The Gamer's Quarter

nICO · . Joined: 19 Feb 2005 Posts: 120 Location: WVUSA

http://www.escapistmagazine.com/issue/21/3

On the one hand it seems like a reductionist game designer orgy. At the same time, however, networking sites like Facebook have proven people will reveal anything and allow themselves to be connected and publicized in ways that must have been unimaginable even a few years ago. It's also just a matter of time before technology evolves to the point where a "reputation economy" might be feasible.

But still...I'm not entirely convinced. At least of the exact scenario he starts to describe.

I would like to have seen more discussion about the effects of this development, though I suppose that might be too much to ask given the limitations of the publication.

Also, this reputation economy doesn't appear to be much different than a monetary economy. Take credit score for example. Assuming I buy this, I might argue that money might become/is an element of this reputation economy rather than a stand-alone entity.
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Brauner: Damn you, humans... You selfishly start wars and despoil the earth. Perhaps justice wasn't on my side but I will never admit that it was on yours.

dark steve · . Joined: 17 Jun 2005 Posts: 1110

Somebody email Bruce Sterling and tell him that guy's using his schtick.

Hey dess, he goes after ideological communism on page 3!

nICO · . Joined: 19 Feb 2005 Posts: 120 Location: WVUSA

Haven't read any Sterling, yet. Keep meaning to. Holy Fire looks fucking awesome.
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Brauner: Damn you, humans... You selfishly start wars and despoil the earth. Perhaps justice wasn't on my side but I will never admit that it was on yours.

dark steve · . Joined: 17 Jun 2005 Posts: 1110

He's got a regular column in Wired, which is neat. It's one of the few things in the magazine that hasn't been going steady down the tubes lately.

dhex · Posted: Wed Nov 30, 2005 10:33 am Post subject:

that...was...interesting... in a pass the bong kinda way.
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seryogin · Posted: Wed Nov 30, 2005 9:55 pm Post subject:

Without realizing it, dhex has just summarized videogames in their current form.

And fuck Sterling. The man is a reactionary asshole who jumped on the cyberpunk bandwagon, because it was pretty "edgy." He then wrote reams of such shitty fiction that it's no wonder that Akira, along with Blade Runner, remain the only fully realized pieces of cyberpunk to date.

dark steve · . Joined: 17 Jun 2005 Posts: 1110

Gibson ain't no chopped liver, son.

Mr. Mechanical · Friendly Stranger Joined: 14 Oct 2004 Posts: 1276

dark steve · . Joined: 17 Jun 2005 Posts: 1110

seryogin · Posted: Wed Nov 30, 2005 10:48 pm Post subject:

Let's not bring Gibson into this.

He may have invented cyberpunk

He's good, at times, it's just... ,well, I don't like him much.

dark steve · . Joined: 17 Jun 2005 Posts: 1110

I guess you're not a reader, then?

Boooooo. Booooooooo.

Yup. Sorry nICO.

seryogin · Posted: Wed Nov 30, 2005 11:05 pm Post subject:

My main problem with Gibson is that everything he did was pretty much done much better by Philip K. Dick.

Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? does everything Neuromancer aspires to do without including characters that sound like they belong in shitty hard -boiled movies.

dark steve · . Joined: 17 Jun 2005 Posts: 1110

So you're not a reader.

There's prose involved, is the thing. We're talking about a man who's the closest successor to Burroughs that we'll ever have.

seryogin · Posted: Thu Dec 01, 2005 12:07 am Post subject:

Gibson?! Burroughs?!

Man! You've just blown my mind. That's a pretty fucking hardcore observation! It's echoing through my room like the roar of Godzilla. Clearly, if you can glimpse the connection between the hammy nerd Gibson and the wild, murdering, funny smackman Burroughs then yours is a mind beyond me.

nICO · . Joined: 19 Feb 2005 Posts: 120 Location: WVUSA

I've never been a big fan of cyberpunk. Don't know why, cause I should be given my other interests. Gibson, though...he had some class. One of my favorite quotes of his we decided to put on the homepage of a cyberspace history archive I helped work on.

Can we agree that Stevenson is shit? Most of the time, at least... Or do we have a few diehard Snowcrash/Baroque Trilogy fans here?
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Brauner: Damn you, humans... You selfishly start wars and despoil the earth. Perhaps justice wasn't on my side but I will never admit that it was on yours.

seryogin · Posted: Thu Dec 01, 2005 1:54 am Post subject:

Yeah, you're right.

Even if I don't like Gibson, the guy certainly says a few interesting things. And, yeah, he does have class. I mean, he is the only American to ever appreciate the genius of Viktor Tsoi.

dark steve · . Joined: 17 Jun 2005 Posts: 1110

dhex · Posted: Thu Dec 01, 2005 8:51 am Post subject:

i don't like the futuristic cyber nonsense for the most part, but snowcrash is a good time.
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Mister Toups · Posted: Thu Dec 01, 2005 2:35 pm Post subject: