Eat THIS, Ludologists! EVE Fan Vid Made of Win.
by Alphaville Herald on 03/04/09 at 7:00 am
by Urizenus Sklar, from the Narratology Roolz Desk
Those of you who don’t track the eggheads on Terra Nova may not be aware that there is a VERY SERIOUS debate between narratologists and ludologists. Ludologists think that MMOs are all about play. Narratologists think that MMOs are about spinning collaborative narratives. Then there are people like me who think they are obviously both (or rather, that there isn’t much difference between play and narrative). The best MMOs not only provide comvat systems and tools for building things but also provide a kind of artistic framework in which online narrative can evolve (like the dungeon master in table top D&D games). In Second Life those narratives have to evolve organically in the lore of places like the Jessie Simulator, Fort Longcat, Fur communites, Gorean communities, and, let’s face it, the pages of the Herald. In MMOs like EVE Online, however, the game company (CCP) provides back stories in the form of their EVE Chronicles. Back stories help direct the gameplay somewhat, but they are also framing and direct the narrative being developed in the gameplay. Good back stories have uptake — users pick up on them, expand on them, and write them into their own narratives and game play. I submit to you now an example of such uptake — an EVE fanvid made by one Dire Lauthis, based on the EVE Chronicle The Breakout.
For some narrative covering “current events” below the fold is a vid that Dire made regarding an operation by the Coreli Corporation. Oh, and since this is the Herald after all I’ve added a vid of GoonSwarm dropping a Titan in June of 2007.
And here is your GoonSwarm battle.
Alyx Stoklitsky
Apr 3rd, 2009
Utterly boring and tedius aside from the Goonswarm video, which is griefing at its finest. (with 10K USD worth of damage no less!)
Speaking goonswarm, didn’t they recently steal some ridculous amount of cash through e-indstrial e-espionage? I think it was on bbc news last month.
say what?
Apr 3rd, 2009
What if they had a Ludtastic, Narritiveastic War and nobody came? Like if all their weapons didn’t work anymore? SL is going to make a change on April 8th which will eliminate a “bug” in SL that allows movement of non-physical objects beyond 10m away. This will affect a lot of “instant hit” weapons in SL I am told. Gun makers are talking about having to go back to physical flight for bullets instead of having non-physical “chuggers” which move 10m, then another 10m, then another 10m etc. I don’t know if this will affect teleporters or not, narrologist or luddite.
PS, is LL making this change with object movement to thwart another aspect of the PN attack plan I wonder? If it is, well the lulz just keep on comin’
PPS, this might affect things like those passive attacks too
PPPS, I would like to see a Nairologist for furrys
Sigmund Leominster
Apr 3rd, 2009
I’ve always been wary of folks who want to live in a binary universe, where things are either black or white, good or evil, learned or innate, narrative or play. I prefer – although “prefer” may not ne the right word because I’m not sure there’s any choice – to live in a gray universe, whether that be a real or virtual one. And even then, the distinction between the “real” world and the “virtual” strikes me as false: the virtual is an extension of the real.
The importance of “narrative” is reflected even in our language via metaphor. “So what’s YOUR story?”; “Tell me about it!”; “Have I got a story for you!” In marketing, you don’t just push product, you “tell a story.”
In virtual environments, I suggest there is a continuum from “closed” to “open” in relation to how much control someone has over the creation of a narrative. Environments such as Eve Online have a more closed system than Second Life, which is very open. I also proffer that “play” is not an opposite of “narrative” but part of the Narrative Spectrum. Some forms of play can be very prescriptive (you can’t play chess if you leave the rules open) and others are less prescriptive (playing with Lego(R) bricks) and some are downright anarchic (the Brits may remember the excellent radio show “I’m Sorry I Haven’t a Clue,” which included a “game” called “Mornington Crescent, the humor behind which was that there were NO rules! – Google it).
Mmh, perhaps too much for a Friday but it’s just how I feel.
Over to you, dear readers.
Darien Caldwell
Apr 3rd, 2009
$10,000 for a virtual space ship? Now I don’t feel so bad about paying $1695 for an island. :p
George Zimmer, Founder and CEO of Men's Warehouse
Apr 3rd, 2009
>Speaking goonswarm, didn’t they recently steal some ridculous amount of cash through e-indstrial e-espionage? I think it was on bbc news last month.
No, what happened was the Goons managed to convince the guy in charge of Band of Brothers to drop the corporation and surrender all of their assets, which basically made BoB nonexistent and allowed the Goons to immediately move in and start seizing their territory. The remnants of BoB formed under one of BoB’s sub-corps, KenZoku, and tried desperately to defend what was left of their territory, but GoonSwarm easily obliterated them.
Though, Goonswarm has lost almost all of its original territory to Red Alliance. It’ll be interesting to see if Goons go after AAA or RA first.
The territory map is the link attached to my name.
Urizenus Sklar
Apr 3rd, 2009
Alyx, Here is a report of the BoB takedown:
http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/89219
Professor Egghead
Apr 3rd, 2009
Alyx: “Utterly boring and tedius aside from the Goonswarm video”
What a pre-teen (and misspelled) response to a great post. Go play a game and kill something, child.
I’m a narratologist through and through, and shooting stuff or stabbing it in games gets utterly tedious and boring very fast.
The post illustrates a BIG debate in academe about the value of virtual worlds for learning…lots of boring and tedious administrators and other wheezing geezers see VWs as just “games” that only ludologists would enjoy in a dorm room.
Gradually, and whether the goofy, drama-crazed children of SL like it or not, the academics are coming with their awful fashion-sense, bald-spots for hair they cannot fit, correct grammar and big words. Griefers will at least have some fun at their expense.
For the tweedy avis of academosphere, the promise of virtual worlds will be good simulation–for in-worlds games for just for the hell of narratology.
@ say what? Furry Narratologist? Pass.
the kombat kid
Apr 3rd, 2009
jessie is dead IIRC
way what?
Apr 3rd, 2009
A furry NAIRologist… haha hair remover you know?
Two Worlds
Apr 3rd, 2009
Wait…narratologist…ludologist? Are those actual words that real people use, or are you just sh*tting me?
REAL PEOPLE DON’T TALK LIKE THAT.
Alyx Stoklitsky
Apr 3rd, 2009
Professor Egghead, you missed the point of my post entirely.
It has nothing to to with killing stuff – it has to do with the hilarity of ruining some idiot’s $10,000 investment with nothing more than hoardes of cheap, useless craft. I could care less that they’re shooting shit and that there are explosions.
Indeed, the two other videos in what you call a ‘great post’ are about shooting, explosions, and flexing e-penises. The Goonswarm video shows a hilarious, and massive drama-pumping event that actually happened, not some shitty, orchestrated machinima (I hate that word, by the way) with some pretentious narrative about courage and honour to go along with the ‘splosions.
I never realised that alpha-male idiocy was ‘about spinning collaborative narratives’.
Also, I missed a letter in the word ‘tedious’. Deal with it.
AC
Apr 4th, 2009
“Also, I missed a letter in the word ‘tedious’. Deal with it.” So what’s the puerile excuse for “hoardes”? Dipshit.
Alyx Stoklitsky
Apr 5th, 2009
@ “Also, I missed a letter in the word ‘tedious’. Deal with it.” So what’s the puerile excuse for “hoardes”? Dipshit.
OOOooOooOHNNNnnnNNNnnOooOoOOoOooOoooOOooOOOoOOooOoOOoOooOooOOOooOoOOoOoooOoOOOooooOOo! YOU GOT ME AGAIN!
Not. I put that error there deliberately just to see if you’d prove what a pedantic faggot you are, as no sane person really gives a shit about one extra letter in one word out of a hundred on a fucking blog comment on the internet.
Oh well. I made a special effort for you this time, so be thankful that I’m willing to cater to your inbility to stomach the vile concoction that is misspelled word.
I look forward to your illuminating reply in which you finally counter my argument about the first two videos being complete shit – that is, if you’re capable of logical thought beyond checking my spelling like a high school English teacher.
You fail.
Urizenus Sklar
Apr 6th, 2009
Massively just posted a really interesting piece on story telling in EVE. I recommend it.
http://www.massively.com/2009/04/05/eve-evolved-storytelling-in-eve-online/