The Dark Side of AlphaWorld
Vandalism and other crimes in the virtual city
Figure 7.59: shday23a.jpg
The Kyoti graffiti vandal strikes.
As AlphaWorld is a builder's mecca, the capital crime there is
vandalism. If you are building on an area (a pure green homestead
plot), and happen to leave some of it uncovered by floor tiles,
road, or walkways, then vandals can strike! In the preceding figure
we see graffiti plastered all over an empty lot by the notorious
Kyoti. King Punisher and his gang are another set of hooligans
in AlphaWorld who have been known to set sites on fire by attaching
animated flames. As there is no fire department in AlphaWorld
(as of this writing), this is a big problem. There is, however,
a police department.
The AWPD
Figure 7.60: awpd2a.jpg
AlphaWorld Police Department has an impressive precinct building.
The AlphaWorld Police Department (AWPD) patrols AlphaWorld in
search of vandalism and avabuse (verbal or bodily abuse
of people represented in-avatar. Founded by citizen NetGuy,
the AWPD has built an impressive headquarters, as seen in
the preceding figure. It also has a good set of Web pages in which
police reports are filed regularly (see your Avatars! book
Web site for links to the AWPD). The police are an all-volunteer
group of AlphaWorld citizens. They also offer a very friendly
help patrol at Ground Zero, and they can…help!
Natural disasters
Figure 7.61: awnwt2a.jpg
The New World Times reports on an asteroid. impact
"Natural" disasters occasionally strike AlphaWorld.
The most traumatic of all is the meteor strike. This is
a rare occurrence but happens when the main AlphaWorld server
crashes or has to be rebuilt because the format of the world is
changing. In this event, all buildings are demolished. The last
time this happened was mid-1995, as reported in the first issue
of the New World Times, as seen in the preceding figure,
and is not likely to happen again soon. We hope that AlphaWorld
will go on forever, but there may come a day when it is time for
an end-of-the-world party.
Figure 7.62: awfirea.jpg
An upgrade fire is a novel experience.
Another temporary natural disaster is known as the upgrade
fire. This occurs when you move to a whole new level of Active
Worlds Browser software, which requires the server to send you
(gradually) all of the objects to repaint the world. The server
sends you the anchor points (seen as black pyramids) first. These
are the points to which objects attach. It takes some time before
the objects themselves appear, so in the interim, you seem to
be moving around in a barren, charred landscape like that of a
burned forest. Don't worry when you see this, for all of the trees
and city will come back!
Avabuse
Figure 7.63: awfacea.jpg
Avabuse is in-your-face!
Avabuse, the abuse of a person in-avatar, can take several forms.
One is just plain bad language and outright deception! This is
a social world of free speech, and our neighbors may not always
treat us as we would treat them in return. Another form of avabuse
is related to body language. The preceding figure shows a case
in which an aggressive (or bored) AlphaWorld citizen was constantly
shadowing me and blocking my views of all conversations. Repeatedly
passing back and forth through someone's avatar is called avattack,
and is the virtual form of assault and battery.
Please do not discount the feelings you have when something like
this happens. The power of inhabited virtual world environments
is that they make you feel like you are there with other people.
Your feelings are valid, just as the intent to offend you was
real. Just stay calm and teleport or run out of
areas where you feel you are in trouble or not wanted. There is
no shame in this, just as there is no shame in similar real-life
situations.
Gender-bending, race-shifting, and generally not being yourself
As we have seen in on-line chat rooms, participants assuming a
character of the other sex and leading people on is a common occurrence.
In AlphaWorld, you can combine this with the selection of racially
different avatars, or choose to be a little kid, or a hulking
giant. In Neal Stephenson's Snow Crash, people were not
permitted to select an avatar taller than they were in real life.
No such social mores hold in AlphaWorld.
Part of the most thrilling and enticing aspect of the virtual
experience is to live the fantasy of being another person. Perhaps
there is an actor or actress in all of us. There is a dark side
of gender-bending or race-shifting. The old adage still applies:
"Oh what tangled webs we weave when we practice to deceive."
Starbright World and the liberation of the virtual
There is a positive side to a free choice of digital personae.
There are AlphaWorld citizens who are bedridden, hearing impaired,
or confined to a wheelchair. Being able to communicate with others
and fly through landscapes is reported to give them a tremendous
sense of liberation. The Starbright World, designed for sick children
confined to the hospital, is used as a liberator and play environment.
Starbright is not covered in this book because it is not available
to the general public, but it is perhaps the most poignant example
of how virtual worlds technology can help enrich the quality of
human life.
The power of accountability
AlphaWorld is an environment which does not permit anonymity.
When you became a citizen, you provided your e-mail address. Bear
in mind that you could be identified and contacted if you are
causing someone grief. For a guide to good citizenry, see Dataman's
AlphaWorld netiquette guide in Netiquette, The World Manners
Guide.