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  Shaula Evans, Jun 15th, 2006 @ 10:30am

  
  

  online sociologists

  Nancy White is one of my favourite sources for a reputable academic take on behaviour in online communities.

   

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  Petréa Mitchell, Jun 15th, 2006 @ 10:34am

  
  

  Creating police

  A solution I've seen on a couple of the larger text-based MUDs I've played is to have a player class which performs the role of police and is given skills/spells aimed at aiding them in hunting down and neutralizing offending players. Players had to get special approval to play this class, and the penalties for members of the class caught abusing their position were especially severe.

  Not a terribly popular class, though, since the emphasis on law enforcement meant it was less powerful in terms of killing monsters for points.

   

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  Ben, Jun 15th, 2006 @ 10:44am

  
  

  Real world Value

  It may be argued that items in the MMO games have real world value since there are people willing to pay for them, but i have noticed that many companies are against selling items in the real world for real money since it decreases the in game economy. The makers of Final Fantasy XI for example said that they ban any players they catch selling vitual good for real money.

   

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  Jason, Jun 15th, 2006 @ 12:06pm

  
  

  Sounds like the wild west

  This kinda sounds like the wild west, when law wasn't available out on the range and little cow towns. Thus, the residents of these areas took the law, or what they precieved that law should be, into their own hands. Be it posses, hangings, brandings, makeshift jails, or whatever.
  
  Next thing you know, there will be the virtual equivilant of the shootout at the OK Corral.
  
  Although not a MMO player as such, I find these developments very interesting.

   

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  Anonymous Coward, Jun 15th, 2006 @ 3:15pm

  
  

  If you voluntarily mix the worlds by bringing IRL money into the mix, then let the consequences be on your own damn head. You were implored not to but you did anyway. Just because somebody's willing to sell you in-game merchandise doesnt mean it is a good idea.

   

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  Anonymous Coward, Jun 15th, 2006 @ 3:20pm

  
  

  Re:

  And anyway, whats the difference between investing time and money? You invest resources in the game, and it can get ganked. It NEEDS to be able to be ganked, otherwise the immersiveness of the world is impaired. Looks like we have people out there that want the game to be pure blissful escapism and people that want it to be harsh, cruel, faux-reality. Quit playing the harsh games if you dont like it. Personally, I enjoy the thought of consequenceless harshness. It sublimates the need for harshness which would typically be carried out in a more consequential way. For example, I had a stressful day at work so I am going to be home in an hour running through doom and blasting former human sergeants.

   

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