prisoner
07-23-2005, 01:15 PM
I stopped reading most of the "I'm leaving" messages, because they mostly seemed to boil down to some combination of these reasons:
I'm bored
VMK doesn't work
People are rude and out of control
all of which seemed to have only a germ of truth to them from what I see. They aren't false, but... well... let me look a them one by one from my perspective.
I'm bored aka "I want Frontierland and Tomorrowland to open"
Most of us have been living with the three lands we have for only two months now. Are you going to be bored two months after Frontierland and Tomorrowland open? What makes you think they will hold your attention for any longer than these? And what then?
New stuff does come out all the time. Why, just ONE WEEK AGO we had a huge party over the weekend so that about 1/3 of the people are now walking around in space suits, 1/3 are walking around in dresses, and a good half or so seem to be teleporting themselves around instead of walking.
What I find almost... insulting... is the idea that given all the tools that VMK has given us, you can't think of some way to keep yourself (and others!) entertained. It is like being surrounded by legos, erector sets, tinker toys, modeling clay, paint, and video cameras... and saying you're bored. I have more ideas for things I want to do with VMK than I have time to do it!
Now, is there a germ of truth in this? Yes. I do find lots of things in VMK boring - I don't understand why people go to the dance floor, since it seemed like a total waste of time to me. Similarly, although there are lots of public rooms to visit, I'm almost never in them because I don't see the point. But even here, I'm caught by surprise - the idea of a game of tag in main street or hide-and-seek (or tag!) in the forrest is a brilliant use of these areas, and I salute those who thought of them.
VMK doesn't work
I wish this one was easier to refute, but I can't. Some days VMK works great for me. Other days it crashes every time I try to play Jungle Cruise. I do know that if I follow the suggestions that the Contact Us help suggests for these cases - clean out temporary internet files and such, that things do work better for a while.
I do know that I'm fortunate that most of the time I'm playing I can stay logged in, and that if I'm kicked out I can get back on pretty quickly. Does it annoy me? Ohyeah! But for a game I pay nothing for, it is difficult for me to complain that I'm not getting value for my money.
People are rude or "Get rid of bf/gf"
Despite my various rants (http://www.vmkforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2861) on this issue (http://www.vmkforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2080), I have actually found the level of courtesy improving. Fewer people are just clicking on the trade button wihtout saying a word - more are asking me if I would like to trade and what. In the public areas I am seeing the same kinds of patterns. More and more people are sending me mail that is longer than two words.
The bf/gf/taken/wed issue is another story alltogether. I still see people come into my room and ask if anyone is taken. The difference is that when I tell them to stop - nowadays they stop and will often stay. The rooms are there, but I can avoid them. The model rooms are still there, too, and I still avoid them as well. In fact, there are a whole lot of rooms that are really easy for me to avoid. But you say you're worried about wandering into places where you shouldn't? Ignore the "popular room" list. I never look at it anymore - I stick to the list of Friends Rooms. More interesting stuff there, anyway, most of which doesn't hit critical mass. And what about the Jerry Springer rooms and other things? I think such things are self-correcting - people can get bored of them quickly, and once they do, they ultimately go back to something more substantial. I note, for example, that things like armies and make-out hotels are largely gone - the people behind them just got tired of the lack of substance they had, and shock didn't keep them going for long.
Are there still problems here too? Definately. But for a virtual world that has to model real life at least somewhat, this is an unfortunate reality. People feel secure that nobody will know who they are, and will do things like be rude or silly online that they wouldn't in real life. And if it pushes other peoples buttons - so much the better. I feel confident that you can rise above such things.
Conclusion
VMK isn't perfect. Neither is the real world, and neither are other games. But VMK is a rich world to build in - for me, it is the perfect ground to tell stories and build friendships. With a broad theme of "Disney", and inspiration aplenty, I hope to be here - building new stories and new friendships - for a very long time. And I'm glad all of you are part of it as well to share your stories with me.
I'm bored
VMK doesn't work
People are rude and out of control
all of which seemed to have only a germ of truth to them from what I see. They aren't false, but... well... let me look a them one by one from my perspective.
I'm bored aka "I want Frontierland and Tomorrowland to open"
Most of us have been living with the three lands we have for only two months now. Are you going to be bored two months after Frontierland and Tomorrowland open? What makes you think they will hold your attention for any longer than these? And what then?
New stuff does come out all the time. Why, just ONE WEEK AGO we had a huge party over the weekend so that about 1/3 of the people are now walking around in space suits, 1/3 are walking around in dresses, and a good half or so seem to be teleporting themselves around instead of walking.
What I find almost... insulting... is the idea that given all the tools that VMK has given us, you can't think of some way to keep yourself (and others!) entertained. It is like being surrounded by legos, erector sets, tinker toys, modeling clay, paint, and video cameras... and saying you're bored. I have more ideas for things I want to do with VMK than I have time to do it!
Now, is there a germ of truth in this? Yes. I do find lots of things in VMK boring - I don't understand why people go to the dance floor, since it seemed like a total waste of time to me. Similarly, although there are lots of public rooms to visit, I'm almost never in them because I don't see the point. But even here, I'm caught by surprise - the idea of a game of tag in main street or hide-and-seek (or tag!) in the forrest is a brilliant use of these areas, and I salute those who thought of them.
VMK doesn't work
I wish this one was easier to refute, but I can't. Some days VMK works great for me. Other days it crashes every time I try to play Jungle Cruise. I do know that if I follow the suggestions that the Contact Us help suggests for these cases - clean out temporary internet files and such, that things do work better for a while.
I do know that I'm fortunate that most of the time I'm playing I can stay logged in, and that if I'm kicked out I can get back on pretty quickly. Does it annoy me? Ohyeah! But for a game I pay nothing for, it is difficult for me to complain that I'm not getting value for my money.
People are rude or "Get rid of bf/gf"
Despite my various rants (http://www.vmkforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2861) on this issue (http://www.vmkforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2080), I have actually found the level of courtesy improving. Fewer people are just clicking on the trade button wihtout saying a word - more are asking me if I would like to trade and what. In the public areas I am seeing the same kinds of patterns. More and more people are sending me mail that is longer than two words.
The bf/gf/taken/wed issue is another story alltogether. I still see people come into my room and ask if anyone is taken. The difference is that when I tell them to stop - nowadays they stop and will often stay. The rooms are there, but I can avoid them. The model rooms are still there, too, and I still avoid them as well. In fact, there are a whole lot of rooms that are really easy for me to avoid. But you say you're worried about wandering into places where you shouldn't? Ignore the "popular room" list. I never look at it anymore - I stick to the list of Friends Rooms. More interesting stuff there, anyway, most of which doesn't hit critical mass. And what about the Jerry Springer rooms and other things? I think such things are self-correcting - people can get bored of them quickly, and once they do, they ultimately go back to something more substantial. I note, for example, that things like armies and make-out hotels are largely gone - the people behind them just got tired of the lack of substance they had, and shock didn't keep them going for long.
Are there still problems here too? Definately. But for a virtual world that has to model real life at least somewhat, this is an unfortunate reality. People feel secure that nobody will know who they are, and will do things like be rude or silly online that they wouldn't in real life. And if it pushes other peoples buttons - so much the better. I feel confident that you can rise above such things.
Conclusion
VMK isn't perfect. Neither is the real world, and neither are other games. But VMK is a rich world to build in - for me, it is the perfect ground to tell stories and build friendships. With a broad theme of "Disney", and inspiration aplenty, I hope to be here - building new stories and new friendships - for a very long time. And I'm glad all of you are part of it as well to share your stories with me.