25 September, 2007

a woman came up to me and said I'd like to poison your mind

Potentially? I'm going to get in trouble for this one.

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I attended a coronation today for a Queen...who is only Queen in Tiny Empires...which is a game played within the world, on its own little HUD.

Yeah.

Don't get me wrong, the coronation was lovely, and I do think it took a concerted, unified effort on the part of those people who are interested in this game to make sure who they wanted--as a whole--ascended to the throne of her line.

That? That's kind of cool.

How'ver, there's the rest of it...

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This is the HUD device, fully expanded. It's a turn-based game, so for the most part, it's a lot of hang out and wait, followed by clicking yes-no buttons. Buy land...sell land...answer surveys...have random events.

It's slightly less boring, for me personally, than watching paint dry. Though depending on the color of paint...

See, here's the thing I don't get, and I can't find a way to get. The King of Taupo advocated his subjects play. And then warned us all, that this game had destroyed friendships, destroyed marriages, that we should be careful and remember it's a game.

Personally? I can't see how this game has destroyed friendships. I leave my liege and go to one who pays better. Okay, it's a game. I have three subjects under me, two of them leave for another liege? It's still a game.

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This is the HUD device closed. It doesn't take up that much space. Certainly much less than the Hybrid hud that controls ears and tails of any of my Hybrid avatars.

Beyond the fact that it's a game within a game? Is the fact that apparently, some part of the roleplay in Taupo is hinging around Tiny Empires. That, to whatever extent, the interaction that goes on in the kingdom, is being decided in a small...very boring...turn-based HUD game.

...Yeah.

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See, this is why I said this is going to get me in trouble. If Taupo is going to revolve around the events in a HUD-based game...I think they're welcome to it.

Problem is, where do I put my tree now?

Maybe it goes back into storage until the next place...but it's definitely an issue to bring up at Friday's meeting.

Well, they were saying they needed a bad guy. Maybe I'm it. Because I really don't understand what the draw is, I don't care about any of the outcomes, and while I'm sure Queen FoxyKim will be a wonderful liege for the subjects under her...I can't find it in my heart to get enthused about it.

*sighs*
And another angle on gambling and Second Life. Can't say I disagree...

4 comments:

Alexandra Rucker said...

Why? Because some people *can't* separate "game" from "reality". Depressing when it happens.

Emilly Orr said...

*nods*

When I was at the coronation today, it was fairly evenly split between those who just wanted to cheer the new Queen--of this small little HUD-based game--at any cost, and those who came to complain at how Taupo had stolen their subjects.

I'm not kidding.

A, why go to a coronation if you're just going to bitch about who won? B, why play if it's going to make you all evil and bitter?

I mean, I get evil and bitter about SL, as well, but at least I know it's a game, and moreover, I know it's my fault for letting myself get so involved. It's not something that sweeps me away in surprise!

turnerBroadcasting said...

The angle on gambling, if you ask me, that makes the most sense is to ask the question of whether or not the state has the right to regulate whether or not you can play dollar poker or bet a quarter on the flip in mid air.

The technical issue regarding gambling is that people were moving alot of money around; they can do this 10,000 times scripted and it becomes las vegas redux.

but the bottom line is that the individual act of gambling in SL is almost trivial.

and it miffs me to no end. what better way to test number theory. I was into fibonacci sequences on those doublers man.


emily, you would be an awful bad guy. you would be a good bad girl.

bad guy. no way. and as a fellow shapeshifter, I mean it.

Emilly Orr said...

I know, I know, they have to think of the larger issue, and the larger issue is the FBI was looking at Second Life as a source of online gambling.

Still, though. I'd just learned how to play Slingo, and that died. Never learned how to play Tringo, dead before I could. Sploders? Dead.

And sure, it stops the big firms from money laundering, but because those big firms are now gone, so are the high betters. And those individuals tipped a lot, and so most dancers on the grid, strippers or not, went from 2-3K a night of work to 2-300 per night.

And that's just not enough to live on, and I'm not talking finding new frocks, I'm talking making rent.

I don't know about awful bad guy, but I do agree I'm really more in sidekick territory.

hide away, they say, 'cos we don't want your broken parts

Yeah, so...remember that thing I was recovering from? You know, last year ? Yeah. I did it again. So this is Em Faw Down Go Boom part ...