It doesn’t matter how good a game is, if there’s a free alternative that satisfies their basic needs, they’ll take it.
Predictor: Bartle, Richard
Prediction, in context:In a 1995 interview, Richard Bartle responds to a reporter’s question about MUDs:”It’s a niggling worry, but I know that MUD2 will continue to improve. If these other MUDs want to improve, they’ll have to get their programming done for free. That’s possible, of course, but it’s not going to happen on a large scale. What’s more worrying is that a game that’s only 75 percent as good as MUD2 but is free will nevertheless attract players away from MUD2 simply because it IS free – for some people, it doesn’t matter how good a game is, if there’s a free alternative that satisfies their basic needs, they’ll take it.”
Biography:Richard Bartle of the University of Essex developed the first MUD, known as MUD1, with Roy Trubshaw in 1979. MUDs and MOOs grew in popularity and had participants from around the world. (Research Scientist/Illuminator.)
Date of prediction: April 1, 1995
Topic of prediction: Community/Culture
Subtopic: MOOs/MUDs/B-Boards/Newsgroups
Name of publication: Dragon Times
Title, headline, chapter name: Interview with Richard Bartle
Quote Type: Direct quote
Page number or URL of document at time of study:
http://www.iol.ie/~ecarrol/mud/interview.html
This data was logged into the Elon/Pew Predictions Database by: Bizzell, Natalie