[LINK] Minister warned ..Filters v language and cheating v economies online

[Janet Hawtin]

On Jan 2, 2008 9:44 AM, Craig Sanders <cas at taz.net.au> wrote:

> in any case, it doesn't take kids long to figure out that "p at ki" and
> other mis-spellings get past the filter....or even invent a whole new
> slang based on innocuous words.

For an example in action visit an online MMORPG like Runescape which
has a strong word based filter on in game chat.

http://runescape.com/
(You can create a free account but expect to go through a tutorial
before finding yourself in a space where people are speaking.
Saturated name space is also an interesting culture shaping factor.)

The language used to communicate in those kinds of spaces includes
game item shorthand, sms shorthand and rewangled language designed for
expression in the negative spaces between the filtered words.

The filter in this space also ignores whitespace so normal sentences
can be blocked because the combinations of 2 words makes something
which gets *****. This does change how people speak/write in those
spaces. People are also more adept at enterpreting ***.

It is a game going through interesting times at the moment due to
people trading game items or accounts for real money. The game company
is responding by locking down the game economy which is having
interesting impact on the community/play.

Changing from a supply demand based economy to a defined value economy
will be an interesting social and economic experience for the kids in
the western countries where the game is hosted.

Watching virtual spaces become more integrated with wider economics
makes me want to ask questions about how societies would like to
define their economies in online contexts and what these kinds of
decisions contribute in shaping our wider cultural interactions.

Watching what is effectively a stockmarket crash in a game is
interesting, but thinking about how virtual spaces shape economic
thinking into the future is the related wider set of questions.

Those who create the rules of the game in online spaces do not
participate in governance based on social or national interests except
in as far as they want to retain good subscriptions. This game has
previously banned large numbers of players for cheating by using auto
accounts or breaking game rules. They are pretty strong on shaping the
character of the space.

Kids have grown up watching the rules change around the economies they
participate in.
The rules are perhaps more changeable and transient. Their civic role
is more as a subscriber than a voter or particpant. Perhaps these
experiences contribute to future/current adult ideas about what is
economically interesting or possible and where control of economies
happen.

Economies which are contained within bubble of a single company's
choices are an interesting phenomenon. Snow Crash was an exploration
of these ideas some years before we could practice it. Games answering
the challenge of free and open participation with restrictive social
controls are an interesting phenomenon. Watching the same choices in
play in our wider community makes me wonder what other strategies we
are not trying (online, offline or in games) which might help us model
free and responsible online communities.

Interesting times

Janet