Re: designing socially-constructive spaces

["Brandon J. Van Every" <vanevery@indiegamedesign.com>]

David Galiel wrote:

> That is why NPCs that appear superficially like other players are a 
> deep design error, in my opinion, and why, in the worlds I am 
> designing, everything that looks human, is human, and everything that 
> is AI/AL driven, looks like a machine or a non-sentient life-form 
> (and, in fact, anything that is supposed to be an AI is, in fact, a 
> human-operated puppet).

I had thought of ripping off Picasso or Giaccometti.  Make all humans 
unrealistic.  Go back to all the various tribal masks.  Various cultures 
have specific functions for their masks.  Some visiting artist talked 
about some group in West Africa, I forget which one.  They had 3 masks: 
an animal, a woman, or a grotesque.  I remember the function of a 
'woman' mask was to not scare children, so that they could become 
educated about the masks.  Can't remember more.  Perhaps the idea of 
"there's only 3 roles for anyone who comes here" is a good 
simplification to make.


Cheers,                     www.indiegamedesign.com
Brandon Van Every           Seattle, WA

Taking risk where others will not.