Just what i have to say

[PrincessTiffani]

Originally Posted by Patrick Henry

I know not what course others may take, but as for me, GIVE ME LYBERTY OR GIVE ME DEATH!

Take that as another example... For vmk, it means I dont know what sites other people like, but my favorite is closing. We will not stop! Keep it open, or break our hearts! Like LordIllidan said, how do we know they wont close Pirates Online or Club penguin like they did to vmk?! VMK gave everyone the experience of Disney Land and Disney World. No other site can do that. I can tell it was hard to make vmk, and they made it so magnificently and they crashed that creation. Look people. you cant thrash on Yavn either. I hope they were smart enough to save a copy of vmk in a file so they can start up again. If it was for Disneys 50th, why not bring it back on the 60th and SEND EVERYONE AN EMAIL THAT ITS RE-OPENING! LOLZ You know, VMK was our life away from home. Like a video game, we all lost a life. Sure some of us have more then eachother. Like other games, but actually, we lost 2 lifes. Thats how cool vmk was. And what about the people who were banned for 10 years? They were just left like that? So they could not be there the last day? And how long have you been planning this?!?! There was completely no big party. Why not a give away? We tell a host what we always wanted, and they give it kind of thing!?!? And then like how it ended, at 10:00 as usual. Why not another 2 hours on the last day?

Originally Posted by Ben Franklin

Now we must all stick together, or we must all hang seperately

This is another example. We all must stick together on vmk, or we will all die, as in VMK closing ( wow, did these famous people know VMK was going to close? They were born and died before VMK, but still!) I dont have much more to say..... Oh yea!!! Um on a video site i have video where i put sent in pictures in. I wont post my email, so you can post them below to see your OWN vmk picture in a video! ( for memories)
Or, you can send a picture from google you like. Well, i have no more to say
:

[PurpleCrazyLava]

Maybe VMK will become.. VMK2! On the 55th Aniversery! Who knows, but I can tell you one thing and no matter what, its true: The Disney Company has change a whole lot since Walt died. And it will always be different from when Walt died. Walt Disney was a terrific man. And thats a fact. Just think: when you are walking in Disneyland, just remember you are where Walt was. Think about that. Walt probably watches you from Heavan. I would love to meet Walt, or have him come into one of my dreams at night and meet him there. Walt was a great man, it would have been AWESOME to meet him. He changed many peoples lives. Even yours.


Btw I can't get my signature up yet because idk how..

[PrincessTiffani]

Walt was #1. He is like, what helped this world. He made Disneyland and Walt Disneyworld, without thode there probally would not be Great America or any Marine Worlds!

[futureimagineer1117]

I loved VMK, too, but (no offense) you people have to realize that, as great as it was, it was just a game and that's it. I know that it has helped kids in wheelchairs be "walking" in VMK, but it's still a game, no matter how magical it is.

[EtnaGreen]

Originally Posted by futureimagineer1117

I loved VMK, too, but (no offense) you people have to realize that, as great as it was, it was just a game and that's it. I know that it has helped kids in wheelchairs be "walking" in VMK, but it's still a game, no matter how magical it is.

Yes, it was just a game but it was also an escape from reality, and you can't tell me you never needed an escape from reality to just chill with your virtual friends becasuse something tough happened that day. I agree it was just a game, just like DLR is just another theme park.

[Zimonada]

Originally Posted by futureimagineer1117

I loved VMK, too, but (no offense) you people have to realize that, as great as it was, it was just a game and that's it. I know that it has helped kids in wheelchairs be "walking" in VMK, but it's still a game, no matter how magical it is.

First, it has helped EVERYONE. Not just kids in wheelchairs. I'm not against the whole "helping kids with handicaps" or whatever, it's just they did not make up the whole of the VMK community. We have to count everyone, not just them.

Secondly, if you feel it was just a game, then good for you. However there isn't any need for you to tell everyone to agree with your opinion. Good for you that you're able to move on so quickly, however for many of us VMK will still hold a special place in our hearts and memories. We just don't want to let it go.

[LordIllidan]

Originally Posted by futureimagineer1117

I loved VMK, too, but (no offense) you people have to realize that, as great as it was, it was just a game and that's it. I know that it has helped kids in wheelchairs be "walking" in VMK, but it's still a game, no matter how magical it is.

I point you towards a post I made on another fan site:

Just a game...

...Or something more?

I've heard many pro-closure people use the argument that VMK was "Just a game." To a poor old game developer-in-training like me, however, it was something more. It was art. The graphics perfectly used subtle hints to make you feel like the world you were in was far greater than it seemed. The ambient sounds were very subtle, yet very inspired. I loved the quiet mumblings of the crowd in VMK central. And the gameplay, the make-it-or-break-it part of the game that can either reinforce your message or concept or leave the gamer cold, perfectly reinforced the idea of community.

It wasn't like POTC where, despite being all about swashbuckling, all the swordfights seem static, or Toontown, where the gags, while definitely toon-y at first, are, at the end of the day, just cleverly animated weapons in another turn-based fighting system.

Not only that, but VMK also carried a second message that many people definitely felt, but few consciously acknowledge: As you walk around this virtual park and realize all the stages and tools given to you to create your own rooms, rides, or anything else you can imagine, the game seems to whisper "Look about you, at all the stories we have weaved. Are you ready to create your own?" It was the perfect immersion tactic, the perfect blending between gamer and game.

I, personally, consider VMK the Vitruvian Man of games. While it may not have been THE best (That spot is personally reserved in my heart for Phantom Brave), it accurately dissected and showcased the idea of a game not only as a form of entertainment, but a form AND platform for art. It was an amazing inspiration for my own games.

People look at games, and think "Oh, they're just mindless distractions." To some, that may be the case. To many, though, they're no more of a mindless distraction than, say, one of Alfred Hitchc ock's films, or a J.R.R. Tolkien novel.

In fact, some may argue that they're even better. Why? Because many games manage to keep the same depth of story, the same level of storytelling, but, instead of being a passive experience, it pulls the gamer in, makes him PART of the story. Few people realize the immense potential games have as one of the greatest storytelling platforms possible.

To walk into a thread like this and proclaim "VMK was just a game" right in front of me is honestly the equivalent of walking into an art museum and shouting "They're just paintings, people! Move along!" right in front of the curator.

You, of course, are entitled to your own opinions, but I implore you: If you think VMK was "Just a game," be considerate, and make sure that you clearly state it as opinion and not arrogantly try to pass it as fact. VMK was something beautiful to many of us. People look down upon those that cried when the game closed, and wonder why. I cannot speak for us all, but for me, it was the same reason why Parisians wept in the streets when the Mona Lisa was stolen in 1911: It was beautiful, and, while I did not and still do not believe it was lost forever, the fact remains that there's currently a large space of blank wall where the masterpiece called VMK used to hang in this museum we call the internet.

[mrmyth]

Originally Posted by futureimagineer1117

I loved VMK, too, but (no offense) you people have to realize that, as great as it was, it was just a game and that's it. I know that it has helped kids in wheelchairs be "walking" in VMK, but it's still a game, no matter how magical it is.

Something you might not realize is that everything in life can be compared to a game. The point where VMK stepped out of just a game is in the community sense. Most games, even with other online games have a certain goal or task. VMK that could be anything you wanted it to be, with anyone you chose to do it with. I have never played just a game before where I ended up with so many friends from so many places.

[LordIllidan]

Originally Posted by mrmyth

Something you might not realize is that everything in life can be compared to a game. The point where VMK stepped out of just a game is in the community sense. Most games, even with other online games have a certain goal or task. VMK that could be anything you wanted it to be, with anyone you chose to do it with. I have never played just a game before where I ended up with so many friends from so many places.

For proof of this, see the book Gamer Theoy, written by McKenzie Wark and published by the Harvard University press, which states that life can not only be compared to a game, but is becoming more like one.

Here's a link to the rough draft of it. If this gets removed by admins, I suppose you could PM me for the link. I don't mean to advertise, just to use it as a reference text:

http://www.futureofthebook.org/mcken...k/gamertheory/

[pirategirl202]

my friend told me that.. vmk might open this summer or halloween.
im not sure so if it is not true dont be mad at me
@_@ but if it does open!! yay @_@
i just think wat will happen if disney closes pirates or club penguin?

[LordIllidan]

Well, since we've brought up both the topics of Games as something more than just entertainment AND "If they closed VMK, what's stopping them from closing everything else?", might as well post a letter I just sent a few minutes ago:

Dear Disney...

It has been nearly a month now, and I still can't get the closure of VMK out of my mind. VMK was truly an inspiration for my own video games, as much of a masterpiece in my eyes as the Mona Lisa. In fact, at one point, I remember calling VMK the "Vitruvian Man of Video Games" on one of the fansites.

While it may not have been THE best game in the world, it accurately dissected and showcased the idea of a game not only as a form of entertainment, but a form AND platform for art.

The graphics perfectly used subtle hints to make you feel like the world you were in was far greater than it seemed. The ambient sounds were very subtle, yet very inspired. I loved the quiet mumblings of the crowd in VMK central. And the gameplay, the make-it-or-break-it part of the game that can either reinforce your message or concept or leave the gamer cold, perfectly reinforced the idea of community.

It wasn't like POTC where, despite being all about swashbuckling, all the swordfights seem static, or Toontown, where the gags, while definitely toon-y at first, are, at the end of the day, just cleverly animated weapons in another turn-based fighting system.

Not only that, but VMK also carried a second message that many people definitely felt, but few consciously acknowledge: As you walk around this virtual park and realize all the stages and tools given to you to create your own rooms, rides, or anything else you can imagine, the game seems to whisper "Look about you, at all the stories we have weaved. Are you ready to create your own?" It was the perfect immersion tactic, the perfect blending between gamer and game.

People look at games, and think "Oh, they're just mindless distractions." To some, that may be the case. To many, though, they're no more of a mindless distraction than, say, one of Alfred Hitchc ock's films, or a J.R.R. Tolkien novel.

In fact, some may argue that they're even better. Why? Because many games manage to keep the same depth of story, the same level of storytelling, but, instead of being a passive experience, it pulls the gamer in, makes him PART of the story. Few people realize the immense potential games have as one of the greatest storytelling platforms possible.

Which is why I'm so very disappointed to see your company close it. One would think, out of all the companies out there, Disney would be able to recognize art when they see it, and take measures to preserve it. So, to see your company cause such a magnificent piece of art to simply vanish without a trace... It really does make me question everything I thought Disney stood for.

Although I would greatly like VMK to re-open, I suppose your company has made it clear that it's gone and will never come back. As such, I'm not here to ask you to re-open it. I merely ask that you take what I've said here into consideration the next time you close one of your games.

Thank you for taking the time to read my letter.

Sincerely,
(Me), AKA LordIllidan of VMK

Most of it is copied and pasted from that "Art" post I made, but the part there in bold is new, and is what really irks me about this situation. (And, no, I didn't bold it in the actual letter)

[PrincessTiffani]

Oks, well like some1 said, it was an escape from reality! Sometimes, if i was having a really bad day, i would go on VMK and suddenly feel better!