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14
On Experiments, Bitcoin and Server Drama.
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Warning: This post contains links to TVTropes and also the Jargon File.
You have been warned.

With that out of the way I would like to begin by giving a summary of the recent events as I see them.
A particular individual discovered that people were willing to buy in game diamonds for bitcoins. Said individual noted that they had quite a lot of diamonds and also that they liked bitcoins. Said individual also realised that even if they spent all day doing this they would make far less than minimum wage.
Putting two and two together and somehow getting five they immediately began selling diamonds for bitcoin as fast as they possibly could.

Enter stage left, An Opposing View.
An argument was raised that this was not only A Bad Thing, but also Cheating!
In particular this was argued to be meta-gaming, in particular it was argued to be a special kind of meta-gaming, wholly different to all other kinds of meta-gaming.
This was quickly struck down by The Word of God and declared to be a matter that must be handled in game.

Enter stage right, An Amused Third Party, who chose to perpetuate the trade purely to annoy The Opposing View.

To me, the drama surrounding these events is far less interesting then the questions it raises. This server is clearly about experimentation but nowhere (to my knowledge) is the purpose of the experiment explicitly stated. I think that the way that people answer that question is itself part of the experiment.
Perhaps, as some have argued, the purpose of the experiment is to test the efficacy of real world Ideologies when faced with conflict. Perhaps its an experiment in how people interact, whether they abandon their principles when it's convenient. Perhaps its about learning about other ways of thinking, other point of view.
Regardless of how you view the events of the participants thereof, whether they are ruining the server, maybe they are saving the day or perhaps just because it seemed like fun.
I think that the various reactions people have displayed towards these events reflect not merely the ideologies of the various participants but (more interestingly, at least in my opinion) how those individuals view The Experiment.

In all seriousness, while I think using out of game money to buy in game stuff makes the game less fun for the people involved in the transaction, this is an opinion of mine. I make a choice not to buy in game stuff not because I think it's inherently wrong but because I think it negatively affected my game-play experience.
If you disagree with me on this matter and believe that it is Wrong, perhaps even something that ttk2 ought to do something about then I am sorry to tell you that I (and apparently he as well) would view him taking such action as antithetical to the server and the experiment it was designed to conduct.

So what can you do about it? You can use the in game mechanisms to attempt to redress this grievance. You can attempt to persuade those individuals who are partaking in said activities to stop. You can refuse to trade with, or associate with individuals who continue to do so. You can take any number of other actions you might deem reasonable or necessary. Perhaps you will get your way, perhaps you will not.
I look forward to seeing how this whole situation pans out.

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Exultant, Mad Scientist

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Posted
12 years ago