, if we choose to keep ourselves hidden. To presume one has insight into a virtual character simply because their behavior might fit into one's own negative bias, is simply an assumption that won't hold water in a virtual world. Sigmund Freud's term for this was "Projection", or a defense mechanism where we ascribe negative traits or assumptions in ourselves upon others. Projection isn't 'evil', those being projected upon aren't necessarily 'good', it's just another factor of the human condition. Human beings are tremendously complex psychological beings, and we only see the tip of the iceberg when we see a two dimensional representation of humanity in a virtual setting.
Does that mean that than an individual needs must find himself at an impasse when confronting a larger group with its own sets of biases? I certainly hope not. The trick is to set up a common dialogue, based upon mutual respect. If you can't manage that, be prepared for bickering. "Living" where I "live", I know I personally have a lot to learn about the art of compromise with a majority group. It should prove interesting!
Mr. Fred Barton, an artist in Real Life, specializes in robot lore and recreating famous movie robots. Mr. Barton has set up a virtual robot museum in Kubrick in Second Life. Aside fom an outstanding survy of famous movie robots then and now, there are also some artists in residence and an amazing build your own Robot AVI machine.
I had opportunity to pop by tonight, and was pleasantly surprised!
"Y.H.N." is the author's shorthand habit of referring to himself as "Your Humble Narrator" when typing 'in voice'. A somewhat pompous sounding affectation, I admit it, but I am used to it.
"Tool" is a sobriquet applied by a less than admiring sector of society, as a play on YHN's last name (in a vague attempt at humor). YHN admits it does have a certain raunchy early 70s adult film appeal.
An Irish would-be gentleman of indeterminate age, of a somewhat miltary bearing (although.. whether it comes from Sandhurst or a former 'marriage to Brown Bess', nobody really knows.. the details remain elusive). What is known or alluded to is a youth spent in a monastery, apparently packed away by a furious relative. It is clear that he visited China and Africa at some point in the dim past. His many cousins have been sighted all over Second Life, so another source of corroboration is out there. He seems to love Surrealistic imagery, judging from his decor, and he is given to babbling odd bits of knowledge from time to time, perhaps revealing that some of his time amongst the Dominicans was not for nought.
Now firmly ensconced upon the crag that is called POLYMATH EYRIE, in Port Harbor, Steelhead, Second Life-- a cold drafty, leaky cottage that is, nonetheless, his own.
O'Toole recently changed appearance drastically, changing more in line with his RL "other person". Older stories that have not finished will still feature the blonde, bearded version derived from the freebie shape and skin he found in Yadni's Junkyard.
Clickcaster, the host of the former Hibernia Audio channel, has reformatted and no longer supports turnkey podcasting solutions. However, YHN has created a new audio channel at the following location:
Tales from the Black Goat
I would be honored if you paid it a visit.
"The Land Went up in Fire and Curdled Smoke"
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The Advance of General Ying-Tse and the Fusang Field Force, and Ambush
Shea lay prone in the Kunai grass, as still as he could be, with the burlap
wrapped ...
The Hotspur Files is a small google site that supports in world efforts of YHN (Your Humble Narrator) by hosting files that cannot be uploaded to Blogger.com, or are too large to Email without being impolite.
The HOTSPUR FILES file support website.
A few of my fellow stalwarts and I have created a virtual book discussion group of sorts, utilizing one the nicer recent social networking tools on the Aethernet, GOODREADS. The group is THE SECOND LIFE SECRET LIBRARY, which is open to any Second Life citizens that applies with good manners and a sense of friendship and collaboration.Goodreads allows one to maintain an online collection of books, hold discussions, read and trade reviews, and generally learn about the printed word. I will occasionally publish a review of a particularly good book or two off of Goodreads as "The Printed Word" entries in this journal.
Currently Reading:
(We're deciding what to read next)
Affiliated with
Not Possible in Real Life
Independent State of Caledon (former resident, Tamranoach, Middlesea, Cape Wrath)
Commodore, The Fleet of Wrath Exiles (Click flag for more information)
Post Captain, Caledon Middlesea Fleet (Now Defunct)
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