Archive of UserLand's first discussion group, started October 5, 1998.

Fun, games, Frontier and on-line technography

Author:Bernie DeKoven
Posted:5/20/1999; 10:12:55 AM
Topic:Fun, games, Frontier and on-line technography
Msg #:6517
Prev/Next:6516 / 6518

What can we for fun? More specifically, what can we do, using Frontier, to give people an opportunity to have actual fun together?

Both Dave and I, and probably many of you, see Frontier not just as a tool for writers, but also as a tool to support collaborating writers.

My explorations of on-line technography (by the way, Matt Daw and I have been experimenting with VNC <http://www.cam-orl.co.uk/vnc/index.html> and we are beginning to believe that it actually might prove to be a viable platform -- another open architecture), have reinforced everything I had hoped to believe about the appropriateness of the method. Technography, on-line, works as well as technography in a face-to-face environment. It provides people with a common focus. It helps people see themselves getting heard. It helps people stay on track. It stimulates productive thinking. People can make better decisions, faster.

However, in the face-to-face environment, it's games that makes technography work so well. Games that are energizing, a little silly, and generally pointless help break barriers, alleviate anxieties, establish a sense of community. Fifteen minutes of a game like Numbers <http://www.deepfun.com/msgReader$87> sets the stage for 3 hours of intensive collaboration.

Which brings me back to today's question. What kind of Frontierish play and games can we develop that will function in the on-line, real-time environment the way games like Numbers function in face-to-face meetings? What can we do with Frontier (and a tool like VNC) that will stimulate that same sense of fun and community, that will help break down barriers, that will help people feel safe with each other, and focused on the collective work?



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