Topic

What I Love. What I Wonder. What I Hope.

Insomnia gives me the solitary time to think. Sometimes dangerous (oh the ideas that percolate!); always interesting; it is time when my mind wanders unconstrained. Unsurprisingly Glitch has occupied some of that mental wanderlust of late. Those rambling thoughts are below.

Some of the things I love most are not related to game play directly but definitely a result of the world we have been given the privilege of occupying. Several threads that cropped up after last cycle are shining examples of that. Sir Mix-a-Latte's thread. Laurali's thread. Nutmeg's thread. Freeman's thread. The unencumbered, unplanned creativity and humor, the community and sub-community personalities, the ebb and flow of passion, flashes of brilliance - there are pockets everywhere and in most threads. But these have really made my heart delight and grow to love Glitch even more.

I wonder how this can be carried forward into the on-going state of Glitch after launch. Some of it is related to the limited size of our citizenship and the realization that we are helping to mold what the general public will see. Our hosts breathed life into Glitch, we have been asked to share in the caring and feeding of their visions and dreams, in some cases turning them upside down and inside out; challenging, poking, prodding, cheering and jeering as we go. We're in a bit of a Utopian state, sheltered and protected, operating a bit out of the reality of the "morrow" for Glitch.

I wonder if we'll feel a sense of entitlement as our world grows; if we'll feel a bit like natives, the elders, a bit jaded and impatient. Will our wonder cease? Will our willingness to be caretakers erode? Will it be needed or desired by our hosts? Or will we fade into the ethersphere as blips on the infinite timelines in the Giants' memories and footnotes on the pages of the Wiki.

I hope that this whimsy, heart and passion will remain once the "morrow" comes. I hope there are the random outbursts of silliness, and that creativity and unexpected awe are woven into the fabric of that time after it dawns. I hope that the shared experiences of our now are more than wistful memories and fuel our on-going interactions. Selfish though that is, I don't want to lose the bonds I've made or see the bonds others have made, lost. I know it does and will happen as it does in the physical world but my hope is that it's an organic thing not something forced solely because our world as we now know it is 'discovered' by other wanderers.

As I think about the reasons why I would return post reset - THIS is why. It's not the gameplay. I enjoy it, but re-visiting what I have already accomplished, rebuilding my space, feels tedious and painful and a disincentive for me. It is absolutely the things I experience that are not direct gameplay that will bring me back. Preserving these things is tantamount to me personally and will almost surely be where I will focus my energies on the "morrow".

Just my sleepless ramblings. And for our hosts, a heartfelt soul-deep and humbled thank you.

g33kgurrl
She-geek of the Firebogs

ETA: As I think about a comment made about changing the tagline for Glitch if the world is limited by the creators visions and not the players, my realization is that Glitch is not the game. Glitch is the community. While the game does and will have bounds, it is our interactions in and out of game, as a community, that are unlimited and unfettered and will take us beyond our wildest dreams if only we allow ourselves to wander there.

Posted 17 months ago by g33kgurrl Subscriber! | Permalink

Replies

  • Thank you, good post!  Having only Beta'd one other MMO my experience is limited but many of your speculations were true there.  The "Elders" (Beta testers) adapted to the influx of Noobs in different ways.  Some were too set in their ways and felt the insult of the incoming youth in August.  They preferred to leave the game rather than adapt.  The majority adapted in various ways and the fun did continue.  Creativity in Game and in the Forums never ceased nor did the feeling of Community.  It was the Community, I discovered, that was indeed the Game.  We supported and relied on each other and made gameplay such a pleasure that the loss of it was almost akin to losing a body part.  But, even at the end the Community continued on until at last many of us landed here.  This sense of Community was the overweaning pleasure that brought me to Glitch where I have seen it expand to include many Alpha testers, the "Elders" of Glitch.  I suspect, as before, we will continue to create and adapt and grow.  I look forward to the Opening with both excitement and dread but mostly excitement.  I expect even more creativity from the Glitch Community as time passes and can hardly wait to see what develops in the future.
    Posted 17 months ago by Brib Annie Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I'm a very recent addition to Glitch, but I have participated in quite a few MMO beta tests before. The 'one big family' aspect was always there, but rarely have I seen such partecipation.
     I think the reason is Ur. All the other games had a set story; even a fantasy world usually has to be coherent with the way things work. Here it doesn't matter. There's a real building participation, people feel they're moulding a universe and it's bringing out the little bit of God in all of us. Creativity is everywhere because players feel somebody cares what they think/imagine/envision  and the sharing part is really the biggest part of the pleasure. 
    I'm afraid it will dwindle slowly to maybe a few lasting in-game groups, at least that's what usually happens... here, who knows?
    Posted 17 months ago by Zira Subscriber! | Permalink
  • @g33kgurrl   - dearest fellow Glitcher.. I too used to suffer from insomnia. Now I refuse to call it that... I sleep when I can... it is for only a very few hours each night...therefore I have the luxury of being able to rest during the day if needs be.  I say don't fight it... Give in the whatever rhythm your body can establish and take it easy, slow...I have heard that Thomas Edison rarely slept. He would nap curled up under a desk at his laboratory...We who only sleep four to five hours a night have to adapt....I know my best time is the middle of the night... I love the dark...it must be my vampire blood surfacing. I pray that you can function well inspite of not getting the recommended 8 hours a night. The worst thing is to take Ambien or any other Rx...I eschew all medications unless they are life saving such as those for high blood pressure  or other maladies we humans suffer. I never saw a dog or horse with high blood pressure . If only they could speak and tell us their secrets...
    Posted 17 months ago by napabeth Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I don't know how the entire world will evolve over time, but I am pretty sure the friendships I have struck up in-world (g33kgurrl being a major one!) will endure.  And even as the world gets larger and more people flood in, there will always be groups that gravitate to one another.  I liken it to when I moved from a very small private high school to a huge university - my mom basically told me that I would find ways to winnow my world down: groups, my program within the university, other points of interest.  And also that one friend tends to lead to others, like tugging on a string.  

    So I think unless something horrible happens that Glitch will end up being rather like life.  Albeit life with egg plants and chickens hatching piglets and rocks that tell you stories.
    Posted 17 months ago by jasbo Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Love this thread. Totally agree with all the sentiments. I was part of the same community as Brib Annie, however, I was NOT a beta tester; I came in several months after beta. And I was welcomed with open arms and became (I hope) also a valued member of that community. I definitely feel that same spirit here, and while I DO love the gameplay (like a maniac), the people make this game. I am committed to welcoming new members when we go live because as I know, you can successfully mesh. I've been there. Something we didn't have was the Groups aspect, and I am finding that to be yet another way to build marvelous subcommunities and fun. And I bet the Group Halls, when they come, will continue to add to that feeling of camaraderie. Hugs to you all (and kisses, moons and splanks!) :D
    Posted 17 months ago by RM Subscriber! | Permalink
  • @Brib Annie, @Zira, @Rascalmom -- I have not been an active MMO person in the past. I just never got hooked on them. There wasn't enough substance or interest on my part. SL was where I was *most* active if you can even call my involvement there active, and it was too kludgy, too weird in places, and too wildly variable for me to feel like I was part of something.

    I have been in a number of betas for different things, and have been involved in other types of online games, everything from player to admin and everything in between. In fact, I met my husband through one of those online games. The sense of community exists even now, although many of us are no longer active in the game. We are scattered across the globe but stay in touch via email, skype, FB, Twitter and in the physical world as well. My realization following conversations with my husband about "Why Glitch?" was that I have a burgeoning sense of community and I've been missing that in every other online gaming experience I have had since "the Game". Finding it here is an unexpected benefit and one I cherish.

    Giddy with glad heart and hopeful spirit. Thank you for adding to that.

    @napabeth !!  Insomnia is my blessing and my curse. I do work around it, through it, with it. I rarely fight it. I use my high-functioning skills in sleep-deficit conditions to my advantage. Morning is not my friend. I function well, but not optimally by any stretch. But afternoon is my *waking* hours, with stride being reached after dinner and well into the evening. Alas...I work in the corporate world of 9-5 expectations. But even there, I flex my flex time as necessary. :D

    @jasbo -- Suffice to say that you are known to my other geek half by Glitch name and many other references. You are, quite frankly, part of the spark behind the conversations and thoughts I spilled in my original post above. When I shared it this morning with my He-Geek, he commented, "You have found new friends there."  

    I simply said, "Yes. Yes, I believe I have."
    Posted 17 months ago by g33kgurrl Subscriber! | Permalink
  • DAMMIT, G33K, YOU MADE ME GET MISTY THERE.
    Posted 17 months ago by jasbo Subscriber! | Permalink
  • *giggling (only cuz well...I understand and will neither confirm nor deny any outward expression of  loss of emotional lockdown)

    I say what I mean and mean what I say.And I take the word "friend" seriously. That is all. 

    P.S. A friend we made through the Twittah came through our crazy part of the world on his 6 week US walkabout from Oz this past winter. No other US friends of his live here. Because love and friendship no only the bounds of our hearts and minds. "Real" as in "real friend", "real love", "real people" -- is not confined by physical proximity.
    Posted 17 months ago by g33kgurrl Subscriber! | Permalink
  • g33k, I have some incredible friends I have met online.  Some I have met in person later, some not.  And I take "friend" very seriously as well, my friend.
    Posted 17 months ago by jasbo Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Oh, g33k <3 Posts like these makes me so proud to be part of this community, and so happy I found it. *hugs* 
    Posted 17 months ago by NutMeg Botwin Subscriber! | Permalink
  • @jasbo - I kinda thought that in my heart but glad to hear it all real like. :D

    @Nutmeg - you, my dear, are another glorious ray of sunshine in my days.

    Ohhhhhhhhh the love............feeeeeeeeeelll the love...

    muahahahahahah snicker lurvvvvvvvvvvvvv

    lol. 

    Seriously I am laughing and evilering and laughing and..yeah. I'm really this silly in "real" life too.
    Posted 17 months ago by g33kgurrl Subscriber! | Permalink
  • wuv....

    CHEWISH youw wuv......
    Posted 17 months ago by jasbo Subscriber! | Permalink
  • @jasbo: Fowevah and evah...
    Man and wife! Say man and wife!
    Posted 17 months ago by RM Subscriber! | Permalink
  • EFFING GROUP HUG NOW.
    Posted 17 months ago by jasbo Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Awwww I'm this silly in real life too! :D I lurve you all! <3

    EFFING GROUP HUG! 

    LOL
    Posted 17 months ago by NutMeg Botwin Subscriber! | Permalink
  • NutMeg, I am too.  But I am also someone who was a drama major in college (though mine was many, many years ago...)
    Posted 17 months ago by jasbo Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Somewhere, a griefer, just threw up in his/her mouth.
    Posted 17 months ago by g33kgurrl Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Somewhere, a griefer, just threw up in his/her mouth.

    g33k, our job here is done.
    Posted 17 months ago by jasbo Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Beautiful post g33k!  I love the community here too.  This is my first time beta testing anything, and at first what kept me coming back was the intrigue that I could help mold something awesome, but after a while the community kept me coming back.  I check the forums constantly to see what you all are saying, and I sometimes log into Glitch just to talk, even though I don't feel like doing anything.  

    My biggest worry is that the community will be lost when the game goes live, especially once global chat is gone.  It will be much harder to keep our friendships alive, and I only hope that we can all stay close friends and keep the community feeling strong!
    Posted 17 months ago by Laurali Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Laurali, don't worry, be happy!
    Posted 17 months ago by napabeth Subscriber! | Permalink
  • g33kgurrl, we don't really know each other, but your post was a lovely read.

    I've been playing since the beginning of June. I guess I'm a bit of a shy player, and an awkward one when I try to be more outgoing, but I love how wonderfully close-knit Glitch's community is right now. I only realised it after reading the forums and meeting a few new people while playing, but the players here are so sweet for the most part! I came in knowing one of the other players quite well IRL, which I am very grateful for. I'm not used to playing social games, and might have taken a bit longer to settle in without her help, but I imagine that I'd have fallen in love with the game even if I'd joined alone. I still don't know many people here, because I can take long to make new friends in situations like this, but the atmosphere in general is warm enough that I don't need to have a large circle of friends to feel the love! (:

    I deeply regret not having learnt about the game sooner. I wish I'd have more time to build relationships on here before the game goes live. I realise that, for a lot of older testers, I am one of the unfamiliar wanderers you refer to in the original post. I also worry that the community will fade quickly after release, or at least sooner than I'm happy with, but I guess that'll depend on how quickly the community grows. Even if it takes time, current players will end up adapting the way they play once they don't have to worry about taking advantage of every minute available online. Is it selfish to hope that the world stays in beta for just a little bit longer?
    Posted 17 months ago by Xacau Feera Blin Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Oh, and as a fellow insomniac, I wish you well. I had to leave school about a year and a half ago because my sleep pattern just couldn't be worked around any sort of schedule, but I'm hoping to get an internship or some kind of volunteering job soon and apply to university in the fall. Although I agree it's best to avoid (a permanent need for) medication, it becomes a boon as times get desperate. I'm glad that your solitary time gave birth to this thread, but as you've mentioned, a lot worse can spawn! Anyway, good luck with it! (:
    Posted 17 months ago by Xacau Feera Blin Subscriber! | Permalink