So today we had to turn in our Final Research Paper Proposals for out subject for our final paper for the course, which incluldes 2 1000+ word papers on the pro and con points of your main thesis, as well as the actual paper, which is about 10k words. Nothing big, really.

The cool thing is I got my topic to be Lusternia, or rather, the supposed academic advancements that come from playing a text-based game, vs the supposed drawbacks of "addiction". I am just positing this thread because I wanted a bit of help with this paper. Would anyone mind posintg their line from their score, the one that says "You have played for a total of x days, x hours, and x minutes." ? And tell me what the name of this character is. I will be quting this in one of my papers, so you'll get credit on the works cited page.

Later in the week I might ask if anyone minds being quoted about their "addiction" or something, or if they have had any personal experience with academic progress and language ability, or other cognitive things (reasoning skill, for instance, or reading speed).

Thanks in advance for everything,
Love,mimi

PS: Can this paper be entered in the bardics?

You have played for a total of 44 days, 12 hours and 37 minutes.

Not that much, really.

You have played for a total of 107 days, 7 hours and 16 minutes.

You have played for a total of 73 days, 17 hours and 1 minutes.

Hiriako, of course.

This is since Lusternia opened, I think. I also have a habit of sitting on there chatting with people while writing papers and the like.

You have played for a total of 166 days, 5 hours and 27 minutes.

Shorlen, of course.

TinyFugue gags my total time played prompt, but here's my insight on the situation (feel free to quote, PM me if you need better citing than "that guy Blastron on this forum"):

In any game that relies heavily on text for the conveyance of information to players, a level of proficiency in the primary language of the game is required. In Lusternia, for example, a fairly good grasp of English is required to be able to interact with the world, while full immersion in the fantasy world requires a much higher level of comprehension, as the quality of the writing in the game is well above the average American reading level. However, not everyone has this necessary level of ability. The game compensates for this lack in an often unintentional way: adding "learn this language" to the player's percieved list of in-game objectives. Similar to the way players of graphics-intensive games will constantly upgrade their computers so that they can play the latest game, fans of text-intensive games will upgrade their reading and writing ability to be able to enjoy their games.

Additionally, in a faceless world where everyone is known by a short description or a name, writing ability is often a key differentiator between players. A player who gives off an impression of education and intelligence will often be more popular than a player who is incapable of spelling properly. This further adds to the player's desire to increase his linguistic ability. In the long term, this is beneficial to the player outside of the game as well as a firm grasp of a language is key to successful communication, which is an integral part of any interaction, be it social, recreational, or serious.

However, there is a subset of players in text-based games who seeks to obtain popularity (or notoriety) in a game through other methods. Combat is often one of these, where one player seeks to be percieved as the best combatant and gain respect in that manner. In this case, linguistic ability is largely irrelevant, as it takes at best an average grasp of a language to be able to comprehend the basic meaning of the text involved in combat. The player, in this case, learns little that is of practical application outside of the game.

You have played for a total of 179 days, 13 hours and 19 minutes.

I am thoroughly impressed by some of your play times... thanks for all the help! I'll post the paper when I am done with it, so you all can see where you were cited and such if you want!

Love,mimi

Not sure on my play time as I'm at work right now.

However, I find that playing lusternia greatly impacted my typing speed and accuracy, which I actually find very useful at my current job.

Blastron commented that a combat-oriented player may not be gaining very much from his/her involvement in Lusternia, however I think the necessity of understanding the basic programming concepts involved in designing/updating/modifying a curing and combat system is something to note. There are many different aspects to Lusternia that are beneficial in the real world, whether it be leadership abilities through maintaining a working guild/city, programming abilities, linguistic functionality, or even simple social interactions and problem solving.

It's a game, but I find it to be one of the most intellectually stimulating games out there.

QFT.

You have played for a total of 91 days, 18 hours and 21 minutes.

Character is Sarrasri. Only been playing for just over a year, I think.

In very many cases, there are relatively few people that actually create combat systems, instead purchasing or otherwise obtaining another's system. The vast majority of those that do create systems already had considerable programming experience, and creating a system is simply an extension of knowledge already possessed. Finally, the few who create intricate systems and have minimal amounts of programming experience are learning very little that wouldn't be taught in the first few weeks of a basic computer science course (input/output, variables, if statements), and they are learning it (more often than not) in a language that is not used outside of their MUD client of choice.



I touched primarily on linguistic functionality because I felt that it was the primary benefit of playing text-intensive games as compared to more graphically-intensive games. As I was trying to be more general and used Lusternia only as a single example, I did not touch on some of the less common features of text-based games (detailed political structure, intricate combat systems, challenging quests).

Interesting stuff, Blastron. How come you've thought it all through so thoroughly?

That is what I am mostly writing on, how the game has inproved my English, and my spelling/typing ability several hundred % fold.

You have played for a total of 82 days, 15 hours and 0 minutes.

On Acrune.

Edit: I should add that I've been playing since open beta, Oct 04 I think

You have played for a total of 73 days, 6 hours and 42 minutes.

On Forren - only been playing since May.

Very true, I'm not saying an ability to code a combat system equates to a degree in computer science, not in the least. However, it is a very good starting point for people who have no idea how to program whatsoever. It's fun, because it's a game, but it also exposes people to programming. A great way to learn, in my opinion.

I agree. Excellent practice.

You have played for a total of 39 days, 6 hours and 28 minutes.

As Dylara, I have been playing since..oh damn when was it. June..I think, I only quit for two months I think.

I had much more time on Diamondais, Ive been playing Lusternia for almost two years since I dont count my character from Beta (I just wasnt into the game at the time, and Hartstone wouldnt help me.)

I haven't, I'm merely very good at coming up with a point, justifying it, and defending it, provided it is contained in any topic I am reasonably knowledgeable about. 60% of the stuff I write that sounds well thought-out was written in one long thought-dump with no prior thought, 30% has been written out, proofread, and edited for internal consistancy and cohesiveness, and 10% is actually well thought-out. This post fell under the 30% category, so it had some additional thought put into it.

I routinely get good grades on writing assigments that involve supporting points!