Newsgroups: sci.virtual-worlds
Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!batcomputer!cornell!uw-beaver!milton!hlab
From: keith@pecan.cray.com (Keith A. Fredericks)
Subject: Virtuous Worlds (Was Re: Wargames and Virtual Worlds)
Message-ID: <1991Apr26.182747.14529@milton.u.washington.edu>
Sender: hlab@milton.u.washington.edu (Human Int. Technology Lab)
Organization: University of Washington
Date: Fri, 26 Apr 91 09:57:35 CDT
Approved: cyberoid@milton.u.washington.edu



Bob Jacobson writes:

> John Waldern was unmoved by the criticisms that his machine called forth
> the worst in human behavior and made a mockery of the technological
> promise inherent in virtual worlds systems.  He responded to these
> attacks by asserting that appealing to the market (in this case, to 
> teenage boys) is necessary to produce the revenues for more serious work.

> My own inclination is to call these systems devices of the Devil, but
> merely bashing technology doesn't get to the ideas and persuasions that
> leads to such aberrations.  How do you feel about the virtual wargames?

In the sense above, it should also be argued that
a mockery has already been made of the technological
promise inherent in television, computers, atomic fission,
and all kinds of stuff like that.

Wouldn't it be nice if advances in technology were not driven
quite so much by the market and human war instincts?

On one hand I don't like the idea of Nintendo rotting the brains of
the youth of the world.

But on the other hand, I, like many of my distinguished collegues,
became interested in computers partly because of fun with computers
shooting aliens for hours on end.

Demonic posession?  Maybe.

Will anyone argue that entertainment does not hold the highest
profit potential for Virtual Worlds systems?

-keith
--
Keith Fredericks, Cray Research Inc., 655F Lone Oak Dr., Eagan, MN 55121
       keith@cray.com        (612)MUD-KITY      Fax: (612)MUD-KLYX