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From: mkelly@cs.uoregon.edu (Michael A. Kelly)
Newsgroups: sci.virtual-worlds
Subject: Re: Wargames and Virtual Worlds (Was Re: Questions about BattleTech)
Message-ID: <1991Apr27.010146.29794@milton.u.washington.edu>
Date: 26 Apr 91 18:10:27 GMT
References: <1991Apr25.080804.14090@milton.u.washington.edu> <1991Apr26.072659.1
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Organization: Department of Computer Science, University of Oregon
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>
>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.
>

I have to agree with him on that point.  The fastest way to get the public's
attention (and money) is through entertainment.  While his company is making
big bucks off teenage boys, it can be working on 'real' applications with
the revenues.  And when the public gets a taste of VR through games, it will
be more likely to warm to the technology in the board room.

>we know that there is more to this than just more weaponry, but do the
>shoot-em-up's -- BattleTech and Virtuality -- help or hinder our field?
>

There will always be those who will find something wrong with some of the ways
a new technology is being used.  Perhaps a less violent game should be
developed to promote VR, but it probably wouldn't sell nearly as well.

>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?

I say let them be.  We may be in for another media-bashing, but we'll win
in the end, and will have gotten a lot of free advertising in the bargain.
(E.g. Virtual Reality Encourages Violent Behavior in Children - Aids Surgeons
in Heart Transplants)


Mike.
-- 
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Michael A. Kelly                                   America Online: Michael792
mkelly@cs.uoregon.edu                                  Compu$erve: 73567,1651
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