Some people say that MOOs are the perfect model for the Infobahn, or whatever it’s being called this week, making the whole mess of navigating on and between networks invisible, hidden in MOO’s clothing. Maybe. In any event, I doubt these things will go away. With each new MOO, a new community begins and new cultures emerge to socialize a place where anything is possible. The Big Surprise of the Information Age is what people use their computers for: to communicate.
Predictor: Quittner, Joshua
Prediction, in context:In a 1994 article for Wired magazine, Joshua Quittner makes the following statement about MUDs (Multi-User Domains) and MOOs (object-oriented MUDs): ”MOOs themselves are evolving, becoming easier to use, with neat-o features that improve upon the groundbreaking work that Curtis et al have done here at Lambda. On Metaverse, for instance, a subscription-based MOO run by Steve Jackson Games of Austin, Texas, players have a small compass in the corner of their screens, telling them where they are. Metaverse could be the first planned community in cyberspace, with roads neatly laid out and awaiting development. Where is all this heading? I have no idea. Some people say that MOOs are the perfect model for the Infobahn, or whatever it’s being called this week, making the whole mess of navigating on and between networks invisible, hidden in MOO’s clothing. Maybe. In any event, I doubt these things will go away. With each new MOO, a new community begins and new cultures emerge to socialize a place where anything is possible. The Big Surprise of the Information Age is what people use their computers for: to communicate.”
Date of prediction: January 1, 1994
Topic of prediction: Community/Culture
Subtopic: MUDs/MOOs/B-Boards
Name of publication: Wired
Title, headline, chapter name: Johnny Manhattan Meets the Furry Muckers: Why Playing in MUDs is Becoming the Addiction of the ’90s
Quote Type: Direct quote
Page number or URL of document at time of study:
http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/2.03/muds_pr.html
This data was logged into the Elon/Pew Predictions Database by: Anderson, Janna Quitney