Nannies with Badges
by Alphaville Herald on 05/01/05 at 7:06 am
During the State of Play some months ago, there was a special session on dispute resolution with Robin, Cory, and Phillip Linden attending, in addition to a number of anthropologists, lawyers, and industry types (eBay) that were experts in dispute resolution. What the concensus of the experts seemed to be was that the Lindens should take a hands off approach and let user-developed dispute resolutions systems evolve organically. Having Lindens take the role of dispute mediators, babysitters, and nannies was a bad idea and would not scale in any case. But what the Lindens seem to have come away with is that they should create an army of uber-nannies to police the slightest of offenses.
Case in point. Yesterday SimCast CEO Pron Thetan was at a welcome area demonstrating a blood trail effect that has been developed for the SimCast PvP game.
Ban this sickness so we can get back to good clean fun like swapping pirated hentai porn!
Amid a shower of positive ratings from the spectators a Linden Nanny IMed him and informed him that his behavior was in violation of the rules for the welcome area and he could be suspended. What rules? Well, not the written kind, but the ones that the Nannies keep tucked away in the dark recesses of their little minds. Given that Prong is working over eight hours a day on the SimCast project in game, the costs of a weeklong suspension would be substantial for the whole dev team. But the real worry is that the rules are unwritten, the interpretation of those unwritten rules is subject to the whim of the nannies, the nature of the punishment is subject to the whim of the nannies, and the appeal process seems to be reaching a friendly Linden on the phone. As Prong put it, “I’m afraid to do anything other than stand at attention on the mainland.”
Other cases are too numerous to mention. Tartarus developer Ryen Jade gets suspended for a week because he and some W-hats dressed as mimes and surrounded a furry. Surrounded in one plane that is. Is that reason to ban someone for a week? Given the nature of Ryen’s project it is a bit self-destructive on the part of the Lindens. Now we aren’t saying that what Ryen and the mimes did was funny or good or even to be tolerated. All we are saying that the Linden’s had no business inserting themselves into that sort of situation. That is a dispute for adults to work out on their own.
Even I was swept up in one of the Linden Keystone Cop operations. Standing, minding my own business in a store, someone from outside the property was firing a particle effect weapon into the store. The Linden response was to suspend everyone in the area for at least an hour.
My advice to Prong: stay off the mainland! It’s too dangerous there. It’s crawling with Linden nannies, they have badges and banning powers, and they can’t wait to use them.
Gina Fatale
Jan 5th, 2005
ROFL – uri you kill me, lol and i do remember that time in the store cause i was there and got suspended too for just standing there shopping while someone else shot up the place. Now off I go to find the hentai porn lol
ajdown@jp
Jan 5th, 2005
We need these in TSO…… oh I’m sorry, I forgot, some people think I’m already doing it.
aj
E.P.
Jan 5th, 2005
Um, I’ve heard about Ryan Jade’s incident and I know that the Linden’s responses to abuse reports may leave something to be desired but there is no “army of uber-nannies”…considering all the other reports of times where they haven’t responded to problems. There’s probably a reason for the shoddy enforcement but I don’t think there’s any sort of “crack down” or “policing” involved. (It’s generaly known that the Lindens can’t and won’t actively police the grid, except for Liasons stationed at welcome areas.)
The hyperbolie is way out of proportion to the situation.
ian
Jan 5th, 2005
AJ …TSO is not a gorwing community like Second Life is. Why put forth effort in something that will end, probably sometime thie year
JF
Jan 5th, 2005
Well considering I’ve seen a blood splatter done before at Stage 4 many MONTHS ago, I’m suprised they care this time about it.
And as far as the Lindens go, might as well call them communist in their actions. They don’t have to tell you when, how, or what you did wrong.. just that you did it and you’re being punished for it.
Great way to learn from your mistakes huh?
ajdown@jp
Jan 6th, 2005
Ian…… TSO is doing just right as far as I’m concerned, I’m having plenty of success (despite your efforts to screw it), and if/when TSO ends I may look at alternatives. SL may be one of them…. but my impression of SL is that unless you spend hours geekily scripting your own stuff, there’s actually very little to do… and it’s just another glorified chat room. I really ought to get back into Jumpgate but I just don’t seem to have the time.
aj
Maria La Veaux
Jan 6th, 2005
A “Hands off approach to dispute resolution” God yes, it’s so simple and it has worked before, Look how successful it has been in TSO.
I’m sorry, but given the environment i emigrated from in TSO, the last thing i want is to see it Imported to SL. The example you sight was a clear case of Harassment. To those dressed as mimes,, All good clean fun, But i assure you, the Furry didn’t think it was much fun, and was Probably Far from Laughing when his peaceful game play was interrupted by a thoughtless group of Thugs. “All we are saying that the Linden’s had no business inserting themselves into that sort of situation.”??? On the contrary, they had Every right, and for the Furry, an Obligation to step in and halt a Flagrant case of Griefing. Only the griefers themselved defend this sort of thing as “I’m not Hurting anyone” or “Can’t they take a Joke?”
The Lindens may not be perfect, and no system ever will be, But arguing that NO system is better than the Imperfect one we have now is ludicrous.
All a “Hands off” system will do is give griefers, scammers, and other Maladjusted Antisocial types a freer hand in Preying on others.
Keep the system we have, and suggest possible changes to Improve it. But as far as this player is concerned, Surrendering control of the game to the Grief elements because they complain their form of play is being stifled is Not a reasonable option, It is complete Nonsense