I think that as GNE expands, so expands the cities that we have. While Stencilton is one city, or rather, a collection of smaller communities, we can add different metropolises to the collective. I can see it now, we have Stencilton, center of commerce, and then Protractorville, or Compasston, that are sleepier towns with specialized trades. All have an airport that provides easy transit to Stencilton.

This way, the towns exist separately, and you have a scalable ideal. Politics can be local, or it can be “national,” affecting all who live within the bounds of the game. Certain itemsets exist in Stencilton, others in Compasston or Protractorville…

The game’s expandable and scalable, just like society itself.

There will surely be differences, but the current GNE would just be a microcosm of the big game. The same environment would exist, but there would also be interaction with an outside world. It should be fantastic.

There will still be close networks of friendship and comradery, the same as there will still be argument and disputes. We can learn motivations, and get a better, more tolerant understanding of our fellow man. I have learned a lot, and I desire to learn much more. My hope is that people will take the opportunity to test social aspects, as we have been doing these past few months, and carry the lessons into real life.

One of the things that makes this preview of GNE the most interesting in the people that have been invited in. If the player demographics became those of, oh, say, AOL chat rooms, I would leave quickly and never return.

I suspect that a useful game device will be enclaves - towns (for instance) in which only a self-selected bunch of players can enter. There, you can associated with like-minded (or, if that’s how it’s set up, very differently-minded) people, without having to subject yourself to a horde of people you don’t like.

When you want to go out into the wild, unwashed, public world, that’s fine. When you yearn for the community you’ve developed, you can do that.

Forget enclaves, let’s have gated communities! With barbed wire and attack dogs… we don’t need no stinkin’ newbies in Turtle Hill…

Walled city-states with phalances of hoplites at the ready!

Forget not the need for travel papers, a thought-scan and psychological profiles. We can’t have any miscreants, or ne’er-do-wells.

Eno in Counterpunch on the Gated Community via wood_s_lot:

http://www.counterpunch.org/eno1230.html

Ludicorp obviously needs a revenue stream. Thus, we have to let the unwashed AOL/Juno/etc masses in.

However, we do not want to lose this haven that we have been searching for; the intellegentsia need their net.respite and community. Thus, having the ability to have a “gated” or “pass-based” enclave would be, IMHO, necessary.

Let the masses fund our intellectual play. We’ve been exploiting the serfs for thousands of years; why stop now just because we are in a “civilized” culture?

I agree with Plurps basic point. I too find GNE to be an oasis of interesting, intelligent, inspiring individuals – a ginormous difference from the arid deserts of AOL chat rooms and Co.

GNE is inherently a social game. Within any society there are sub-societies/cultures. So far the group [because of its size] has been fairly homogenous and the TYPE of “society” that people like Plurp and myself dig.

Yet as foresight shows, many more people, diluting some of our present GNE oasis, will soon inhabit GNE. And as a result, we will naturally form sub-societies/cultures. And those sub-groups will “wanna go where everybody knows your name.”

Therefore instead of entire HUBS being closed off to newbies, perhaps we can create a “pub” or “café” where certain friends can get together and socialize, and certain TYPES of folk can hang out. Not because they feel superior or are isolationist – but because it’s sometimes nice to be with those you’re familiar/comfortable.

For example, an item is made…um…”GNE Chicken Squeezers Badge” and Plurp the President of the club is the only one who can make them – AND only those with this badge are allowed to come into the “Henhouse” a haven for “gallus domesticus grippers.”

This “club” would not alienate GNE from newbies, or make GNE entirely clique-ish, but would allow certain groups of people to be able to enjoy each others virtual company without the cacophony and clutter of an AOL-like chat room.

Rules, what rules? :)
I hope that GNE allows the development of, and experimentation with, all forms of interaction.

Ah, social clubs… where we could sip mojitos and smoke cigars.

I wonder if, technically and functionally, the concept of a window or porch could be programmed into the game. Just some way so that, say, individuals passing by a house or other building could be seen, but the babble of the outside world wouldn’t filter into the building.

Or perhaps, the concept of a balcony or porch could be added where the babble of the outside world would be filtered out unless one specifically “called out” to the street and could thus be heard out there.

Just ideas.

I think the microcosm idea is what sounds best to me.

I’m pretty excited for when there’s a over a thousand hubs to explore. :-)