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#### The Problem of A.Bliss and a Danger We Need to Face (Seriously)

Firstly I am writing this post as dmnddgs the player here not dmnddgs the character I play in the game space.
I'm sorry if you find what I have to say TL;DR, but I am very new to the whole online gaming and social networking spaces, even though I've been around since the year dot. I have lot to say on this subject and I would be sooo happy if you would spare your time to read it. If not, I have tried to summarize what I am saying in a TL;DR at the end – hope that helps.
To say I feel strongly about what is going on at the moment would be an understatement. I like to think I have become a very active player in Glitch and I certainly spend an inordinate (lol) amount of time in A.Bliss. Being a hardcore miner in A.Bliss has helped me create my strategy for the game going forward, both from a play perspective and what it is I choose to get out of it personally.
I was there when the bust up happened that is being discussed in another thread. I wasn't involved directly, but I remember trying to calm things down and get players to take a step back. I encouraged them to look at the GAG vs GODS thread and see it all as being fun and to stop trying force people to play the game in whatever way they deemed to be acceptable. My forum post ended with a link to GODS manifesto - here it is MANIFESTO (I wonder if you will click it?). Admittedly, my forum trolling has probably been quite awkward. As I said, this is all new to me.
The next day both players contacted me and seemed pretty upset about what had happened and the formal warnings. Both suggested they were going to quit. I begged them to hold on and just relax for a bit, which I thought they were going to do.
The sadness they expressed may have upset me even more than them. I contacted staff (Jobynana), to ask a question. I was not asking for the warnings to be reviewed, but I wanted to discuss the problem with A.Bliss and what I could do about it. Within the course of a few minutes I had an emotional melt down; a fricking cynical grown man blubbering like a baby.
Thank the lord for Joby. She took me aside and asked me to follow her into some of the most beautiful spaces I had yet seen in Ur. She helped me realize that there is so much more to it than meets the eye. I lost track of how long we talked for, it seemed like hours and we touched upon many subjects regarding Glitch which had been bothering me. I get a tight feeling right now thinking about how Joby handled my pain, so very giving and not judging at all. She helped me to figure out that I needed to take a step back myself and spend some figuring out what my strategy should be in charting my own path through the game. The other amazing thing about Joby??? Well, FFS it was something like 3:00am in the morning where she was, and she was supposed to be chilling out with a friend. Talk about dedication folks. What other company have you seen that has staff that are willing to do this. That alone should give you a clue.
Glitch is a concept of absolute genius in my opinion. As with all creations of genius there are flaws. But it is those very flaws that make the creation a thing of wonder.
A.Bliss is a very flawed space.
For some reason we have been drawn to it and there you will find the most random, entertaining, stimulating, challenging, loving bunch that I think you will find anywhere on Ur. We regulars have an understanding of how A.Bliss works that is not very well articulated. In another life when I was involved in process design my colleagues and I used to talk about the concept of entrainment, and that is exactly how A.Bliss works it seems to me. To the uninitiated eye it is random and chaotic, but to us there is a particular kind of dance that seems to evolve and it can be entrancing.
At the same time as this dance is in swing (what someone once called the "shiny fever"), there is a rapid fire of free flow messaging scrolling in the local chat window. Call out codes for where the rocks have spawned interspersed with what I can only describe as some of the most random, intelligent, hilarious, snarky, lewd, helpful and loving messages going back and forth between some of the more vocal participants.
For a new comer it can be a frightening or intimidating place. But it is intriguing enough for many to stay on and become part of the fraternity. We are nothing if not welcoming. Equally, there are those that have been to A.Bliss several times but have not necessarily clicked into the "dance". This is primarily where the conflict arises in my opinion. A side issue is just who is playing a role in the game space versus those who are playing "themselves"? It's something I am only just figuring out after being here for about a week. Whenever I have been in A.Bliss and I sense conflict I try my best to diffuse it gently and I know there are others of my fellow miners that will do the same.
(cont.....)

Posted 14 months ago by dmnddgs | Permalink

### Replies

- We have few rules in Glitch which is a wonderful thing. My impression so far is that Ur is an organic design that is intended to be self-governed by the participants.
  A chaotic space like A.Bliss will not survive with imposed rules and self-government doesn't seem to be working either. I believe that the community collectively should be able to put out there a minimal set of guidelines that will help everyone see a modicum of order in the chaos. We did it with the map of codes and I think we can now go to the next level.
  After yesterday's issues, noc and I decided to work on a document that we hoped would help to give a rough idea to newcomers how things work in A.Bliss. awdrone has also offered to help. We are not trying to say that this is how you should play in A.Bliss. We are just trying to help get your mind around what it is we seem to be doing there.
  I have taken it up myself to do the first draft and will pump something out shortly. Don’t worry it won’t as wordy as this (lol). Like everything in A.Bliss, the players appreciate all that is to the point, snappy and snarky but also loving.
  All that I have written here, what I write in the guide and my activity in the game space is done with love. You might think I am trying to be some sort of director here. Nothing could be farther from the truth. If you do feel that, I am happy to entertain considered discussion. I won’t be responding to “griefing”, “butthurt”, “flouncing” or as my character would say: “harshing of the shine”. If you still feel a need to do any of the aforementioned, I have a flounce cat item I can sell you for 100 currents, express delivery included. Srsly, I had my fair share of grief yesterday thanks very much.
  If you have stayed with me this far, then thank you. If at the end of all this you think I am taking this too seriously, then my answer is you are damn right I do. Glitch is the most unique creation I have come across in my life. We have the opportunity of a life time. Don’t let it get broken. If you agree with what I have said then speak up. It is up to all Glitch to shape Ur, not just a selected few.
  Thank you for the opportunity to say my piece. And thank you Stoot for allowing me to take part in the crazy endeavour of yours. With much love.
  TL;DR
  Glitch is a game that cannot be won
  Glitch can be played by any strategy
  Glitch may be more rewarding for you if you have a strategy.
  Have you thought about your Glitch strategy today?
  Posted 14 months ago by dmnddgs | Permalink
- Here is my two cents : The problem is in the mining mechanics.It is great that co-op actions be rewarded.But when we are talking about a high traffic area like Ajaya the only people getting burned are those who have taken the time to learn the skill. I learned Mining V FIRST THINGS FIRST because while it is a "grinding" skill it has offered the more reward for me in game and that is the way I choose to play.
  Why is it that..
  folks can learn HK and have special places with high traffic of animals ( their own homes)
  folks with green thumbs can do the same (homes and comm garden)
  Yet because I chose to learn mining I have no place where I can consistently grind out my days duties?
  I believe that in Ajaya and Neva Neva skill should be more thoroughly rewarded not whoever clicks first ( which may be a skill in and of itself 8P! )
  Posted 14 months ago by Sperkle | Permalink
- MiMi I understand what you are saying.
  When the dance is flowing it doesn't matter what mining skill level you have. Those with lower skills are just as good at being part of the dance when they figure out that it will take them longer to finish on a rock than those with higher skill and that's o.k.
  At the end of the day, it is not about how quick you can mine or how many chunks of Sparkly you are rewarded with. It should always and only ever be about having fun.
  Posted 14 months ago by dmnddgs | Permalink
- All I know is Ajaya was funner lighter and more communal before TS stepped in and tried to make it even more communal :)
  *not that I don't ADORE ts staff just like most of my fellow glitchens*
  Edit:
  Also it doesnt take them any longer if there are more than like 5 people buttfucking one rock which in Ajaya it's usually 15!
  Posted 14 months ago by Sperkle | Permalink
- Ummm I don't think I just do. I made the same mistakes in beta that I have in the great re-do or re-set. I learn whatever and whenever I can..I like to be a home busy body catering for pigs hens and butterflies and cooking awesome stews and I like mining. I like going to the Ancestral Lands and walking back to collect goods. I have no rhyme or reason whatsoever.
  I despise all who have goals in this game BUT only cause I don't. I am not very competitive yet I want the top walker score etc., etc., - so how do I deal ? I just get on with it and am very thankful that not only have a number of Faunasphere Refugees moved over here but the new people I meet are also rather remarkable. Yes I could do with a slap button..not splank..that's too soft - a real wallop round the ear type thing but then I sit back and take a good look at what I am doing and laugh..yep I laugh at myself. Or I ear bash a few friends and they laugh and we all laugh. Cause folks if you ain't laughing you are certainly not getting no where near what you could be out of this game.
  I get frustrated when people don't listen to my sound advice in the 'peter out bog' quest (of which I have become an expert at) but then I can just walk away and find some jellies to scrape. I help where ever I can and I learn a lot from others too. Kindness is not going to go away because a few people just want to run around in circles chasing shiney. And the game does provide enough shiney for all.
  If I am in an area and getting tense then it is time for me to move on...come back later when it's not so busy.
  I was given the special neva neva key and told that this place was A-Mazing...what a bloody let down. People putting pigs in there to feed off and auction stuff so they can stay all day. 50 gazillion of us mining the same small pathetic rock!! I had to laugh. Running around like eejits!! I got more sparkle on the way there than I did in the elusive hall of shiney. In fact I got beryl from there because no one else wanted it!
  Did you know if you feed batterflies 3 x meat they poop every time. So if some greedy bugger has put up the price in auction come to me and I will sell you meat cheap, hell I'll give it to you...providing you prove your trustworthiness hehe. As much chance of that as getting my 'wallop round the ear' button.
  I am here and here I will stay. Stay and Play. I thank the Higher Powers that be that we are not doing this for real..seriously folks !!
  I haven't yet started building bricks yet but I will...I have never got any real acclimation from helping in street building but I have been a part of a team. I am enjoying the game. I thank the Developers and the Staff who make the game very enjoyable and assist when bugs appear but most of all...and believe me when I say this, I thank the players in the game whether you piss me off or not, cause your all a great bunch with your own ideals and plans and I can learn a thing or two from all of you.
  Does that help...I do hope so..sorry to hear you where so upset. I get like that too - but bet your bottom dollar it's not so much the game as my emotional well being at the time. so I send you a big cyber hug and hope to meet you in game where we can laugh to our hearts content, till the coffee comes pouring out our noses and the screen gets covered in gunky type stuff.
  And for that you must meet gallagirl...I defy anyone not to actually pee themselves laughing in her company :_))
  Posted 14 months ago by Really Pissed Off | Permalink
- Maybe I', always in AB at the right times. All I ever had there was fun, no arguments or hard words that were serious (I hope) ever occured to me...
  Maybe people should really see it as the game it is more often.
  Posted 14 months ago by NaTz the Badger | Permalink
- I don't think that people need guidelines for AB (besides the obvious don't be a dick rule). Part of the fun is to come in and discover for yourself what a great community it is. If you get it, then you are in. If you don't, you can still mine and reap the benefits, the monetary ones at least, and miss on the social aspect that makes the place such a delight. Ur is such a big place, there a loads of other nice places to explore, other subgroups to meet and parties to attend. If you feel the atmosphere is getting dense, go somewhere else. Create your own space. Talk to random people. Give a party. Games are to be enjoyed.
  Posted 14 months ago by sudv ♪ | Permalink
- Ajaya Bliss is easily the worst place in the game. I remember in beta when I could go and mine there and there'd be like two other people and we all left each other alone. Now if I want to go there I need to put up with a bunch of arcane rules about which order I have to mine in and tons of not-very-funny-or-interesting spam. It's so weird to me that a street like this has turned into a very insular clique where people feel so emotionally attached that issues with it can apparently make them cry irl.
  What have you actually done here that is so special it requires hundreds of threads about it containing lots of hand-wringing and hippie-style "I love you guys, we are the best community EVAR!!!"? You figured out the most optimal way of farming money and you talk to each other to entertain yourselves whilst you spend all day grinding. That's not particularly special or beautiful. You've been able to do similar things in pretty much every MMO I've ever played.
  I can't be the only person who is tired of all the "omg the community is so great I love you guys" threads that litter the forums and the constant attempts by people who feel particularly attached to the "community" to add new rules or change behaviours to fit whatever they envision as the perfect example of a Glitch-community.
  Posted 14 months ago by victoriah | Permalink
- Erm... I don’t see how Ajaya Bliss itself is a flawed space or how regulars have any better understanding – it functions like any other mining street/cave. The only difference is that it’s locked and has a higher concentration of sparkly, which perhaps is the underlying factor as to why some are ultimately drawn to it. Granted, it does seem to enable more cooperative play and resultant sociability – a bit like engaging with others whilst waiting in a long queue – compared with other areas where the tendency is to keep moving on (the exception being glitch trains, street project, candy-swapping party etc).
  Given the high concentration of resources, the differences of opinion with regards to mining preferences/playing styles and conflicts concerning key camping, perhaps Ajaya Bliss (and Neva Neva) would be better off as instanced/packaged party-like spaces.
  Posted 14 months ago by Christine | Permalink
- Dearest MelodiousViv, thanks for your response. This is the kind of thing I was hoping for.
  I've probably spend the best part of 3 or 4 hours thinking about and writing a reply to your response.
  I am an old fart and as Joby so astutely identified an over thinker.
  I have no experience with condensing my thoughts into twitter style sounds bytes - I am working on it.
  So I am very happy to share with you what I have written, but for broadcast purposes I think dmnddgs' space on Google+ might be more appropriate, broken up to reflect the different themes I have been thinking about.
  I really hope to meet you in the game space. gallagirl sounds like my kind of girl too. And dd has been telling me "get yo glitchy asses into A.Bliss and get ready to partay."
  With love, dmnddgs
  Posted 14 months ago by dmnddgs | Permalink
- I'm pro-guides, but anti "Come on! Didn't you read the guide?" or "X can't complain about how Y acted to him, of course Y could have handled it better but like 10 people told X to read the guide and then he would have known what to do and it wouldn't have annoyed Y."
  User developed codes of content are all opt in. They're not in the community guidelines or the EULA. So putting them together to help is one thing, but it should be specified that they shouldn't be used to scrutinize or alienate people who don't care to mine that way.
  Posted 14 months ago by Pomegrandy | Permalink
- Well, lol. I guess I asked for it but I am very pleased you all took the time to respond to me and want to say something to each of you.
  MiMiBerry: I am sorry I missed your second reply. I can only comment on what I have experienced since I have been in the game. While I might read various accounts of how different the experience was in the various betas, to be fair to everyone I can only offer my opinion of what I have direct experience. What you highlight though is the concept of change. And boy am I glad that you did. What we are discussing here are the current dynamics of A.Bliss. I would be shocked if A.Bliss didn't change. We might end up with a very sad place if change did not occur, whether by direct action or evolution.
  NaTz the Badger: a fellow miner and dancer of the shiney fever dance :) Keep on keeping on. "Rock on sucka!"
  sudv: also a fellow miner and dance afficiado. No argument with anything there sud. Thanks for reminding us "Games are to be enjoyed."
  victoriah: I think your response is the one I appreciate most of all. Yours is the view of someone who has no interest in the "sparkly fever". I hope all newbies would ask themselves the question "Why would I want to be part of this?"
  Christine: I am not disputing your point of view, but I wonder how many times have you mined in A.Bliss? I did mention that not everyone can click into the dance. Perhaps that was your experience? Maybe check A.Bliss again and see if anything has changed for you.
  Posted 14 months ago by dmnddgs | Permalink
- this is either wildly off-topic or awe-inspiringly pertinent, but i once heard from a professor studying the odyssey that there is a deep connection between the storytellers in antiquity and the feats and banquets where they would gather to tell their tales. this is supposed to be similar to what happens, and a lot of people might have experienced that, when you start cooking with someone and - by immersing yourself in the materiality of the potato peels and not-slicing-your-thumb-off - find yourself suddenly talking and listening and telling stories to each other. it’s something like the ‘a journey shared is a journey halved’ phenomenon, or the soul-searching insights you get from nowhere when driving, whereby the fact that you are busy with something routine opens you up to new dimensions of meaning and language and relationship with the world.
  i get the feeling that this is not too far away from the community phenomenon in ajaya. people go there repeatedly, perform a number of repeated operations, and end up living off the stories they tell each other and the characters they play and the funny, non-mining things they are inspired (by a receptive community) to do.
  what i mean is that ajaya seems to be a focal point of conflict not quite so much because of the high-concentration of sparkly in there, but on account of the concentration of PEOPLE. both the GAG-related trouble (meaning the bit that was actually magnified in the forum, and not the original, lighter-hearted joke) and the current instance arise from the fact that the bus busy bliss street offers players nowhere else to go, at the risk of no longer being what it is.
  in more lightly-populated streets of Ur, it seems perfectly reasonable to imagine that conflicts similar to these would emerge all the time, only to quickly vanish as one or both of the conflicting parties get simply drawn over to another tree or another rock or a neighbouring street. ur is nearly limitless in its ability to absorb people with different interests.
  ajaya is on the very opposite side of the spectrum: it’s a tiny place crammed with people that can’t go anywhere else to mine as efficiently as they do inside. there’s more or less no alternate location for people to do what they do in there - be it rock-grinding or having chatting fun. conflict becomes intrinsic to the location, and is aggravated by the sense of loss you get from the idea of having to leave it.
  it’s clear that, in both the trouble episodes, dispute arises between people who care more about the actual mining and people who are more attached to the dazzling myriad of funny things you can do as a group of people packed together in a single place. there being no other ajaya or ajaya-like place, none of these people have an alternative to getting upset when something doesn't go as they meant it to.
  comparisons to other mmorpgs, although my experience with them if very limited, fall a bit short of the mark i’m afraid.
  glitch is self-expanding - which is to say, ultimately pointless. it is hardly a game that encourages accumulation for accumulation's sake... and i might be a little less ambitious than the average (at least since i got my cubimal fever under control) but i really do go to ajaya for the hangout and mine only when it's not too much trouble. there’s not much can be done in glitch (projects excluded) once you have a certain amount of money - beyond just hanging there to eventually hit enter on a rock and seeing what other people in a similar mindset have to say.
  this attracts people who play not to have things to show for, but to interact with a quaint, silly world and with its ofter quainter, sillier player-inhabitants. playing becomes, or at least has the potential to become, gratuitous fun - which is, pushing it a bit, the best kind of fun.
  interestingly enough, however, this is less likely to happen in a party space than it is in a location where people go and meet frequently and do things together and bond. with ajaya, the game has stumbled upon another, perhaps unexpected dimension of social play.
  ajaya, as a location, IS doing two things at the same time, though. there ARE players who go there simply to make money as efficiently as possible.
  the conflict rulings, so far, have leaned to the side of gameplay first, sociability second. but i don't think they have been too punishing or in any way over the line. it also makes tactical sense, seeing that people who have the chat aspects first in their minds are less likely to drop the game on account of an unfavourable warning. this does not mean that they are wrong to resent it - and i do hope that the devs realize what they have in their hands with a game or a location that encourages sociability as much as ajaya does. being a new player, i havent been part of a project yet - maybe that's where the magic happens.
  all that being said, i think overt regulation has little to offer as a solution to prevent this kind of thing from coming up. i get a feeling that, in a busy and self-organizing community like ajaya, little can be achieved by directive guidelines and rulings. in fact, it can be more often that not, as proved by late events, a source of conflict instead of resolution. the challenge the developers face is being able to provide players with both a regular space where people can repeatedly go to and do-things-as-they-chat-or-vice-versa, and a place where moneygrabbing mcgoo’s go to moneygrab efficiently, one not stepping on the other's toes. glitch is still vast and amazing without the social bit, but i feel it's the social bit that makes people stay once their glitches are settled in their glitch life.
  Posted 14 months ago by awdrone | Permalink
- eloquent eloquence, awdrone bravo!
  Posted 14 months ago by sudv ♪ | Permalink
- Pomegrandy - I am sorry but my response to you seems to have been dropped. I will try to recall what I wrote.
  I am very much in agrement with you on all of your points. We hope the document will be more of a sucinct answer to the question most newbies have - "WTF - Is going on here"
  I don't exactly remember how I arrived in A.Bliss myself, but once I was moving around th "b" area and just taking it all in, I found myself intrigued and haven't left since. It was a little while before I had the courage to ask any questions though. I got most of the codes in a short space of time but funnily enough I thought one code was a shorthand way of shutting me up. I would often ask a polite question and the next message in chat would be TL, which I assumed to mean "Talk Later". So I did, I kept quiet for a while until I saw the T1 pop up occasionally and then had one of my glitch :::facepalm::: moments.
  Posted 14 months ago by dmnddgs | Permalink
- Last one for tonight.
  awdrone: thank you for bringing some classical insight to all of this. I appologize that I cannot say more. I will try to tomorrow.
  Love, dmnddgs.
  Posted 14 months ago by dmnddgs | Permalink
- I was there in Ajaya when the problem was going down, I myself left some food and drinks on the ground. I didn't join in the argument and I think it was an important lesson for everyone there to learn, that even with all the love in the world, some people are just going to complain and be hostile. I decided that day I would never take part in a fight between Glitches and do my own thing. The only thing I know is that I joined Glitch because it was new, different, unique, fun, friendly, and a break from the evil world we live in. I need Glitch to be safe. I love it because it's safe. We all just need to keep that in mind.
  Posted 14 months ago by Effy Moon | Permalink
- Thank you for those beautiful thoughts Effy.
  I have been reflecting a lot on this discussion since last night and you have all helped me to reach quite a different understanding now. I am humbled and very grateful to you all.
  To Tiny Speck: Thank you for letting me play! I have been on a lot of roller coaster rides in my life and this has certainly been the wildest :) I would not have missed any of it for the world.
  dmnddgs will still be around, but my thoughts on Glitch will be published via my Google+ space. I hope you will all stop by from time to time.
  With much love to all my shiny Glitches, stay sexy. ;)
  dd
  Posted 14 months ago by dmnddgs | Permalink
- (also I dont understand why these objects werent "given" to the character as opposed to laid by their feet?)
  Posted 14 months ago by Sperkle | Permalink
- I have never had a problem in AB.
  Posted 14 months ago by Avnas | Permalink
- People just need to relax and take things less seriously. It's just a game. Have fun with it.
  People who become angry in A. Bliss because others don't comply to how they believe the area should be played need to relax. I mean seriously. It's a game. What does it matter if somebody doesn't want to participate in optimizing how much sparkly ore comes out of the place?
  With the exception of somebody doing something like released 30 or 40 chickens and then using sneezing powder every 5 seconds to annoy others, I don't think how another person plays in A. Bliss warrants even so much as a single negative comment from others.
  There is no particular way this area, or any other, needs to be played. Even in the case of somebody going in there and bombing it with chickens and sneezing powder, it's not like its the end of the world or anything.
  I'm sure that there would even be a few miners who thought the chicken bombing was funny. As a general rule of thumb, unless the other person is verbally attacking or abusing other players, its no big deal. Just roll with it. There's no reason to get bent out of shape over it.
  Posted 14 months ago by Melting Sky | Permalink
- Normally I really like mining in Ajaya. It's a great fun crowd and I get sucked into the dance. Dangerously sucked in sometimes, I can lose hours mining sparkly.
  If someone is doing something that irritates me and it stops being fun, I either leave Ajaya and go do something else, or log off for awhile. *shrugs* It's a game, not srs bzns. There are plenty of resources elsewhere, plenty of paths to take for what I want to do. I don't need Ajaya to get sparkly or currants or no-no. Is it optimal for one or more of these things? Maybe, but I don't want optimal, I want fun. Maybe optimal is fun to some people and that's why they get so passionate about it, I don't know how they think, I think like me. =D
  I may be addicted to sparkly, but I can quit whenever I want!
  Posted 14 months ago by Garney | Permalink
- Wat is this post? I don't even...
  Posted 14 months ago by ✦ SHI∇IΔΠ ✦ | Permalink