February 2001
- Rogue-Like Mud? Ron Moore
- Issues of Copyright (was Ebay bans character selling) geoffrey@yorku.ca
- brazil the_logos@www.achaea.com
- Dogma 2001 Frank Crowell
- Dogma 2001 David Turner
- FW: Article on Global Verbs & Bulk Bug Christopher Allen
- Slightly extreme reaction to IP and auction Frank Crowell
- Slightly extreme reaction to IP and auction Greg Underwood
- Slightly extreme reaction to IP and auction the_logos@www.achaea.com
- bandwidth the_logos@www.achaea.com
- Is immersipresense going to make a come back? Frank Crowell
- New Scientist Article... Eric Rhea
- New Scientist Article... Alistair Milne
- New Scientist Article... rayzam
- New Scientist Article... Hans-Henrik Staerfeldt
- New Scientist Article... rayzam
- volunteers the_logos@www.achaea.com
- volunteers Timothy Dang
- volunteers Jon Morrow
- volunteers the_logos@www.achaea.com
- volunteers Timothy Dang
- The Aedon rule system (was: FW: Article on Global Verbs & Bulk Bug) Federico Di Gregorio
- Content is Not King (from First Monday) Bruce
- [sweng-gamedev] BYOND game development system (fwd) J C Lawrence
- [sweng-gamedev] BYOND game development system (fwd) J C Lawrence
- Medievia interview Koster, Raph
- Medievia interview Alex
- Medievia interview Madman Across the Water
- Medievia interview Koster, Raph
- Medievia interview Joe O'Connor
- Medievia interview pyrographer@comcast.net
- Medievia interview J C Lawrence
- FW: Article on Data Inheritance Christopher Allen
- FW: Article on Data Inheritance Kevin Littlejohn
- job opportunities Koster, Raph
- Those (in)famous EQ stories bubba@bubba.mud
- Writing articles (was: FW: Article on Data Inheritance) Bruce
- Writing articles (was: FW: Article on Data Inheritance) the_logos@www.achaea.com
- Room-based vs. Coordinate based[Was semi-graphical muds] Ben Chambers
- Room-based vs. Coordinate based[Was semi-graphical muds] Warren Powell
- Room-based vs. Coordinate based[Was semi-graphical muds] the_logos@www.achaea.com
- Room-based vs. Coordinate based[Was semi-graphical muds] J C Lawrence
- Modular Design Issues RFC Ryan Rhodes
- Modular Design Issues RFC Russ Lewis
- Modular Design Issues RFC Ryan Rhodes
- Modular Design Issues RFC J C Lawrence
- Modular Design Issues RFC Bruce
- Modular Design Issues RFC J C Lawrence
- Modular Design Issues RFC Ryan Rhodes
- Modular Design Issues RFC J C Lawrence
- Modular Design Issues RFC Daniel.Harman@barclayscapital.com
- Modular Design Issues RFC Greg Lewis
- Modular Design Issues RFC Daniel.Harman@barclayscapital.com
- Modular Design Issues RFC Ben Chambers
- Modular Design Issues RFC Ryan Rhodes
- Modular Design Issues RFC J C Lawrence
- Modular Design Issues RFC J C Lawrence
- Modular Design Issues RFC Scion Altera
- Modular Design Issues RFC Ryan Rhodes
- Modular Design Issues RFC Kwon Ekstrom
- Modular Design Issues RFC Ryan Rhodes
- Modular Design Issues RFC Kwon Ekstrom
- Modular Design Issues RFC Ryan Rhodes
- Modular Design Issues RFC Kwon Ekstrom
- Modular Design Issues RFC Scion Altera
- Modular Design Issues RFC Jo Dillon
- Modular Design Issues RFC J C Lawrence
- Party at DundraCon Christopher Allen
- MUD-Dev digest, Vol 1 #246 - 6 msgs Dr. Cat
- MUD-Dev digest, Vol 1 #246 - 6 msgs the_logos@www.achaea.com
- Roundtable status, changes, and future. J C Lawrence
- Roundtable status, changes, and future. J C Lawrence
- Persistent Worlds Ryan Rhodes
- Persistent Worlds J C Lawrence
- Persistent Worlds Hulbert, Leland
- Persistent Worlds J C Lawrence
- Persistent Worlds John Buehler
- Persistent Worlds J C Lawrence
- Persistent Worlds John Buehler
- Persistent Worlds the_logos@www.achaea.com
- Persistent Worlds John Buehler
- Persistent Worlds the_logos@www.achaea.com
- Persistent Worlds John Buehler
- Persistent Worlds the_logos@www.achaea.com
- Persistent Worlds Travis Casey
- Persistent Worlds the_logos@www.achaea.com
- Persistent Worlds Scion Altera
- Persistent Worlds John Buehler
- Persistent Worlds J C Lawrence
- Persistent Worlds the_logos@www.achaea.com
- Persistent Worlds J C Lawrence
- Persistent Worlds the_logos@www.achaea.com
- Persistent Worlds Travis Casey
- Persistent Worlds Hulbert, Leland
- Persistent Worlds Jon Lambert
- Persistent Worlds Ryan Rhodes
- Persistent Worlds Jon Lambert
- Persistent Worlds Ryan Rhodes
- Persistent Worlds Jon Lambert
- Persistent Worlds Ryan Rhodes
- Persistent Worlds J C Lawrence
- Persistent Worlds Jon Lambert
- Persistent Worlds Ryan Rhodes
- Persistent Worlds Miroslav Silovic
- Persistent Worlds Bruce
- Persistent Worlds Ryan Rhodes
- Persistent Worlds Phillip Lenhardt
- Persistent Worlds Miroslav Silovic
- Persistent Worlds Ryan Rhodes
- Persistent Worlds Jon Lambert
- Persistent Worlds J C Lawrence
- Persistent Worlds John Buehler
- Persistent Worlds J C Lawrence
- Persistent Worlds John Buehler
- Persistent Worlds J C Lawrence
- Persistent Worlds John Buehler
- Persistent Worlds msew
- Persistent Worlds rayzam
- Persistent Worlds John Buehler
- Persistent Worlds rayzam
- Persistent Worlds Travis Casey
- Persistent Worlds John Buehler
- Persistent Worlds the_logos@www.achaea.com
- Persistent Worlds John Buehler
- Persistent Worlds the_logos@www.achaea.com
- Persistent Worlds John Buehler
- Persistent Worlds Tess Lowe
- Persistent Worlds John Buehler
- Persistent Worlds Travis Casey
- Persistent Worlds John Buehler
- Persistent Worlds the_logos@www.achaea.com
- Persistent Worlds John Buehler
- Persistent Worlds Kevin Littlejohn
- Persistent Worlds J C Lawrence
- Persistent Worlds Tess Lowe
- Persistent Worlds J C Lawrence
- Persistent Worlds Dave Rickey
- Persistent Worlds Eli Stevens
- Persistent Worlds John Buehler
- Persistent Worlds Nathan F.Yospe
- Persistent Worlds the_logos@www.achaea.com
- Persistent Worlds Nathan F.Yospe
- Persistent Worlds the_logos@www.achaea.com
- Persistent Worlds Jon Lambert
- Persistent Worlds J C Lawrence
- Persistent Worlds Jon Lambert
- Persistent Worlds J C Lawrence
- Persistent Worlds rayzam
- Persistent Worlds Nathan F.Yospe
- Persistent Worlds Christopher Allen
- Persistent Worlds Travis Casey
- Persistent Worlds J C Lawrence
- Persistent Worlds the_logos@www.achaea.com
- Persistent Worlds Travis Casey
- Persistent Worlds the_logos@www.achaea.com
- Persistent Worlds Travis Casey
- Persistent Worlds Corey Crawford
- Persistent Worlds Marian Griffith
- Persistent Worlds Travis Casey
- Persistent Worlds the_logos@www.achaea.com
- Persistent Worlds Marian Griffith
- Persistent Worlds Brandon J. Rickman
- Persistent Worlds Nathan F.Yospe
- Persistent Worlds J C Lawrence
- Persistent Worlds Ryan Rhodes
- MMORPGs: Pointers to System Specs? Lars Duening
- MMORPGs: Pointers to System Specs? Jake Song
- Shameless Plug. SavantKnowsAll@cs.com
- Shameless Plug. Travis Casey
- Shameless Plug. J C Lawrence
- Shameless Plug. SavantKnowsAll@cs.com
- Shameless Plug. J C Lawrence
- Shameless Plug. SavantKnowsAll@cs.com
- Shameless Plug. Christopher Allen
- Shameless Plug. J C Lawrence
- Shameless Plug. SavantKnowsAll@cs.com
- Shameless Plug. J C Lawrence
- enforced roleplaying the_logos@www.achaea.com
- enforced roleplaying Sanvean
- enforced roleplaying the_logos@www.achaea.com
- enforced roleplaying Christopher Allen
- enforced roleplaying Mark Watson
- enforced roleplaying Klyde Beattie
- enforced roleplaying the_logos@www.achaea.com
- Real Life Consequences Corey Crawford
- Real Life Consequences the_logos@www.achaea.com
- Real Life Consequences J C Lawrence
- Real Life Consequences rayzam
- Real Life Consequences John Buehler
- Real Life Consequences the_logos@www.achaea.com
- Real Life Consequences J C Lawrence
- Real Life Consequences Christopher Allen
- Real Life Consequences Kerem HADIMLI
- Real Life Consequences the_logos@www.achaea.com
- Real Life Consequences Kevin Littlejohn
- Real Life Consequences John Buehler
- Real Life Consequences Kevin Littlejohn
- Real Life Consequences J C Lawrence
- Real Life Consequences John Buehler
- Real Life Consequences the_logos@www.achaea.com
- Real Life Consequences Jeff Freeman
- Real Life Consequences Marian Griffith
- Real Life Consequences David Loeser
- Real Life Consequences the_logos@www.achaea.com
- Real Life Consequences John Buehler
- Real Life Consequences David Loeser
- Real Life Consequences Rodney Lorrimar
- Real Life Consequences Michael Tresca
- Real Life Consequences J C Lawrence
- Real Life Consequences John Buehler
- Real Life Consequences the_logos@www.achaea.com
- Real Life Consequences Daniel.Harman@barclayscapital.com
- Real Life Consequences Marc Bowden
- Real Life Consequences J C Lawrence
- Real Life Consequences Mike Niederer
- Real Life Consequences Jon Morrow
- Real Life Consequences Jeff Freeman
- Real Life Consequences John Buehler
- Real Life Consequences the_logos@www.achaea.com
- Real Life Consequences John Buehler
- Real Life Consequences Jeff Freeman
- Real Life Consequences John Buehler
- Real Life Consequences Jon Morrow
- Real Life Consequences J C Lawrence
- Real Life Consequences Jon Morrow
- Real Life Consequences J C Lawrence
- Real Life Consequences Michael Tresca
- Real Life Consequences msew
- Real Life Consequences Adam Casbarian
- MUD-Dev digest, Vol 1 #249 - 28 msgs Dr. Cat
- MUD-Dev digest, Vol 1 #249 - 28 msgs the_logos@www.achaea.com
- MUD-Dev digest, Vol 1 #249 - 28 msgs the_logos@www.achaea.com
- Job search Dr. Cat
- Pay for Play (or Commercial Rolecall) Ryan Rhodes
- Pay for Play (or Commercial Rolecall) J C Lawrence
- Pay for Play (or Commercial Rolecall) Marc Bowden
- Pay for Play (or Commercial Rolecall) Jeff Freeman
- Pay for Play (or Commercial Rolecall) the_logos@www.achaea.com
- Pay for Play (or Commercial Rolecall) Ryan Rhodes
- Pay for Play (or Commercial Rolecall) the_logos@www.achaea.com
- Pay for Play (or Commercial Rolecall) Dave Rickey
- Pay for Play (or Commercial Rolecall) Jeff Freeman
- Pay for Play (or Commercial Rolecall) Ananda Dawnsinger
- Pay for Play (or Commercial Rolecall) Dave Rickey
- Pay for Play (or Commercial Rolecall) Dave Rickey
- Pay for Play (or Commercial Rolecall) S. Patrick Gallaty
- Pay for Play (or Commercial Rolecall) Jeff Freeman
- Pay for Play (or Commercial Rolecall) Jon Lambert
- Pay for Play (or Commercial Rolecall) J C Lawrence
- Pay for Play (or Commercial Rolecall) the_logos@www.achaea.com
- Pay for Play (or Commercial Rolecall) Jon Morrow
- A new MUD-standard Ben Chambers
- A new MUD-standard Adam Casbarian
- A new MUD-standard Ben Chambers
- A new MUD-standard Christopher Allen
- A new MUD-standard Ben Greear
- A new MUD-standard Ben Chambers
- A new MUD-standard Ben Greear
- A new MUD-standard Ben Chambers
- A new MUD-standard rayzam
- A new MUD-standard katroutt@home.com
- A new MUD-standard Frank Crowell
- A new MUD-standard Bryce Harrington
- A new MUD-standard Frank Crowell
- A new MUD-standard Hans-Henrik Staerfeldt
- A new MUD-standard Ben Chambers
- A new MUD-standard Kwon Ekstrom
- A new MUD-standard Jon Lambert
- A new MUD-standard Frank Crowell
- A new MUD-standard Ryan Rhodes
- A new MUD-standard Ben Chambers
- A new MUD-standard Bruce
- A new MUD-standard Ben Chambers
- A new MUD-standard Chris Jones
- A new MUD-standard Kwon Ekstrom
- A new MUD-standard Ben Chambers
- A new MUD-standard Kwon Ekstrom
- A new MUD-standard Kwon Ekstrom
- A new MUD-standard John Bertoglio
- A new MUD-standard J C Lawrence
- A new MUD-standard Kwon Ekstrom
- A new MUD-standard J C Lawrence
- A new MUD-standard Kwon Ekstrom
- A new MUD-standard Kwon Ekstrom
- A new MUD-standard Bruce
- A new MUD-standard Kwon Ekstrom
- A new MUD-standard Kevin Littlejohn
- A new MUD-standard Kwon Ekstrom
- A new MUD-standard Bruce
- A new MUD-standard Kevin Littlejohn
- A new MUD-standard Kwon Ekstrom
- A new MUD-standard Ben Chambers
- A new MUD-standard Kwon Ekstrom
- A new MUD-standard Ben Chambers
- A new MUD-standard Kwon Ekstrom
- A new MUD-standard Kevin Littlejohn
- A new MUD-standard Ben Chambers
- A new MUD-standard Kwon Ekstrom
- A new MUD-standard the_logos@www.achaea.com
- A new MUD-standard Frank Crowell
- Community (was: Semi Graphical Muds) Marian Griffith
- Defining a community Klyde Beattie
- Defining a community Dave Rickey
- Defining a community Jeff Freeman
- Defining a community Dave Rickey
- Defining a community Mark Watson
- Defining a community Koster, Raph
- Defining a community Ola Fosheim Grøstad
- "Doing a dungeon" (was: Permadeath or Not?) msew
- "Doing a dungeon" (was: Permadeath or Not?) the_logos@www.achaea.com
- "Doing a dungeon" (was: Permadeath or Not?) Daniel.Harman@barclayscapital.com
- "Doing a dungeon" (was: Permadeath or Not?) msew
- "Doing a dungeon" (was: Permadeath or Not?) Vincent Archer
- "Doing a dungeon" (was: Permadeath or Not?) msew
- "Doing a dungeon" (was: Permadeath or Not?) Brian Hook
- "Doing a dungeon" (was: Permadeath or Not?) John Buehler
- "Doing a dungeon" (was: Permadeath or Not?) Brian Hook
- "Doing a dungeon" (was: Permadeath or Not?) John Buehler
- "Doing a dungeon" (was: Permadeath or Not?) Brian 'Psychochild' Green
- "Doing a dungeon" (was: Permadeath or Not?) Travis Nixon
- "Doing a dungeon" (was: Permadeath or Not?) Koster, Raph
- "Doing a dungeon" (was: Permadeath or Not?) Travis Casey
- "Doing a dungeon" (was: Permadeath or Not?) Vincent Archer
- "Doing a dungeon" (was: Permadeath or Not?) msew
- "Doing a dungeon" (was: Permadeath or Not?) Brian Hook
- "Doing a dungeon" (was: Permadeath or Not?) Dave Rickey
- MUD Schools Ben Chambers
- MUD Schools David Bennett
- MUD Schools Alex
- MUD Schools David Bennett
- MUD Schools Marc Bowden
- MUD Schools Ben Chambers
- MUD Schools Michael Tresca
- Teaching ethics in MUDs (was "An essay on d00dism and the MMORPG") Tess Lowe
- Teaching ethics in MUDs (was "An essay on d00dism and the MMORPG") John Buehler
- Teaching ethics in MUDs (was "An essay on d00dism and the MMORPG") Ananda Dawnsinger
- Teaching ethics in MUDs (was "An essay on d00dism and the MMORPG") David Bennett
- Teaching ethics in MUDs (was "An essay on d00dism and the MMORPG") Adam Casbarian
- Teaching ethics in MUDs (was "An essay on d00dism and the MMORPG") J C Lawrence
- Teaching ethics in MUDs (was "An essay on d00dism and the MMORPG") rayzam
- Teaching ethics in MUDs (was "An essay on d00dism and the MMORPG") Travis Nixon
- Teaching ethics in MUDs (was "An essay on d00dism and the MMORPG") the_logos@www.achaea.com
- Teaching ethics in MUDs (was "An essay on d00dism and the MMORPG") Marian Griffith
- Teaching ethics in MUDs (was "An essay on d00dism and the MMORPG") John Buehler
- Teaching ethics in MUDs (was "An essay on d00dism and the MMORPG") Kwon Ekstrom
- Teaching ethics in MUDs (was "An essay on d00dism and the MMORPG") the_logos@www.achaea.com
- Teaching ethics in MUDs Tess Lowe
- Teaching ethics in MUDs John Buehler
- Mozilla as a client (was: A new MUD-standard) Bruce
- Mozilla as a client (was: A new MUD-standard) Kwon Ekstrom
- GoPers are ants at RP picnics!... was Pay for Play(or commercial rolecall) Jon Lambert
- Condsiders Daniel.Harman@barclayscapital.com
- Condsiders J C Lawrence
- Condsiders Jeff Freeman
- Condsiders J C Lawrence
- Condsiders Marc Bowden
- Condsiders Ryan Rhodes
- Condsiders Klyde Beattie
- Condsiders John Buehler
- Condsiders Klyde Beattie
- Condsiders rayzam
- Condsiders John Buehler
- (no subject) msew
- Phantasy Star online article Koster, Raph
- Phantasy Star online article the_logos@www.achaea.com
- Phantasy Star online article Koster, Raph
- Phantasy Star online article the_logos@www.achaea.com
- Phantasy Star online article msew
- Myn ynd Wymyn (was Teaching ethics in MUDs) Ananda Dawnsinger
- Myn ynd Wymyn (was Teaching ethics in MUDs) Ananda Dawnsinger
- Myn ynd Wymyn (was Teaching ethics in MUDs) Adam Casbarian
- Myn ynd Wymyn (was Teaching ethics in MUDs) Ananda Dawnsinger
- Item Distribution in Areas Jim S
- Item Distribution in Areas Brian Hook
- Item Distribution in Areas Vincent Archer
- Item Distribution in Areas rayzam
- Item Distribution in Areas Dave Rickey
- Game Developer Conference Proceedings? Ola Fosheim Grøstad
- Game Developer Conference Proceedings? Koster, Raph
- Game Developer Conference Proceedings? Timothy Dang
- Game Developer Conference Proceedings? the_logos@www.achaea.com
- New Bartle article Koster, Raph
- New Bartle article Richard A. Bartle
- New Bartle article Koster, Raph
- New Bartle article Richard A. Bartle
- New Bartle article the_logos@www.achaea.com
- New Bartle article rayzam
- New Bartle article Dave Rickey
- New Bartle article Richard A. Bartle
- New Bartle article Dave Rickey
- New Bartle article Daniel James
- New Bartle article the_logos@www.achaea.com
- New Bartle article Freeman, Jeff
- New Bartle article the_logos@www.achaea.com
- New Bartle article Vincent Archer
- New Bartle article the_logos@www.achaea.com
- New Bartle article Vincent Archer
- New Bartle article the_logos@www.achaea.com
- New Bartle article Adam Martin
- New Bartle article Richard A. Bartle
- New Bartle article Jeff Freeman
- New Bartle article Richard A. Bartle
- New Bartle article John Buehler
- New Bartle article Richard A. Bartle
- New Bartle article John Buehler
- New Bartle article Richard A. Bartle
- New Bartle article johnbue@msn.com
- New Bartle article Richard A. Bartle
- New Bartle article John Buehler
- New Bartle article Richard A. Bartle
- New Bartle article John Buehler
- New Bartle article Richard A. Bartle
- New Bartle article John Buehler
- New Bartle article Phillip Lenhardt
- New Bartle article the_logos@www.achaea.com
- New Bartle article John Buehler
- New Bartle article msew
- New Bartle article Richard A. Bartle
- New Bartle article Brian Hook
- New Bartle article Richard A. Bartle
- New Bartle article Vincent Archer
- New Bartle article Richard A. Bartle
- New Bartle article the_logos@www.achaea.com
- New Bartle article Jon Lambert
- New Bartle article the_logos@www.achaea.com
- New Bartle article Brian Hook
- New Bartle article the_logos@www.achaea.com
- New Bartle article Brian Hook
- New Bartle article the_logos@www.achaea.com
- New Bartle article Adam Martin
- New Bartle article Dave Rickey
- New Bartle article Brian Hook
- New Bartle article Dave Rickey
- New Bartle article Steve {Bloo} Daniels
- New Bartle article Daniel.Harman@barclayscapital.com
- New Bartle article Dave Rickey
- New Bartle article Vincent Archer
- New Bartle article Vincent Archer
- New Bartle article Travis Casey
- New Bartle article msew
- New Bartle article Richard A. Bartle
- New Bartle article Travis Casey
- New Bartle article Richard A. Bartle
- New Bartle article the_logos@www.achaea.com
- New Bartle article Richard A. Bartle
- New Bartle article the_logos@www.achaea.com
- New Bartle article Richard A. Bartle
- New Bartle article the_logos@www.achaea.com
- New Bartle article Richard A. Bartle
- New Bartle article Dave Rickey
- New Bartle article Richard A. Bartle
- New Bartle article Dave Rickey
- New Bartle article Richard A. Bartle
- New Bartle article Dave Rickey
- New Bartle article Richard A. Bartle
- New Bartle article Marc Bowden
- New Bartle article Richard A. Bartle
- New Bartle article rayzam
- New Bartle article Daniel.Harman@barclayscapital.com
- New Bartle article Richard A. Bartle
- New Bartle article Daniel.Harman@barclayscapital.com
- New Bartle article Blane Bramble
- New Bartle article Richard A. Bartle
- New Bartle article Gaffney, Jeremy
- New Bartle article Richard A. Bartle
- New Bartle article Dave Rickey
- New Bartle article Richard A. Bartle
- New Bartle article Freeman, Jeff
- New Bartle article Wells, Thomas
- New Bartle article Trump
- New Bartle article Brian Hook
- New Bartle article Travis Nixon
- New Bartle article Brian Hook
- New Bartle article Daniel James
- New Bartle article Brian Hook
- New Bartle article John Buehler
- New Bartle article Koster, Raph
- New Bartle article msew
- New Bartle article Vincent Archer
- New Bartle article shren
- New Bartle article Vincent Archer
- New Bartle article Timothy Dang
- New Bartle article Richard A. Bartle
- New Bartle article msew
- New Bartle article Koster, Raph
- New Bartle article John Buehler
- New Bartle article Koster, Raph
- New Bartle article John Buehler
- New Bartle article Paul Schwanz - Enterprise Services
- New Bartle article Sanvean
- New Bartle article the_logos@www.achaea.com
- New Bartle article Brian Hook
- New Bartle article the_logos@www.achaea.com
- New Bartle article Travis Casey
- New Bartle article the_logos@www.achaea.com
- New Bartle article Travis Casey
- New Bartle article Travis Casey
- New Bartle article Timothy Dang
- New Bartle article Travis Casey
- New Bartle article Marc Bowden
- New Bartle article Marc Bowden
- New Bartle article Matt Mihaly
- everquest banning sarapis@www.achaea.com
- Fallen Age (was Shameless Plug) SavantKnowsAll@cs.com
- Fallen Age (was Shameless Plug) the_logos@www.achaea.com
- Fallen Age (was Shameless Plug) SavantKnowsAll@cs.com
- Fallen Age (was Shameless Plug) the_logos@www.achaea.com
- Fallen Age (was Shameless Plug) SavantKnowsAll@cs.com
- Fallen Age (was Shameless Plug) Brian 'Psychochild' Green
- Fallen Age (was Shameless Plug) the_logos@www.achaea.com
- Fallen Age (was Shameless Plug) SavantKnowsAll@cs.com
- Myn ynd Wymyn (was Teaching ethics in MUDs) Adam Casbarian
- Myn ynd Wymyn (was Teaching ethics in MUDs) Willowreed@aol.com
- Yamauchi Puts the Industry In Its Place msew
http://www.video-senki.com/feat/yama21.html
>> QUOTE >>
Hiroshi Yamauchi, ancient president of Nintendo, is my absolute
favorite Japanese game executive, for the same reason Fidel Castro is
my absolute favorite head of state. They're both firm as a rock on
their issues, and they're both just so goshdarn sincere, you know?
In this recent interview, part of a look at the tumultuous state of
the Japan game industry by financial rag Zaikai, Yamauchi lashes out
on Sony, Square, net games, and everything else he doesn't like about
the business he commands these days almost by default. As usual, most
of what he's saying is common sense, but the industry could definitely
use some common sense right now.
<< END QUOTE <<
<EdNote: Full interview appended>
--<cut>--
Yamauchi Puts the Industry In Its Place
(Zaikai, February 27, 2001)
Hiroshi Yamauchi, ancient president of Nintendo, is my absolute
favorite Japanese game executive, for the same reason Fidel Castro is
my absolute favorite head of state. They're both firm as a rock on
their issues, and they're both just so goshdarn sincere, you know?
In this recent interview, part of a look at the tumultuous state of
the Japan game industry by financial rag Zaikai, Yamauchi lashes out
on Sony, Square, net games, and everything else he doesn't like about
the business he commands these days almost by default. As usual, most
of what he's saying is common sense, but the industry could definitely
use some common sense right now.
An interesting side note: Microsoft director of games marketing John
O'Rourke was recently quoted as having the exact opposite opinion of
Yamauchi's vis-a-vis multi-platform releases. Who's right? This time
next year it'll probably be brutally obvious...
My ex-boss John Ricciardi provided this interview to me. He's great.
------
Q: Mr. Yamauchi, you've always espoused that games depend on how fun
they are, and not on how advanced the graphics or hardware is. With
that in mind, how do you look at the downturn the game industry is
currently going through?
Y: Well, what I see right now is lots of people who look towards the
game business with all these dreams in their minds about how bright
the future of the industry is. When you ask them why, they all say
"Oh, all these new systems are coming out that're even more powerful
than the PlayStation 2, we'll be able to create things that'll attract
even more people to games," and so on. I've been consistently saying
this is wrong, but most of them look at what I say and respond "No,
no, you're wrong", and as a result, this is what's happening
today. There really are just an overwhelmingly huge number of people
out there that know nothing about the business of games. The game
business is a tough one, and it's not been around for that long,
either, so there are people out there that find this industry
incredibly interesting. Venture capitalists, in particular. That's why
these people are pouring money into the field right now.
Q: Because they don't know how difficult it really is?
Y: Right. They give money to people that really should be unemployed,
and they in turn round up some friends, start a company and begin
creating software. But is this really the best way to go about this
right now? The more amazing graphics and sound you put into a game,
the longer it takes to finish. Not just a year, but now, more like a
year and a half or two years. So then your development costs balloon,
and when you finally put it out you have zero guarantee of it
selling. That's what the game industry is today. Because of that,
I've been saying since last year that this industry will undergo a
major shakeout between now and next year. The general public doesn't
realize it yet, but most people in the industry know it's
happening. I've just been saying that pretty soon, even the public
will be forced to recognize what's going on.
Q: Along with the crisis at Sega, many companies have recently been
reducing their earnings predictions.
Y: True. For example, Square claimed that they would produce several
billion yen (ie. tens of millions of dollars) in profit for fiscal
2000, but more recently they've turned that into several billion yen
in losses, which is essentially exactly what I said would happen to
them before. And Square's a publically-traded company, too! There are
still many, many private software companies out there, and now all of
these companies have no idea what's going to happen to them in the
future. With all this downsizing going on, I'm sure we'll be seeing
many more announcements like that. The thing with this industry is, no
one actually needs what it produces. If what we were making was
absolutely essential in order to live, then the consumer wouldn't
complain about price or supply, because he'd be in big trouble if he
ran out. On the other hand, we produce entertainment -- and there's a
million other kinds of entertainment out there. If the game industry
went away, it's not like people would keel over and die on the
street. If it came to pass that people started saying "These games are
all stupid, I gotta stop playing them all the time", then what do you
think would happen? You don't need games to live, after all, so the
market could fall right out. It could even shrink to a tenth of what
it was.
Q: Do you think things could become that bad?
Y: Certainly. The average gamer's perspective has gradually shifted
over the years. They're getting sick of games that are nothing but
graphics and force; they want something to play that's actually
fun. So why are companies still aiming for nothing but graphics and
force? The most impressive phenomenon that occured last year, in my
opinon, was when Enix released Dragon Quest [VII] on the original
PlayStation, and not the PlayStation 2. It was the newest game in the
series, but it ended up selling far more than I predicted -- something
like three million or so copies. However, when you look only at its
graphics and sound, it looks very rudimentary compared with other PS
games. If you compare it to other titles, you'll find that there are
hundreds of PlayStation games that have far more impressive
graphics. Despite that, out of everything released last year only DQ
was able to rack up such high sales figures. Meanwhile games with
incredible, utterly beautiful graphics were completely dead in the
marketplace. This just backs up what I've always been saying -- games
have nothing to do at all with graphics.
Q: So if you don't keep your eyes on the game itself [during
development], you'll end up meandering down the wrong path.
A: Right. Up until now games have had nothing to do with movies, like
I've kept on saying all this time, but now people are going on about
how every game will be like a movie from now on. We've come all this
way and somewhere along the line, we've forgotten that we're supposed
to be making games, and not movies. Now, as a result of that, game
development is turning into a circus, costs are skyrocketing, users
get bored faster than ever before, and the development of truly new
games -- new ways of having fun -- has all but stopped. And now,
because of all that, it's getting difficult to make a profit producing
video games. If we don't change the way game development is carried
out, I can't see the industry or the marketplace rejuvenating itself
anytime soon.
Q: Several software houses have undertaken a multi-platform strategy -
signing agreements with Nintendo and others to become licensees for
several different game systems. Do you think this will have a
rejuvenating effect on the industry?
Y: Well, let's say that we make a game called X and we port it to game
systems from Company A, Company B and Company C. Then it doesn't
matter if a user bought A's, B's or C's system, he'll be able to play
game X on his own console. There's no difference between any of the
game systems in this case. Now I certainly understand the reasoning
behind a multi-platform strategy. As I said before, development costs
have spiralled upward, and it's become difficult to guage how well
something will sell in the marketplace. They want to cut their risks
and be able to sell that many more copies of a single title, so they
decide to just release it on everything. I can understand
that. However, if this becomes the norm, then it'll have a dire effect
on the marketplace. If users can play the same game on every single
system out there, then there'll be no reason to buy one system over
the other. It'll be just like buying a TV; no matter which one you buy
you'll still have all the same channels. In the game business,
software is our lifeblood. If that software becomes the same
everywhere then there'll be zero difference between companies. The
marketplace will just turn into a giant hardware war. Now, you'll
agree with me that TV sets are a fairly indispensible part of life
these days. More people have them then don't. Washing machines and
refrigerators are the same way. People have to buy them no matter
what, so dealers end up relying on added extra features and
advertising to compete in the marketplace. On the other hand, game
machines are far from indispensible. If the software was the same no
matter which system you buy, then the only point we'd be able to sell
on is price. This industry is based on producing fun, innovative
games, but if that goes away then we're all done for. That's why, even
though I understand where software houses are coming from, I think
ultimately it could break apart the industry.
Q: That's why you continue to produce games only for your own systems,
including the upcoming Gamecube.
Y: Yes. Nintendo's business is to make games that can only be played
on Nintendo systems. Nintendo's games only run on Nintendo's consoles,
and no one else's. Our aim is to get people to think Nintendo's games
are the greatest, the best in the world. We're devoting all of our
effort to that right now, and we'll be able to show our efforts to the
world this year. We'll see how it turns out after the Christmas
season, or about ten or eleven months from now.
Q: What do you think is an appropriate price point for game systems?
Y: The cheaper, the better. Gamers play games, and not systems, after
all. If a gamer wants to play game A and game B, then buying the game
system is nothing but a secondary obstacle to that. As a result, the
cheaper the hardware is, the easier it is for the users to buy it. At
the same time, though, we have to worry about our costs. Up until
fairly recently it was safe to lose money on hardware sales, since you
more than made up for it in the software you sold. It's impossible to
get a system out the door that way anymore, however. So when you
release a system today, you don't necessarily have to profit from it,
but you can't afford to lose money on every single console you sell.
Q: What is your opinion of your rival Sony's PlayStation 2 game
system?
Y: As a DVD player it's well worth the money; as a game system it has
a few problems. It's just too hard to make software for it. It's
absolutely vital that you design a system such that it's as simple as
possible for developers to create games on. If you don't, then costs
begin to rise, and it becomes more difficult for the designers to
realize their creations. It just becomes a gigantic minus for the
system in developers' eyes.
Q: There have been recent announcements that suggest game systems will
function more as net terminals for online games in the future.
Y: There're a lot of ways of thinking about that. Personally, I think
that most people going on and on about the net know nothing about
video games. People who don't get game creation are going on and on
about networked games -- probably because they can't come up with any
better ideas themselves.
--<cut>-- - Item drain was Item Distribution in Areas Brian Hook
- MUD-Dev digest, Vol 1 #255 - 27 msgs Dr. Cat
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